Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-12
MEETS PAL ON PIRATE
SHIP CRUISING IN PACIFIC
Second lnstament of Thrilling Story by Captain Haldon
Smith, Whose Vessel Was Sunk by German Raider
Vs. Crews Drank Liquor Found on Board


destroyed and grin and bear It. and
with the destruction of the schooner
nothing else either. Still, one can't
help feeling angry at the fortunes of
war. when the war Is brought to you
without invitation by a ship that has
nothing to expect except to be blown
up by any decent gun that gets within
range Of her.
DYNAMITE BOMBS IN PLACE
READY FOR EXPLOSION
When the holes In the masts were
big enough. they put in dynamite
bombs.
We watched from the Seeadler, a
none too happy little group. and there
was no laughter among the ten from
the Slade or the nine from the A. b.
Johnson. when. with the Slade riding
all alone on gentle swell and her
cordaGc singing bit. we guessed. un-
der the puffy wind. we saw the masts
finally blown out OF her.
There che rode, bright with the new
paint that had been put on her for her
homecoming, and then she lurched, Civ
Ing a little jump like some ono NOV
Ing In sleep. and there was DUN
or smoke from the foot OF each mast
1t looked like a cardboard boat corn
inG apart: the sticks leaped a lit.,e
and tumblcd crafty with the rigging
3narling s II 4 monster of an iny,.i.
hle cat had played with II. and the
masts fell by the board and the Shade
rocked. The sound OF the bombs cam.
10 US tardily. and the crackle of sun
dered wood and iron and rope half an
instant later. and for a moment the
schooner lay there. listing a little. with
the wreokage alongside like clur,s,
outrigger.
Ihen they started to finish the lob.
'opra was the cargo. mind you
copra, that burns like wildfre and
birthstone together.
They poured $50 gallons O, gasoline
INTO the hold. and fred her at both
ends.
1t went like nitrate.
There came a puff Of smoke then
ocean OF II, rolling out like smoke from
a haystack. but heavier and o;,icr ,rd
oiacker. and through II "a fierce red
flame shot. casting a light on tho w,to,
mat now and then gave a light from
thc notorboat putting back 10 m,
Seeadler with the prize crew =. Co.,
as they could make II.
IT was 10 o'clock on tho norn;,
June Is. the day following our can,u,.
mat the Sceadler made full sail, and
stood TO the northeast
Astern. the Slade drooped bu, down
out inc smoke and the fame rose above
'"e horizon leaping venomously and
'o''."s as nigh as volcano. Hour
oF hour we proceeded under good
WIND and hour by hour the smoke
rose higher behind US SO that we could
no, lose 1t.
Again and again I though, of the
H!ole's pillar of smoke by day and
are by night.
inc sun passed the meridian, IL set
evening closed in. the full night. and
stiil the Slado burned behind us, and
all through the night the red glow Of
he flaming copra lighted the sky.
sixteen hours after the Slade was
fred looked once more, and tho
blaze. though very distant, was. still
strong.
That was my farewell TO my COM
mand. ] turned In then, in WEAKNESS
and rage. and finally got to sleep.
The Seead!er was running north. un-
der full sail. and 1t seemed TO me a
little contemptuous!y OF the Slade. left
behind to burn herself out. But we
didn't realize how pleasant that speed
vas till ii had ended and we began
Inc long period Of idling about. drift
ing good part OF the time. taking no
advantage of winds that might blow to
port and using the Diesal engine.
only when there was prey in sight or
turning them over once a week-for
ten minutes or SO at parade on Satur-
oays-to keep them limbered up
lime and again in the six weeks
was aboard the raider we crossed the
sea lanes that converge near where
the Slade and Johnson had been taken.
We were in that immediate vicinity for
three weeks on end. lying in wait. and,
after the novelty OF being held pris-
oncr on pirate had worn off, it was
a heart-breaking job--just the tedium
OF it. not to mention the little circum-
stance that if anything but mer-
chairman sighted US we'd stand a very
good chance OF being scattered over a
largo ar 4 of water in small pieces
And somewhere about the crossing
line of those trade routes there is,
thanks to the Seeadler, derelict.
bLAChENE ED HULL, SIGHTED
BY SHIPS PRISONERS
Late in June. at about the same
latitude and longitude. where we left
the Slade roaring afire from stem to
stern. the master of the schooner OF
tillie Fjord sighted the blackened hull
OF vessel.
Perhaps it was the Sladc. would
rather think of her at the bottom OF
tho sea. And SO. perhaps. it was the
hull of the A. s. Johnson, captured
three days before the Slade. and in a
neiGhborins part of the Pacific.
At any rate-and there are some in
dications that it may not have been
the Johnson. indeed, probably wasn't
the Germans attempt to send the John
son to the bottom had given them a
hearty dislike OF American sailing
craft.
Because the Johnson refused to sink
I Eot tho story from her captain
during those first days on the raider,
when we were still new enough at that
kind OF life to look forward to action
of any kind, and to incidents to break
tho monotony. and OF some definite