Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1918-05-03

LondOn.-In n big room In whitehall
there are kept all the records Of Brit
ish merchant ships encounters with
U-bOats. There they are, volumes and
volumes Of the most damning evil
dence, indellble for all time, Of Ger
man savagery and British bravery.
Ever since Germany's cold-blooded
frightfulness at sea began these rec
ords have been pillng up In this room ;
and only now are they being allowed
to see the light.
They tell Of all kinds Of ships, from
big liners down to tiny schOoners. All
are short, but realistic, testlfying to
the British merchant sailors behavior
against the ugliest methods Of German
warfare. They tell of fights with
submarines, often against enormous
odds, and Of halrbreadth escapes; Of
gallant rescues and perilous adven-
lures in small boats on the open seas;
of German submarine crews who
jeered at their victims, and Of SOM
few cases where the German crews
helped to rescue them.
Here is a typical story Of a fight
between a merch9ntman with a little
gun and a U-boat. 1t is perhaps n
of the longest of the records.
There was a heavy sea, with squalls
Of rain, and the time was five minutes
to three in the morning. The captain
says:
Sighted Submarine Ahead.
almost Immediately / sighted a
submarine right ahead, crossing from
starboard to port. 1t was a very big
one, and there were four or FIVE men
around the coming tower. l put helm
hard a-starboard and tried TO ram
him, but missed by feet, as l could
hear the men shouting aboard her. AS
soon as / saw / had missed her I
sung out to the guns crew.: Look out
close on port side therev and I put
the helm hard aport to bring the enc
my astern.
almost Immediately afterward /
heard the report of my gun, and, turn
ing round, saw a big bright fareup In
the water in the port quarter like a
big explosion. This was verified by
the guns crew, the second officer and
the mate, who was the spotting officer.
About ten minutes afterward l no.
ticed what appeared to be the wake
of a torpedo passing along the port
side, and l shouted the guns crew
Look out port quarter agalnP and
put the helm to port; but as 1 was
calling out my orders second officer
and guns crew observed the bow and
stern wake Of a submarine on port
quarter steering parallel to us and
coming on at a good speed.
1--WE fred on him, but made no hit.
and 1 ordered the men to cease FIRE
as I hoped to escape in the darkness
and the flash of the gun was very
brilliant, 1t being a dark night.
then ordered the chief engineer to gel
his men down the stokehold and drive
the vessel to his utmost, and ordered
the guns crew to stand by gun, ant
every one to put q lifebelt on"
The captain continues with a fine
touch of unintentlonal bravado:
Felt Enemy Was Pursuing.
"As the officers had not yet haC
their coffee l told the steward to ge
It for them and went back to tn,
bridge and spoke to the second office
about keeping a sharp lookout, as
felt somehow that the enemy wa
chasing us"
He was, sure enough, for, adds tn
captain:
"AbOut twenty minutes past ST.
o'clock I went below to the chart roor
to get our position again, and almos
Immediately l heard a terrific explC
sion on the port side. l ran up o.
the bridge and ordered oil boats on
and called the wireless operator I
send out an S o S and give our pos
ton. As his machine broke down a
most Immediately we got no reply.
few seconds after the first explosio
; I heard the heavy, dun, explosion