The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-09-14
GOT AWAY With IT
Young Captain Disobeyed Orders
and Won Out.
Possibly Admiralty Had Sense Enouoh
to See That II Was Poor Bust.
ness to Discourage
Such a Man.

There was a certain young officer
John Chisholm call hlm-who played
poker occasionally. He commanded
a "fivver,' which Is the service term
for the smallest class of destroyers.
the 750-ton ones.
In the navy there are plenty of peo-
pie who will tell you that they never
built destroyers which keep the sea
better than that same little flivver
class, james B. Connolly writes in Col
lier's Weekly. Young Captain CHS
holm of the 1923 was one.
n morning, having conveyed a
heet of merchant ships safely to their
port, the 323 was one of a group of
destroyers making the best Of their
way to their base port. officers and
men who have been hunting U-boats
for a week or so do not like to linger
along the road home. So 1t was every
young captain giving his ship all the
steam she could stand and let her belt.
1t was moderately rough when they
started. It grew q bit rougher. CHS
holm in the 1923 was going along at
20 knots when a fellow he very well
knew came along in his big 1000
ton destroyer. His nose hauled up on
the quarter Of the 1923; up to her
beam; up to her bridge. As she passed
the 323 her commander megaphoned
across: what you making, Chiz?"
Twenty knots !" hailed back CHS
holm.
I'm seeing your twenty knots and
raising you five !" returned the other,
and passed into the lead.
"All right" said Chiz, "but wait! !"
The sea grew rougher. The 1913
was bouncing pretty lively, but hang
Ing on to her twenty knots. "And at
twenty you let her hang If she rolls her
darned crows nest under !" said
Chisholm to his watch officer-"and we
won't be acting rudder to this bunch
going into port"
They were still going along at 20
knots when from out of the driz-
zle ahead they saw the stern and
tunnels Of a destroyer. 1t was the
big destroyer that had passed them,
and the tough little 1913 breasted her
stern, her waist, her bridge and as
he passed her (and he came quite
close to let all hands view the pass
ing) young Captain Chisholm leaned
out from his bridge and hailed: "Call
yuh! I"
This same young f1ivver captain
was headed for port in the usual hurry
and was already well into the west
channel just outside the port when a
signal vas whipped out from the sig
nal tower. 1t was for this ship "West
channel mined last night by U-boats.
Proceed to sea and come in by east
channel"
Chiz did not proceed to sea, and he
did not come In by the east channel.
The harbor saw him come straight on
to his mooring.
Said ChiZ: 81 was we'll into that
channel when / got the signal. And,
of course, the first instinct was to obey
orders. But / stop and think: This
ship of mine, she's 300 feet long and
under her stern there's two big propel-
lers. If ever l turn this 800 foot ship
in this channel with those two propel-
lers churning and there's any loose
German mines around, there won't be
a blamed n of them she'll miss. But
If I keep her straight on there's a
chance So 'Hell's fire = 1 says to my
self, the only thing to do is to keep
straight onv And l kept straight on,
and we made our mooring."
After that they waited to hear what
the admiralty had to say. But they
heard nothing; whereupon some said
that was due to the admiralty conclud-
ing that it is poor business to scold an
officer who carries through a nervy
piece of work.