The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-12
Lieutenant keilmann Only 200
Miles From TuScania.
Wireless Told His Ship of Acct
dent in War Zone.
TOOK LONGEST WAY HOME
Liner Ran Out of Coal and
Made for Azores.
First Chance To Sleep Without
~=seA
LifebeIts.

s4 BY EARL D. KEILMANN.
(x.ieutenant American c. A. c. in France,
now back in kansas.)
The morning of the third day out
we were jubilant We were thru the
submarine zone. We also could lay off
our life belts. Sleeping with chunks
of~cork about you is not the most
pleasant thing in the world. The only
thing dangerous we had seen was a
barrel floating dead ahead. At our
report of the barrel from the lookout,
the ship had swerved to avoid hitting
it. Who knows, it might have been
another Hun trick to disguise mine.
After it was well astern, the barrel
was fired upon with rifles but whether
il was only a barrel or the marksman
missed is not known. 1t failed to ex-
plode any way.
Yes, we had cause to be jubilant.
That same morning our wireless bull
letin had informed us of the sinking
0fs-the Tuscania only two hundred
miles away. We had been missed. We
did not have the feeling of sorrow we
should have had at the death of some
of Sour countrymen. so great was our
joy at being in what the ships Off
GERS had told us were safe waters. Wig
ilance was not relaxed. The watchers
for subs, armed with high power
glasses still mounted to the foretop
and stood along the rail; the gun
crews still stood four hour watches
beside their guns, but we had a feel
joyed for three days.
That Seasick Feeling.
Now we had more time to look
about us and think of the things that
we're going on on board. There were
lots of things going on-or l should
say off. Hardly one of US but had
been seasick at least one day. We
were rolling and pitching something
fierce. The big liner under us had
gone over to France loaded to the
very limit with soldiers and cargo. She
had taken out even her ballast before
starting in order to take over a larger
cargo. Now she was tossing about on
the big waves like a cork. She was
equipped with sea cocks so that she
could take on water ballast, but in
order to give torpedoes the least pos
sible target this had not been done.
ny, how seasick 1 was! 1 remem-
bered the definition of sea sickness
I had once heard and could only
realize how true it was that at first
one feels that he is going to die and
then is afraid that he is not. On the
way across to England, I had not
been seasick in the least and had
thought that 1 was a good sailor.
Well-four of the ships officers, all
naval men, too, were sick at the
same time with me, so that helped
my. pride little.
Going South.
The waves looked a mile high. 1
Know that they were real waves be-
cause the sailors said that they were.
Also 1 had personal experience with
enc of them. While Up in the crows
nest fifty feet above the main deck,
one wave drenched me. Just as 1
WIS descending from the nest and
Had reached the deck another, that
seemed big brother of the first, set
tied down the collar of my oilskin
coat. 1 refused to accompany it over
board, clinging to the rungs of the
ladder on the mast, but never before
did have a doubt of the ability of
oiiskin to keep one dry.
That night l could hear way down
below. the sound of pounding on iron
and the next morning, the ship was
steady as an old family horse. The
sea cocks had been opened and we
had taken on board some few thou
sand tons of water as ballast. All of
US breathed easier. Now for as
smooth run into our home port.
Alas and again alack, that same
morning we were informed that we
had headed southwark and were go
ing into the Azores for coal. We
could not believe our ears. The
Azores were two days sailing away 1
had made all sorts of plans for send
ing the wife a valentine telegram,
telling her 1 was in the United States
It was all off. Battling that gale had
eaten up our precious fuel. oh, well,
we would get to see a part of the
world that few of the American ex-
peditlonarJ- forces ever would.