Milford chronicle., 1918-05-17
A TUSCANIA SURVIVOR
TELLS HIS EXPERIENCE
John +. Davis. Milford Boy, Writes
His Mother, Telling About
His Escape

John F. Davis. a Milford boy who
was on the ill-fated Tuscania when
she was sunk By a Hun submarine. has
written his mother telling her about
the sinking Of that boat. Young Davis
Is well known in this section. having
been a member OF the Caulk Club
base ball team when it was cleaning
the peninsula a few years ago. The
letter to his mother follows:
France. April 18th.
My dear Mother:
| have Just received a very welcome
letter from home in which you tell OF
the deep concern with which the Mil
ford people and my college mates
read Of the Tuscania tragedy; and OF
the wholehearted sympathy which
they extended TO you when they learn
ed that | was on the ill-fated ship and
was unaccounted for.
Nothing is more touching than a
perusal of the many letters l have
| received. Although differing in de-
tail. an undercurrent of thandulness
that / was saved runs through them
all. In answer to their kind inquiries
l will try to explain how | was res
cued.
The more / think Of the escape the
more marvellous it seems. For three
| or four days previous the sea had been
unusually rough. On that night. how
ever. Il was as placid as a lake and
| the soft southern breezes hardy made
| a ripple on the sea. Again. after We
were struck, the good old ship stayed
afioat for over two hours, thus en-
abling many who could not get in the
/ life boats to escape on the torpedo
| destrOyers. Had the sea been rough
or had the Tuscania sunk in half an
hour. many more would have been
angels by this time.
The boat to which my squad was
assigned was upturned and driven in
| By the force of the explosion and was
useless. / lost my life preserver in
/ the rush After finding that our life
| boat was useless. We helped lower
| the other boats-then We waited for
we could do nothing more. The
| rockets OF distress were fired; the
sound of their repeated explosions
so closely resembling a cannOnade
/ that we thought that the U-bOat was
/ shelling US. Every light had been
sxtinguished by the explosion. One
/ boat. apparently safely launched. was
crushed into a hundred pieces when
another boat. loaded with passengers.
/ having broken from its davits. fell
with full force upon II. Then il was
/ that one of our men, an OldfashiOned
/ Southerner. said that his eyes filled
with tears and he saw his sister sit
| ting on the home door step. An hour
/ full of dire anxiety passed; when
/ through the darkness, illuminated
( here and there by the flare Of the
rockets. could see a form skirt rap
idly by AS it came closer. | recOg-
nlzed It as a torpedo destroyer. 1
watched it as intently as l could for
[ realized that it was my only source
of safety. Appearing and disappear
ing. it seemed to be taunting US at
the very jaws OF death. Once it steam
ed away a curtain of darkness hid ii
from view. ! never saw it again but
noticed a number Of men running
aft shortly afterward.
Following the struggling crowd
soon found a means of escape. Men
were sliding down q rope to a de-
stroyer which rose and fell by the
shin like a cork on the ocean.
realized that if | did not get on this
boat | was lost. l shouted to a sailor
TO tie the rope fast. and that l was
coming down. l landed on the side
of the destroyer and was pulled
aboard by a husky Jackie. We theT
sped on at a rate Of about thirty knot:
an hour. Hot coffee. brandy anc
steaming mince pie were served US
We went into port singing more witt
, our souls than our voices. ANY more
, would be but a repititiOn Of what
have already told you all.
!, was so glad to receive papa
4 picture. The other one went dowl
] with the ship.
Your son.