The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-11
MANY TOPEKANS

| on deck, but they, with their zoo feet
| or less, were simply doing the lmpos-
sible. Seas too high to ride they dlVed
thru, actually disappearing at times.
And when, in their circles, they fell
| into the trough, they took list that
would make your heart stop.
They carry two spars about 1lfty
feet high. On top of each is a crows
nest, with a man in each watching Tor
periscopes. The gunners are dashed to
TheSride those crows nest birds took
that day would curl your hair.
"All day long it howled and rained
and blew, and most of the following
night, too. 1t was too rough for u
| boats, but we were pitching over the
bones of the Lusitania and hundreds
of other good ships and the destroyers
were taking no chances
ANY time the United States navy
| is mentioned, you just get onto your
legs and salute-just on general prin-
ciples. When you cross. you will I'M
derstand why. They are there, those
lads.
II went on duty in a troop section
| below the water line that evening at
| 5 and was on duty for twelve hours
stationed on a stairway where 1 could
pick off the first bird that batted an
eye. About midnight the sea went
down. Then we did expect trouble
| any minute. 1t was a tough, long
night. We knew that if a torpedo
| ever hit in that section we hadn't a
chance in the world. At in the
morning 1 was relieved and went up
| topside, to the forward upper deck.
1t was Just breaking daylight. clean,
| No wind, sea as smooth as glass. Six
more destroyers had Joined us some
time during the night and they were
coursing like pointers. near and far.
in great swooping curves all around
| us.
Finally They Came.
I'VE were roaring along in sharp
zigzags, the ship trembling like a ner-
vous dog, with the best speed in her.
1 thought to myself, as 1 took it all
| in:
place. Now where in h are those
| doggoned Huns?
LAS if in answer to my question the
nearest destroyer turned on her tail
and shot straight at our cutwater rs
if to head something off, at the same
time firing rapidly at something the
| other side of her and close by. In
stantly the others pointed in toward
us and came darting in like diving
| sharks.
The nearest destroyer was not more
than fifty yards distant. Next it
| swung around in a smother of white
water, and in an instant 7 saw the
ended in a dive so close to the de-
stroyer that they actually bumped.
Then the destroyer sat back of the
| sub only a few feet under the sur
| face.
| U-BOat Blown to Atoms.
There was a terrific explosion; it
| shook our ship as if 1t had been
struck. That sub just was naturally
blown to atoms. 1t almost cut the
destroyer in two. nearly blew the stern
of her off. But that is just a part of
the job for those boys. Their busi-
ness is to get subs What happens
to them is another matter entirely
1T was over in less time than It
takes to tell 1t. At the same time the
next nearest destroyer was perhaps a
hundred yards away, spinning around
IN tight little circle and dropping
depth bombs as fast as II could spill
them over the stern. Presently a
great oily blob of water rose and the
destroyer curved away from the ship
ana went over to the first one to see
what 1t was doing. The rest of them
nao apparently gone plumb crazy.
They were simply whipping the near
by surface of the sea to white rib
bons.
i Living Wall Formed.
"A big flock of English gunboats
ana oestroyers came up from nowhere
IN particular and moved along ahead
OF US ana On our TANKS. We reduced
our speed to theirs and our own flock
of wasps came up and formed a 1;vin .
wall around us and we moved along mn
10 where an hour later an English nj
lot was picked up. who took us thru
the mine fields and into port.
we learned then from the COM
nahoer OF the destroyer fleet, who
same ABOARD us, that there had been
three subs waiting for us. They fired
tnree torpedoes at short range. but
JUST as the fracas started we had been
SIgnaied to turn sharp and beat II
we did, The torpedoes SKINNED our
sues. Two or the. submarines went
70 Davy Jones's locker and thev kind
or felt that the other one was smotb.
cred the same afternoon"