Evening journal., 1918-09-12
TROOPS LEAP To
DESTROYER DECK
See Hun Boat That Attacked
Transport Sent to
Bottom
NOT ONE MAN
OF $500 LOST

LONDON, Sept. i2.-A torpedo nreu
by a German submarine borrowed It's
way into the yiials OF q British trans
S,.+ ,ao3n WITH .SJO American soldiers
aJ miles OF tus brush c0dst last Ia
Gay afternoon.
th,, TRANSPORT. unodlcla.ly reported 90
haze been the Pcrslc, Nhiie star Line
was raced 90 shore aud Deached.
lne submarine lett her victim PIE
sumaDly settling slowly and turhed lo
lice as tne soldiers aboard the sup
posedly sinking craft leaped IN salel!
10 the decks Of a literal swarm oi ue-
stroyers Tia; hurried close alongsiae
the torpedoed transport, As they
Jumped the soldiers had the satisiac-
lion OF seeing, lt was reported by sew
erol. the submarine actually lifted out
OF the water by the force OF deptn
bombs discharged by O destroyer ana
then sink out OF sight. Among the ref
ugses from the transport not the
slightest doubt Is held that the subma-
rlne and all aboard were lost
The torpedoed vessel encountered
trouble with her engines just before she
was attacked and for these reasons mao
Jagged behind the heavy convoy ol
which she was a part The trouble
with the engines had been overcome
however. and the Persic was catching
up swiftly with her sister snips ana
the protection Of the war vessels ac-
companvlne them. when the submarine
poked its periscope out Of the water
and almost Immediately launched the
torpedo
The soldiers aboard the Persic were
mostly from Chicago and Cleveland
Many Of them were Of foreign eAtrac-
ton. and their cool conduct ana the
complete absence Of anything even Dor
dering on panic, caused officers 70 COM
mend them highly. For the most part
the soldiers were factory hands before
ihe draft lifted them into the Ameri-
can nghting units. Not only were no
lives lost, but every man aboard the
transport escaped injury .
The torpedo hit the troopship Just
forward of the engine room. lmme-
diately she began to sink by the bow
At the time many OF the soldiers aboard
her were taking baths. Those VINO
weren't moved TO their stations win
tho same precision they would have
maintained had they been on parade
ashore The others made no EFFORT 70
stop even for the purpose OF obtaining
clothes
Instead they grabbed what garments
were Immediately available and mad'
for their appointed stations. Water theI
WAS rushing into the ships hold at suci
q rate il was thouCht she would founder
quickly To the surprise Of most OF M
soldiers. however, the laundering di'
.. not occur.
Destrovers moved ut Of the preced
ing line quickly. and soon were push
| ir,T close alongside. Without waiting y
launch Ufeboais OF RATS the soldiers
rlothed and unclothed alike, claInDore
Town ropes TO the decks Of the destroy
/ ,rs. emptying the transport even Dc
ore the first depth charge from oine
bips were being hurled for the dc
lruction Of the fleeing U-boat.
The work Of rcscuing the soldiers wa
,sde comparatively easy by reason Q
he feet that the sea was not rought.
~ fleet that ormed the convoy Wer
large number OF American as wen a
ritisb destroyers. and ships OF thi
I ype from both navies had a part ]
citing the torpedoed ships compile
rent 20 safety.
Aitbourh the rescued soldiers appaI
niIv do not know how it was accom-
dished. some means obviously wa
.ound aboard the Persc 10 stop tn
nrush OF water and she rode nca
snougb 20 shore 20 he beached. \ pre-
Iiminary examination led 10 the ofici'
conclusion that she ultimately can .
e, saved. a.,
Most Of the rescued American hgh'
ing men were hurried 20 an inland res
l. camp i'm England where they now ar
niarfered and being QUILTED anew prt
paratory TO leaving for France. None
any The worse for the experience. III
stead they are finding a great deal {
consolation in their knowledge That IN
submorine suffered far worse iaI
IA the hands Of the avenging destroy
ers. which dropped the dCt % bombs IN
eoldiers are certain destroyed IN
U-boat. a.,
Immediately upon the arrival Of IN
eoldiers at the rest camp the America
ned Cross organization in London rusI
ed large amounts of supplies 10 lnelh
Tho persic is a vessel Of l2O42 tor
cross she was built in 1899 and fol
nerlv was in the passenger service o.
tween Liverpool and South African an
Austrian ports. She is the third Vess
corrving American soldiers to the we
zone TO be attacked with any degree
success by the submarines.
= The other two were the Tuscanla
the Anchor Line, which was under cna
Ter 10 the Cunard Line, and the MO
davia Of the Peninsula and Occident
Line.
The greatest loss Of life resulted fro
the forpedong Of the Tuscania. sI
was sunk of the Irish coast IN rel
ruarv Her complement was compose
~ principally Of a detachment Of Michisa
and Wisconsin soldiers, formerly N
tlonal Guardsmen in those States.
ibe 1912 officers and men on board 2
nerished. Like the Persic, the Iu
csnia was under convoy when she WI
attacked -,
The Moldavia was torpedoed May
and sank. Details Of that sinking WEI
not an made public, but flfty-tive Anne
icans lost their lives. The torpedoir
occurred in the English Channel, ar
a is believed the ship was carryr
American soldiers across the Chann
from England to France
wInOW GETS HUSBANDS BODY.
f-fT Today Chfnn