New-York tribune., 1918-03-01


little and then sank.
I'VE are sinllng' called our officer
Another lifeboat near us, carrying
about thirty. The capacity Of these boats
IS over fifty. The passengers debated
whether they could save themselves if they
rescued us. A young Flying Corps officer
was for leaving rs. The ma aiority were for
picking us up. The ships officer in charge
ordered that we should be rescued. They
came near and about fifteen of our people
clambered aboard few Of them leaned
INTO tho water and swan across the little
space of sea We drifted apart They
clung to tho side Of the rescuing boat and
were pulled aboard
Our boat now so low that the sea
broke Over Us. I took off my heavy tan
shoes
\ Plenty OF Rescucrs
looked over The waters and saw that a
patrol boat had come and was only thou
sand feet away. | saw smudges of smoke
from dozen different directions. The sea
was alive with rcscuers Two dcstrovcrs
came steaming up. and patrol boats and
traWiers We We're sitting in water uD to
thc armpits, With the waves washinp. us
one man clutched no on the shoulder. There
was the feeling of 9anic in his grip. I won
dercd whether could shake loose when we
went UNDER
A lifeboat lightly laden, Jaw us. A pas
senger, naval officer, was in command. Thcv
came 10 us. One by ono we climbed on board
one man was left a man with rod ya,,e'
tAche. The sea wiAencd the distance from
US TO hin. Our ships officer aaid
Jump into the water'
II can't swim.' ne said
He said it as a man. asked for = l;cbt
would say he had no match. The wator bad
nuinbed him and taken The heart out Of hin,
but he was not afraid. The waves lurchod his
boat, no" level with the sea. toward US. Tho
Officer caught his hand and dragged him in
~ was c0ld IN the wind. We were leaking
water from our clothing. The water was Of
winter temperature, probably about 45 de-
srccs.
" @ saw trawicr coming for us. She gave
US her lee side in passing and caught our
rope We scrambled over her low rail We
had been one hour il the lifeboats.
The cold. wet planks of the trawler's deck
were almost unbearablc to my feet. With
steward | found piece Of sacking. and vo
stood on 1t. The purscr came and took the
names of all passengers.
The Democracy of Misery
saw the wet DO sun, q fireman and so,,o,.,1
stewards standing huddlcd round tho smoI,o
STACK. went there and found the iron Aoor-
'hE warm to the feet and the stack hot
applted my thighs, back and arms in t,rn -
lhc heat. My socks leaked on the iron n1ato,
Already the dry and we'll dressed had draw
away V"ly we were left stewards. frcmcn.
'"'oiS mon nearly naked with silly, Tapping
Wn''e Jackets, or dressed like me. but
drenched with the sticky wetness of saIt
Water We shivercd for four hours j., 49,
wind that drove down the omen 6ocl W.
were drawn together in the dcmocracv Of
o"hSef and misery. The fireman not = not
"' nov tea and let each one of US have -
swallow. Back of the wheclhouso ! COW, 49,
women passengers huddled The word ,,o,,1
round that tho children were safe II WOE
S"i' 'hat some stokers had been killed b, +lo
'o'Pcoo' one OF the passengers said no b.d
,0V" one man drown near his lifeboa4 and
o'ue'S ofi1t out to sea The nu,nho~
Oh 'ne dead kept changing as rumo,. ,o,.,.o,,
on the imaginaton nv"
The bo'sun told me that this was ~, 4l:us
experience IN being torpcdoed The -;mo bo-
,o'e ne mad been twelve hours in tho l;fo-
"oat' ana the exposure had lamcd him with
fheumatlsm 1t had killed couple of won,on
IN his boat. '''e"
Lost Treasures
We could stu see the Andania. quarter.
over. like badly loaded frciphter Nrn,s,
hours later learned she sank IN bn;r'..
towed toward Belfast. I remembered NV lnss
IN 'h'5 oraer: zen good cigars REMAINING in
box seHt mo from New York H., 0ii,.ar
tapen, long story in "Thc Popula, 11oo.a
1'"e ny frank Davis beautiful new yellow
eIaVei!lns bag given me by my wife. like
'he o'ner passengers. had left cvcrvtl,in,
aoout 500 worth OF personal effects. NAM.
scripts and notes covering five months IF
WORK "!th the American army. Nothing wac
insured 50 the loss vas final The vase,
vent down with $500 sacks Of mail.
II disaster can be rehearsed, and If holm
rom America can be modified, the aaair
suggests to me as desirable that:
/. Lach lteboat should be manned with
halt dozen men who can row.
:. The passengers should be drilled in Grd
ing their boats Immediately on bepinninn tho
voyage We had been under way for iTtoor
hours, but no drill had been held. ONO ,,...
about to be held at 10 O'clock but tho Gov
mans struck three minutes ahead of ~.
hour. '''"'
.. Careful examination of the eou;nmor+
Tor lowering lifeboats, so that such an ac.;
dent as that which sank my boat would MOI
be possible ''o'
d. The hfcboats properly arranged Roo.
NO. was placed on the deck where Roat NJ
ought 10 have been. This is likely Ia Ioal +
20 one boat being overcrowded If the .rc;-
cent had come or us AT night, or in q heavy ,
sea- or with crowded vessel Eve had only
ABOUT forty passengers) we should have lost
many lives.