The Prescott daily news., 1918-02-08
REAL STORY OF DISASTER TOLD
 BY SURVIVORS
Lights Were Out and Shot Came Without Warning--NOt Sunk Immediately-Mucil Goodness is Shown.

Larne, Ireland, Feb. 2, via London. In the face of death-not the kind of death that comes in a fair and manly fashion on the battlefield, but death spat at you from depth and dark ness by the viper of the sea, when you're not looking because you cant two thousand one hundred and fifty six American soldier boys stood at attention on the deck of the sinking transport Tuscania. In their eyes sparkled the fire of defiance and in- vincible courage; on their lips was a grim smile and from their throats thundered a mighty chorus: My Country 'Tis of Thee"
 Then, many of them still singing, others joking, some cursing, they be- gan to scamped for their lives. Not vince or a whine anywhere-it was the most ordered good humored re- treat from the sea serpent recorded in the history of U-boat warfare. It was a tall hustle. More than nine tenths of them saw it through.
 But hear the story of the Tuscanias sinking from their own lips.
 They told it, most of them, as if it were the most amusing event of their lives. True, when they first got here there was much anxiety and sadness in their hearts for they did not know how many of their comrades had pulled through" But soon word came from Buncarana, hundred miles from here, and later from Fort Ellen, Scotland, of the landing of the many hundreds and it became plain that but small fraction of the total had gone down.
 Say" burst out a husky young Michigan soldier beginning with the tail end of the story, whats that the pacifists always asks, what are we fighting for?' Listen. When I get into that front trench in France I'll answer that question! And I be- lieve every one of these fellows, every one of us that went through this thing will answer it in the same way"
 He was still shivering from hours of exposure, though now wrapped in a huge blanket donated by kindly Irish woman. But the cheeks glowed with red hot battle fever as he spoke. His words epitomized the innermost feelings of all Tuscania survivors.
 To these men the U.boat attack had been a baptism of fire. They're all through with the preliminaries and what they're aching for is action of the kind where they can hit back.
 Here's funny thing(" said sturdy eX-guardsman from Detroit (names are withheld at the Sammies' own request)-"Pd been nervous all through the trip. My whole system seemed strung up. It wasn't fear oh, yes, it was fear. At that-the fear that some sneak U-boat would get us before we would have a chance to do something to Fritz on the front. I'm always trying to be honest with myself. But l was sure all along it was this fear, not the other physical sort. And the proof came to me when the ship was struck. In that moment, though l was sent reeling back against something iron behind me, felt the most intense relief Eve ever felt in my life. The uncertainty was over, the hit had come, and from that moment on, my only thought was to be able to hit back. Of course there was no chance for that then. but that's why I'm glad, see-because I'm still alive to return the commit