The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-10-04

my friend lost consciousness. He
knows by now and has done whatever
Is in his power to do for the man who
saved him. -.
Leaped Into Burning Oil.
One of the matloes (sailors) who had
been on deck saw the officer just as the
flames were reaching him. The very
sea around the destroyer seemed on
fire. 1t meant almost certain death to
leap in it, but the matloe leaped.
He swan under water as far as he
could. When he came up the flames
licked around him. He filled his lungs
| with sitting, burning hot air and dove
again. Bit by bit he reached the OFF,
Ger, who had apparently lost all con-
seriousness, although he still was strug-
Cling feebly-just enough to keep him
afloat, but rapidly weakening.
When once he had his arm under the
officers shoulder the rescuer could no
longer dive and lie had to swim slow
~, supporting his heavy burden with
streaks Of flame shooting all round him
and tapping him. 1t would have been
easy for him to drop his burden and
make the best of his own way to safe
ty, but he would not do it. .-...s
Although the officer could not re-
member 1t, he must have come to once,
for he ordered the sailor to leave him
and shift for himself, but the brave
fellow would not do it. H..
Seeing that it would be easier to
swim away from the destroyer beyond
the fire zone, he did SO instead Of try
ing to get back to the vessel.
Other craft had been alarmed by the
sound Of the explosion and had seen
the smoke and flames and We're stand
ing up full speed. They picked the two
men up in the nick of time, for the
matloe lost consciousness before they
had hauled him into the small boat
which put off from one Of the patrols.
That's the type Of men they get in
the navy. This matloe was just an Or
been expected to do his duty even in
the face of almost certain death, but
he was ready and did more than his
duty in saving his superior.
And yet a party Of British sailors
who landed after the Jutland battle
were mobbed and several persons We're
hurt because the people thought the
British had lost from the first reports
received. >,
Over a Mine Field.
It wasn't long after this experience
of the destroyer with the mine that
went on run in an NJ. L. (motor
launch for submarine chasing) from
Dover. The subaltern in command Of
the boat was as neryy as the best OF
them, but he hadn't had much nautical
experience. What he knew about navi-
CATION and the kings regulations could
have been engraved on the face of
dime. AS we were running back into
the harbor they began signaling us
from shore. The subaltern looked at
the signals through his glasses, looked
in the book, grunted and went bliss
| fully ahead. I rather felt at the time
that he didn't know what the signals
| meant Just from the sort Of self con-
scious way in which he put his glasses
down. OF course 1 did not know the
British code.
| Those fellows hate to let on they are
stumped. They'll race neck and neck
| with death rather than let 1t be known
they lack any Of the qualifications.
A moment later the signal flags were
hauled down and run up again. We
held our course, and the flags were
lowered and raised several times, as If
trying to attract our attention to them
on shore.
| Presently man began wigwagging
frantically, while the flag signals were