New-York tribune., 1918-04-30
81 An7eri leans
Rescued From,
Torpedoed Ship
Continued from * page I

S"n.hiue" itNii' p"s"
excellent. Although the time was brief
all the boats were launched success
fully. Most Of the Americans had little
clothing and no baggage. Several of
them lost their passports and all their
money.
The submarine was not seen at the
time the vessel was torpedoed, but sew
eral of the survivors told 8 story of
perscopc appearing for q moment in
the midst of the lifeboats.
at was said the periscope was seen
from nearby torpedo boat destroyers
which, however, did not dare Ere for
fear of hitting the lifeboats," said the
Rev. Charles Vickery, of Salina, Kan.
'lf the periscope did appear, it was
only for a brief moment. While the
lifeboats were being picked up one
circled the spot, dropping several
depth charges"
Arthur E. Hungerford, leader of the
Y. M. c. A. party on board the tor
pedoed vessel, gave to The Associated
Press the following account Of his ex
periences:
"The thing that struck me most was
the calm, busnesslike way with which
our men took things. There was not
huster, merely bunch of men getting
themselves and others out of the ship
in orderly fashion.
"Our men were in cabins along four
corridors, all opening into the central
stairway. There were bulkhead doors
at each of these corridors, and my one
fear was that these doors might be
carelessly closed before all the men
behind them were out, SO / stood at the
foot Of the stairway and watched the
men file out. I went through the cor
and then shut the bulkhead doors my
self.
"The men were marshailed in little
groups under their corporals, and they
went to their stations just as they had
done dozen times in our drills aboard
ship.
"The sound was exactly as I had
seen it described many times in the
Newspapers dull thud as the tor
pedo struck the outside shell of the
ship and then muffled explosion
somewhere far down below.
II lay in bunk with my clothes
on, but 1 got out Immediately and
stood at my station at the foot of
the staircase. Soon after l got there
I heard the sound of another explosion,
which was accompanied by the going
! out OF all lights.
"When all the men had got on deck
I went up and climbed into No. life
| boat, whence I watched the orderly
procedure aboard the other boats up
and down the whole length Of the ship.
My boat was the last one away except
| No. 9, which had little trouble with
! the ropes.
at was wonderfully calm night
and the ships headway did not bother
us much" as the engineer had been
able to reverse the engines before
the boilers went out of commission and
the ship was barely moving by the
time the boats were lowered. AS illus
/ trating the calmness of our men, !
might mention that two of them who
heard the explosion did not get out
of bed until the alarm bell rang two
minutes later, because they had been
told there was no danger unless the
alarm bell was run.
"Anothcr man was not awakened by
either the explosion or the hell, but
he responded Immediately when some
/. body pulled him out of bed and tolt
him: Drill ordered. Go to your sta
ton
Zone Of our men, named Gurney
(who comes from Providence, R. ~
tried hard to save his typewriter. III
got it as far as the deck, but was no
allowed to take it into the lifeboat. II,
J said he had heard typewrters wer,
, very scarce now in England, and wa
: not going to part with it unless sucl
a course were necessary.
"Sam Downer, of Downer, N. j., hat
his camera with him and tried to taxi
picture of the flares and ships b,
moonlight from the lifeboat.
almost all our men brought thei
ovcrcrafts off the ship, but few wor
them, as they mostly went to the mem
bers of the crew, who generally cam
away in their shirts"
Gale Seeman, of Los Angeles. and E
, c.. Pullen, of New York State, has
narrow escapes in getting into life
boats. Each of them caught his fee
. in one of the ropes with which hi
boat was being lowered. Seeman wa
thrown into the water head down, will
!. his feet entangled, but was saved b,
Robert Peckham, of Springfield, Mass
who cut the rope and dragged Seemal
into the lifeboat as it was pulling
away Pullen was able to get clear O
the rope by his own efforts.
Among the other passengers Mr.. an,
Mrs. Thomas Thring had the most ex
citing experience. Mr.. Thring is al
Australian who was invalided from tn
British army several months ago, afte
two years of fighting in Africa and a
Gallipoli. He went to Australia, wher
he was married, and was returning t
England with his bride to settle tn
e estates of two brothers who wer
! killed recently in France. The torped
struck just beneath the cabin in whicl
Mr.. and Mrs. Thring were. They wer
: thrown from their berth and injure,
severely. The state room door wa
4 iammed so that it could not be opened
t Mr.. Thring broke the partition an,