The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-08-23
TO GAIN EXPERIENCE.
Spirit of Adventure Lei Boy Through
Mine SuWn Seas.

H. E. Lumley, the % year old son
of James NJ. Lumley, who has lived
in Columbia for 16 months, last night
related some of his interesting eN-
periences on the torpedoed ship Al
menian and his trips to London, Bris-
tol and Verdun and other places on
the European battleields. Up to
April, 1915. he was employed by the
American National Bank of Atlanta,
Ca. as a clerk Mr.. Lumley received
many letters from two friends, Paul
Rockwell and Kenneth Rockwell, who
were in the Foreign Legion, some
where in France These letters so
fred his ambition and spirit of ad-
venture that he left the bank and
went to New York city and later to
Boston where he shipped on the i'll
fated Armenian for Liverpool, and
was one of the survivors of that YES
sci when when it was tOrpedoed. He
said that he was picked up with some
,35 others by the tug John NJ. Stevens
and carried to the naval hospital at
Hobowline. Not being injured other
than shock, he was discharged the
next morning, while some Of the fell
lows who had suffered injuries from
the shell fire, which the Huns gave
them before the Armenian went down,
held much longer For the next two
months he did newspaper work in
Bristol and London, finally joining
the Fourth, Glouchester, an English
regiment and transferred to Verdun,
which at that time was being pre-
pared for the long sustained siege that
was to follow. Although the fighting
there was desultory and nothing to be
compared to what Verdun was to eX-
perience later, it gave him invalu-
able experience part of which he re-
lates below:
Crew Had Runch.
cat the time shipped on the Ar
menian from Boston every man on
board had the hunch that she would
never see the other side. There were
13O of US, molly bunch made up of
all kinds of fellows. The majority
were just roustabouts, who having
come to the ends of their ropes, were
ready for anything, even to the fac
ing of the German u-boats. However,
among this bunch were some half
dozen men who were college gradu-
ates, three newspaper men and some
others who, like myself were taking
the trip for the experience. Well,
we got it. I shipped as muleteer,
which meant that 1 had the care of
20 mules. Feeding and watering 20
mules comprised a days work and it
will be seen that there was an abund-
ance of time that hung pretty heavy
on our hands. This we spent in writ
ing letters to the folks back home
letters that were destined never to
reach their objective. Flicking jam
and Irish butter from the cooks
storeroom, process that required
the lowering of one fellow by his
legs over the side of the boat and
keeping him lowered until he brought
up, one can at time, supply for
about 20 men. It's needless to say
that the goat always put up a young
howl, but was never known to kick.
Kicking was dangerous. Thus we
killed time the best We could until
the early morning of June 20.
1T was about 5 o'clock and l was
in lower No. l hold, waiting for the
rest of the fellows to come down and
help me with the feed. About the
first thing l remember was the noise
of some hundred men running around
on the steel deck, cursing and other
wise acting as if they had lost their
reason. l knew then that something
out of the usual was happening up
there. l believed it was submarine
and knowing that was below the Wa
ter line, thought l would be safer
where l was, as the Germans at this
time, always warned the boat and if
possible would sink her by shell fire.
Three-inch shells are cheaper than
torpedoes. The sounds made by
heavy objects falling, the crash and
splintering of wood and the trembling
of the boat from end to end, due to
full steam on, was interspersed by
the shrieks and wild curses of the
muleteers and crew. After what
seemed to be ages, things above be-
gan to get quiet and l began to get
waE<and, 1 admit, a more or less
Standing on the