El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-09-14
Yankee Destroyer Captures
U-Boat CretU; Sub Wrecked;
Queer TaLe Of Lost Ship

the enemy's port bow toward bow.
% feet apart The Hun was the
-onser Of me Two as she lay Lines
] were cast one from forward. one from
Z aft Hardly had they been secured.
I when the captain came out OF the
] coming tower The whole deck at
I last was under water. the lines strain
3 ing the destroyer's bits so that they
Z had TO be cut
Men Fit and Ruddy.
Slue arms were passed out to our
{ men. The broad Hun features we're
plainly visible They were fit and
rudy, only slightly bearded. and
J sllrred murmur OF surprise. Again
Z that captain raised a stiff arm. gave
D another cultural order. His men
started TO shout. and Immediately ar
! terWard 10 jump overheard. For a
Z moment it was curiousIy like boys
plunging off a raft. And none 100
I soon. The water was knee deep on
Z the deck The port side listed deeper.
and a scramble began.
A clumsy man with n heaEd.
dressed like "A machinisf's male.
fell in climbing up the coming
tower. Some fellow trod on his
neck The jumping wires settled
closer and closer to the water,
1anEiing several Of the crew.
rive were struggling free Of the
corks en- a fisherman's nett as the
U-boat wholly disappeared.
Founder IN Water.
rev or the officers or men had on
lie preservers- They did not help
much those who wore them. Fewer
tried 10 swim IL was amazing how
helplessly they fiouudered. Though
the space between the two boats was
no wider than a swimming tank. OK
haustion seemed TO seize an quickly
The machinist came TO the surface
with one hand crooked as if his wrist
was broken. Then he keeled over and
Ioated mOtiOnless, face down 4
PHARMACISTS mate and cOE'n leaDed
overheard and dragged him along
side Others threw over lines. some
Jumped in with them. which they
lashed around the prisoners. 1t was
hard and pretty work. for another
destroyer that was passing close gave
a bad wash. They were grabbed by
their shoulders from on board. and
lifted until they got a foothold. An
OFFICER squatted on the starboard pro-
peLer guard and ralzed them fin. IN
til all had been hauled aboard. 10 be
put under guard and searched.
Strange Tale of the Sea.
Another and different kind OF an
adventure VIII now be related. i'm
which the submarine triumDhs. but
her victory was but the beginning Of
such story Of the sea as never ev-
isted- Few wears ago. in the brain
OF the most fertile writer OF fiction.
s..
untirinG days work Of the T.. S. de-
stroyers in the submarine zone. But
the strange case Of the steamship
White House-not her real name
supplies IL. beside one Of those odd
condolences impossible except in TO-
mances Of the sea
Her tale starts on the American
side OF the ocean. She was one OF
score OF ships from Canada. mostly
wheat laden. under escort Of a con-
verted British cruiser. The convoy
was TO be picked up off British shores
by our destrOyerS
Crosses Ocean Alone.
The first day out. fog separated the
vessel from her sisters. Having no
radio, she could not pick them up.
Her speed was u knots. and be-
lieving theirs was that as we1L. she
plugged on. and on. and on. across
5000 miles Of ocean. puzzled at why
she never overlook them
And then. at 9 o'clock on certain
evening. the Hun flipped a torpedo
into her. She sank I'm 10 minutes. but
not before all hands. with Mike
Ahearn. first officer. and Jack. his
fox terrier. abandoned ship in two
boats. only the cabin boy was lost
Next day. the convoy reached the
appointed meeting place. American
destroyers surrounded them. and an
bent eastward Their lines OF col