Evening star., 1918-06-04


pose I acted as II was in a hurry to
get away from the ship" Capt. Gil
more continued The lieutenant said /:
Don't get excited. captain. Take
o, your time. Wen be around here an
so I picked up everything I could
think of that belonged to me, and
when l got over to the submarine 1
round I'd left my new silk umbrella
after they blew up the schooner the
Germans rowed back to the subma-
rine and I found that besides the few
things they had picked up for them
selves. they had brought my umbrel-
Ia: They took only a few cases of the
OIL. as they had electric lights on the
submarine.
We captains had plenty to eat. and
.hey toid US we might go where we
pieased on the submarine and into any
room. except when we were sub-
merging. At that time we had to
stay in whatever compartment we
found ourselves.
U-Boat 800 Feet Long.
1T seemed to- me this submarine
was at least 300 feet long. There
and there were two stx-inch enns
mounted. one forward and one aft.
VI course. we prisoners, although
we were treated well, made a pretty
Dig snip's company. and the COM
naiid mander said he was looking for a
saiing vessel to put US on board, as
ne didn't want to take us to Germany.
although we were below Sunday
morning when the submarine over
nauied the Winneconne. we knew at
once when she was sunk and twenty
six men sent adrift that Something
would have to be done with us. They
couldn't keep US all on board, for
aIter the steamer was sunk we went
INTO her boats. while Capt. Sweeney
ana his crew set out in the launch
Deionging to the Isabel Wiley. which
was sunk few minutes before the
Winneconne."
Sails Into Fine Trap.
The winneconne sailed into a sne
German trap on Sunday morning. ac-
cording to Henry Walsh Of San Fran
cisco. the first officer Walsh said
that the steamer was on her way to
Providence. r. L.. with a cargo of
x,soo tons OF coal. loaded at Nor
Third Mate Brewer called me up
to the bridge about 10 o'clock Sum
day morning" said Walsh. "He told
me that he had heard shots some
where ahead.
AT that time we were about sixty
miles east of Cape May. and, looking
ahead. ! saw q three-masted schooner.
with all sails set. lying nearly be.
Gained. There vas enough wind to
fiil her sails and I thought 1t strange
that she lay there. doing nothing.
Then / saw what looked like a
destroyer come out from behind her.
When we got about two miles away
could see 1t was q submarine and
that the men on deck were not
dressed In white. as they would be
at this time Of the year on an Amer.
lean vessel.
Notes German Flag.
Then / saw the German nag and
the submarine sent solid shot across
our bow. They lowered q small boat
and a lieutenant came with some of
the crew alongside telling us to get
into the boats and to row over and
lay alongside the submarine.
"Just about the time we were leav-
ing our boat. the men on what proved
to be the Isabel Wiley were going
over the side into their gasoline yawl.
OF course. we obeyed and all went
to the side Of the submarine. and the
German crew nrst sank the Winnie
come and then the Isabel Wiley
with small bombs. The winneconne
went down in hve minutes. They
gave US officers time enough to save
most Of our things. and so I brought
along my typewriter"
when we bade Rood-bye to the sub
marine captain az o'clock Sunday
afternoon the weather was dne, and
the sea smooth" said N. b. Brewer
Of Booth Bay harbor. Me-. third ofIicer
on the Winneconne. in describing bis
experiences after he and his men
Treated Us Decently."
IT must say that the German skip.
per treated US decently. for he sent a
supply of water for the boat and
that the bread was baked in April.
and I did not eat 1t. because we had
plenty Of our own from our ship.
THE three boats Of the Winneconne
| and the gasoline launch Of the Wiley
~o' toe.ther Sunday night, because I
| had \ light in my boat. There were
/ thirty men in my boat. which was the
biggest. With the men at the oars. We
| struck course for Absecon inlet. on
/, the Jersey coast.
had q northwest thunder sauall which
kicked up q nasty sea for half an
hour. Had II lasted another half hour
We all would have been drowned. Our
boats were deep with the weight Of
the men and their dunnage. and con-
| tinua1ly shipped water during the
| sQuall.
"At daylight Capt. Sweeney Of the
Hauppaug and Capt. Thomassen of
| the Wiley said they would 20 on with
the gasoline launch and make toward
| could mako two miles to our one, and
we soon lost sight Of them."
History Of Ships.
The steamer Winneconne was n vs..
sci Of 1903 tons gross register and
was owned by the American Trans-
atlantic Company of New York.
The ship was formerly the Hoglau6.
under the Danish nag. In October,
last year. she was reQuisitioned by
ths United States Shipping Board and
chartered to the commission for relief
- -