Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1917-11-09
CHAPTER III.
Spotted" by a Bluejacket.

CHAPTER III.
Spotted" by a Bluejacket.
nF course we ran at night with all
" our portfolios masked. and no
smoking was permitted either on
deck or below after dark. II the guard
caught a soldier sneaking a flag" he
tagged him and forced him to do guard
duty until he in turn caught another at
1t. The system worked pretty we'll
The boys could smoke all they wanted
to on deck in the daytime. After the
lights were out our sleeping quarters
were absolutely dark, and there was a
severe penalty for lighting even a
match. The portfolios were open to
keep the men from suffocating.
Before dark | carefully located my
husbands bunk since | knew I would
have to travel 10y dead reckoning, and
j couldn't afford to stumble over some
thing. because that would get Smithers
and my husband In bad and lead to my
discovery Before going to bed took
of my heavy shoes and carefully hid
them. was going to make the trip I'm
my stocking feet.
Shortly after lights out felt gen.
tie push on my arm. and Smithers
whispered
'All right, kiddie. Go up forward"
sneaked out of the bunk and
reached my husbands berth without
mishap He was glad to see me, and
for awhile we forgot the ship and the
war and the dangers and were our
selves. But. soldier like, he suddenly
came down to cases.
"l've got to report you. kiddle," he
said. "You can't go on or you will get
Us all In bad"
pleaded with him. He insisted that
he owed 1t to his country and his uni.
form to report me.
Forget you have seen me-" | urged
land let me go along. 1 will join the
Red Cross as soon as | get ashore in
France"
Alarm Interrupts Talk.
He finally agreed he would not re.
port me until just before we arrived
II got away with 1t that long. out he
insisted he must do 1t then. However
we agreed TO see each other the next
night TO have another talk, and
thought. with the whole Atlantic be-
tween us and France, could persuade
him In the meantime. Just as was
getting ready to go back the submarine
alarm sounded which broke all the boys
out of their hunks. seasick as most OF
them were.
ran back to my place just In time
to hear the rookie quartered over me
arguing with the sergeant.
Get up out Of therer' shouted the
mon CON-" That's the u boat alarm
IL don't care whether we sink OF
not" answered the poor boy. 81 hops
she does. Don't bother me-"
The sergeant routed out the rookie
without much ceremony. and follow
ed along to place assigned to me OF
life raft, putting on my life belt as
went. All the men had orders to dol
their life preservers first and then 81
In an orderly manner to their places
Already there had been two or three
drills In the daytime, and the disci
phned man soon catches on.
When I reached the deck there WA
no confusion and no excitement In til,
pitch black darkness. The men wer
proceeding quietly to their places. fas
tening on their life belts. although mos
Of them had been Weakened out of snor
ing sleeps. and | was proud OF the be
havior OF the soldiers Uncle Sam wa
sending to the trenches
II all our boys who are going 4
France obey instructions as well a
that shipload did there win be no ex
cuse for the loss OF life. II all move'
IKE clockwork. No one lost his head.
My seasick rookie. however. climbed
into the wrong boat and got call iron
the corporal
Don't you know" beloved the cor
poral. that ltebont is reserved for OF
dcersi Get out of there!'
IL don't think this Is a very demo
cratic army" grumbled the youngsteI
"if they're fussy what boat you get II
at such time. I'm going to Russia t.
enlist, where there's some freedom, Il
they don't drown me. and I don't care
II they do"
The alarm was only intended MS {
night drill, and we were soon ordered
back to quarters. trailed along will
the rest almost boldly, because ther'
was little danger OF detection in tina
inky darkness. | rolled into my bunl
and was soon as sound asleep as any
body. As dozed off knew was no
afraid Of submarines, for the alarm
had not scared me at all, and though
we had sighted a sure enough u boat
After that We had many of thes,
drills at all hours. Most OF the mel
soon became calloused to the danger o
submarines, and some OF them got s.
they would sleep through the alarm
that is, they would sleep until the ser
geant, whose duty II was to see tina