Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-04-04
TELLS OF SINKING
OF THE TUSCANIA

much time was cost, and then, too, the
block on my opposite end became
tangled, and in the dark, we had some
time Strengthening the lines in the
double block.
Men started to clamor. in to our
boat before we had swung it out,
but we ordered them all out, and
they obeyed. One lad l ordered out
said. I'm sick with pneumonia, and
they told me to get in" let him re-
main. The boat cleared the deck and
just as we began lowering it, the boys
on the block which caused the trouble,
thinking they had half stitch on a
capstan, let out slack, and down went
the boat as their half hitch was on
spool capstan, and then our boat hung
by. one block amid air, and the one
occupant, Clinton Dolph, the sick man
(from Montana, thinl), was thrown
out, and l believe was fortunately
thrown in ID" deck below, with only
two broken ribs, but l would have
sworn tn sea engulfed him. He is
in our company and now safe in
hospital.
Well, ! hung out over deck, and or
dered the boys to lower, and our boat
landed right side up, partially filled
with water, and men started to slide.
/ slid down safely about sixth man.
loosened the block and throwing it
overheard into the sea, which took all
my strength. Men held the lines as
they slid from the upper decks, and
soon we had about so aboard, but
many slid into the sea, but we pulled
them in, yelled to stop the men and
pulled away. As We hugged the yes
sci, not being able to get away, a
wave caught US sliding up the stem
of the ship, and covered US in the rear
only, but we got away safely. Boys,
that water tastes awful.
We passed one lad drifting, and we
grabbed him, and one man asked the
lieutenant in charge, ''Here's q man
in the water. Have we room, Lieu
tenant" The reply-"For Gods
sake, yes" and we pulled him in.
1t sure was awful to hear the cries
out around us in the dark, as men
floated here and there, but we could
not see them.
We were surely fortunate that a
comparatively calm sea was running
although many in the life boats be-
came seasick. We had but one pail.
and men started bailing water, using
both the pail and all the available
army hats, while manned an oar
all the while we were out. l was
on the rear oar on the port side.
The water seemed to come in some
how as fast as we bailed it out, and
in my section (rear)), one or two men
started with "We're sinking
others advised US which direction to
go, which were all points of the COM
pass.
yelled "Shut up, men. We can't
hear the orders from the head end /"
They silenced, but every now and then
had to be reminded .... censored. K. /.
| ;le was right perhaps. but somehow
you've got to talk to some men in
the language they understand.
| We drifted and rowed keeping our
boat head on to the wind, lighting
four red fuses, having but one left.
At, about IL a. m. we thought we
heard boat, and lighted the remain
ing fuse, and luckily trawler saw us,
and we noted her looming up. Shore
and rocky cliff on the opposite side
with tide of seven knots carrying
US toward the shore, but we did not
realize the dangetr until told later: as
most of the lives in life boats were
lost, dashed to death upon the rocks.
/ AS we pulled along side the traw-
Ter (and by the way, we had no oar
locks only those invented while on the
life boat), the waves surely gave us
a rocking, as the last hour the sea
had kicked up quite fuss. Well, we
pulled alongside and two or three mer
were picked off as we reached tn
crest of each successive wave.
know they grabbed for me just as we
started to lower in the trough of ths
next wave, but backed off and land
ed safely on deck, being all prepared
as we reached the next crest.
u We sure were hungry, wet ant
thankful as we hit for the hold, and
located seat upon the cylinder heae
| (upright) Of, the engine, and pre-
pared to dry my clothes.
a We cruised about for two hours
then finally let out, arriving off tn,
coast of Ireland in one of the mos
; hospitabla communities nm earth 7