Norwich bulletin., 1918-10-14

How Seaman James J. Nevins, one Of the crew of the U. s. coast guard cut ter Seneca, and a son of Mrs. Eliza beth Nevins of 10 Sixth street, went to hero's death on Sept Is off the British coast is told by Frazier Hunt in a cable to the Chicago Tribune under date of Sept 21.
 Young Nevins was one of ten men of the crew of the Seneca who were lost in an attempt to bring into port the British steamer Wellington, which had a gaping hole in her bow from tor pedo fired by German submarine. Carl S. Newbury of New London was another one of the ten lost. Only one of the bodies of the ten was recov- cred.
 In part the story of the Wellington and the attempt at rescue by the Sen eca was told as follows:
 The torpedo struck in the forward hatch, cariyng away some 30 feet of the ship, so that the waves beat against the thin bulkhead
 The crew of S6 men took to the life boats, while the coast guardShip stood by to help and try to get the sub. As in all such cases, the remainder of the convoy put on full steam and went ahead to get out of the danger zone Less than 30 minutes after the torpedo struck the survivors were pulled on the American ship, but even before they were taken aboard young Amer ican officer, Lieut.. Fletcher Webster Brown of Brockton, Mass, received | the permission of his captain to cal l for volunteers to go upon the tor | pedoed ship.
 True to the traditions of the ser vice, every man on the ship volunteer l ed, but Brown chose only IS. One oi them was smiling, popular II veal l old lad named Jimmy Nevins, from l Norwich, Conn, who Insisted upon go- | ing. Lieutenant Brown refused hin 1 permission half dozen times, but ht | pleaded so hard that the officer finally consented. Jimmy was one of the ter who never came back, and last nigh over in the barracks where the ones who did come back were gathered tho | talk was mostly about this brave lad | who pleaded to go to his death.
 On the same 1ifeboat that the Brit | ish crew had rowed to the rescuins ship the IS American sailors and off. cers returned to the torpedoed freight CT. The British captain accompanied them, and few minutes later Il more of the British crew followed in a smal bboat.
 On boarding the abandoned ship twt of the bluejackets were stationed tt man the aft gun, another as passenget on the bridge with the officers, while | fourth took charge ofe the deck | Sparks Mason, a volunteer wireless operator, hurried to the radio room while the remaining 13 went below t, the boiler and engine rooms.
 The water gauge of the boiler showed no water. and any second tn tubes might burn out, put the boy stuck and began filling the boiler with sea water. Then t&ey built u1 the fires which now were low. and il a few minutes the ship. with it's prov blown off and the bulkhead open t l the sea, was doing five knots.
 "We will make it all right" Lieut. l Brown radioed to his ship, and it an | swered back: Very well. good-by. Then it was off to join the big con voy, where it was badly needed, l A little before midnight the sea battered their way through the for ward bulkhead and the Wellingto was doomed.
 All hands were called cn deck. Tn British captain ordered the lifeboa l lowered from the davits and crei Of eight men to man it and take a on board. Lieut.. Brown, howe1 CT, de cided to stay with the ship and chos 1 fcur Americans and four Britisher who volunteered to stick with him.
 Eight men got off in a lifeboat an were picked up by a destroyer tha came rushing in response to s. O. calls.
 Just before the great ship had turn ed over and made it's last final plung to death most of the 20 men left dive overheard, holding to some bit (
 wreckage.
 Most of the men had left the shi
 now, and slowly it began turning c
 it's side. Lieutenant Brown and tli
 sturdy young coxswain, James ClaI
 ence Osborn, from Homer, H., wf enlisted with the Coast Guards frol
 Chicago, slipped over the side an
 stood on the ships propeller. The
 the great boat shook. lunged and wei
 down.
 Here, on the propeller, Osborn thre off his life preserver, tore off h
 clothes, and when he lived into tl water was naked. It was 4 o'cloC
 now and still dark, and he swa1
 around, calling through the darkne. , from one shipmate to another.
 Half an hour later Osborn was riC , ing the waves on a small improvise life-raft.
 Suddenly he heard some one callir ' for help. Swimming in that dire : tion with the raft, he reached Co1
 -.