Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-24
PRESIDENT LINCOLN
SANK FIGHTING
Encounter With German U-Boat
Told by One Of the
Survivors.

4 vivid and interesting narrative of the
sinking of the United States transport
President Lincoln, 500 miles off the coast
of Ireland, while en- route back to the
United States from foreign service on
May 81, is told by Owen Dougherty, of
Bvrncsville, Pa, home on a brief fur
lough after his thrilling experience with
German U-boat.
On the boat, it will be recalled. were
three Delawareans. Lieutenant Irving
II. Metten of Middletown and Lieu
tenant John r. Fairbanks and William
y. Price of Wilmington.
Doughertys story follows: We had
just finished breakfast when the alarm
sounded There was scramble for the
deck. but before any ono had reached the
stairs the first torpedo had struck the
ship we'll forward Almost instantly, II
seemed, two more torpedoes crashed INTO
the Lincoln, one forward and the other
well aft Exactly eighteen minutes later
the President Lincoln had disappeared
under the water.
During the eighteen minutes that
elapsed before she sank the lfcboats
and RATS had been launched without the
slightest confusion. Every man but
five, who had been working in forward
compartment, including the boiler ten
ders and stokers, had got off. The
twenty-three men lost-there wasn't
woman aboard-must have been dragged
down in the swirl of water that accom-
panied the President Lincolns last dive.
COULDN'T SIGHT SUBMARINE.
No one sighted the submarine until
after tho ship sank. The men at the
guns stuck until the water was avash
their decks and kept their guns popping
IL IL
torpeioes came. Although only about
pedoes, the submarine couldn't be To-
Gated
she appeared soon enough within
half hour after We had taken TO the
boats She circled about the llfcboats
and RATS several times and then drew
smear Her commander, who spoke Eng
lsh. asked for the Lincoln's comman-
der He received no response. Then he
asked for the leutenant-commande
with the same result Finally a boat
containing several enlisted men was told
TO heave to- One of the Lincolns sail
ors was lifted aboard the C-boat, then
taken below and after having been
treated to a cup OF sImmering hot coffee
and a mp Of brancy, was questioned at
some length. But they did not get much
out Of him. He was returned TO one Of
the boats.
Again the comma nder of the U-boat
searched for the commander or the leu
tenant-commander of the President Lin
coin Falling TO locate them, for most
OF the officers were without their caps
and tunics, the commander Of the C-boat
declared he was going TO take an ofl-
Ger, preferring some one of rank higher
than q lieutenant. Finally he selected
Lieutenant Isaacs and made him PTS
oner.
GERMANS ToCE PICTURES.
Meantime, members Of the .U-bost
crew, armed with cameras, were busily
engaged swapping pictures OF the sur
v1vors In the lifeboats and on the RATS.
These pictures and Lieutenant ISiacs, |
presume, were the evidence to be taken
back 70 Germany of their having tor
pedoed the transport. Isascs is prob
ably a prisoner IN Germany by this time.
We were ID the lifeboats about eleven
hours. As the Lincoln was sinking we
'wireleSsed' for help, but no one knew
if cur distress call had been picked up
But it had and the United States de-
strovers reached us that night about u
clock took us aboard, and We subse-
uleptlv landed at a French port
On the deck OF the Lincoln were
three empty ooffins. When she sark
these fioated on the waters surface. An
officer, nearly exhausted, saved himself
from drowning by riding on one Of
these until a boat reached him and took
him off. Virtually none of the officers
or crew saved any of their belongings.
one Negro cabin boy, fearful of being
taken prisoner by the Germans. com
United suicide by shooting himself
through the head with an army pistol.
The senior officers stuck 10 their ship
TO the last minute They then leaped
overheard and swan to the lifeboats
and RATS.
The Lincoln was making her fifth
tnp as a troop transport. IL was her
first brush with submarine. AS we
got of the ship and onto raft the chief
steward began singing, Hail, hail. the
gangs all here
Dougherty SAYS the most inspiring
scene of the sinking of the President
Lincoln was the determination of the
gunners, who fired the last shots as the
ship was going under the water