Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-12-30
HEROES TIED
IN BUNKS ON
SHIP IN GALE
Two of the Hospital Craft
\ MerCy's Wounded and
Ill Die from Sea.
sickness.

New YORK, Dec. Z9.-N hat the
Atlantic can do when it actually gets
gale-swept from coast to coast was
shown on the TRIP of the hospital
ship Mercy, which locked recently
q. an army pier in Hoboken. Her
passage from Brest, France, took
fifteen days, though she is a fast
ship, and OF the 800 wounded and i'll
Americans she brought home, those
wfo were able 70 use crutches were
ti:rawn about by the tossing of the
ship until they had to take to their
hunks and stay there.
he stretcher cases had to be
strapped in their hunks all the time
tn. Mercy was at sea. to prevent
their being thrown out.
Nearly all the aiiing men suffered
from seasickness and two of them
Gied at sea. They were Leonard
JIiit of Wisconsin, member of the
Eighteenth infantry, who had sep
ticaenia, and Archie Tanner of
Pennsylvania, a member Of the
Three Hundred and Fourth engin-
GERS, who had been gassed.
Seas smashed in the promenade
deck of the ship forward and ripped
up her motor lifeboats. For Is hours
in mid-ocean she was forced O
heave to in sixty-five mile gale.
Several times the gales reached sew
enfy miles an hour.
Had to Run IN for Coal.
Finally, running short of coal, the
Mercy turned and ran into Bermuda,
where her bunkers were filled. Those
aboard had chance to rest for four
days in the smooth waters of St.
Georges harbor.
The Mercy was only three hours
ont Ct Brest when she ran into the
Northwestern. From then on, for
days. it was a continuance of head
blows. She behaved remarkably
we'll under the circumstances and
rode the seas until the wind reached
70 miles. Then her forward decks
we're sea-swcpt. She was dry aft,
however.
On the fourth night the barometer
dropped to 1920 and seas began bat
terIne the promenade deck. so it was
decided to heave to The two motor
sailors. or lifeboats. each IS feet
lCng. had been washed adrift on the
iar"ard deck. Taey were captured
ant lashed, but not before their bot
tons had been smashed.
Oh the night of November, 80 an
5 @ 5 call was received. 1t was from
the American freighter Tunica,
bound here from Gibraltar. and sent
oat the message: 81 have lost my
screws"
Tunica Received Aid.
Then message was intercepted
from the American freighter Wyan-
dotte, bound from Brest to Balti-
more, that she was steaming to the
Tunicas aid and had fuel enough to
tow her.
~ Again last Sunday an S 0 S came
from another freighter that said she
was short Of fuel oil. She soon after
flashed out that another steamship
was going to her aid and would tow
her to Bermuda.
The best speed the Mercy made at
any time between Brest and Ber-
muda was 16 knots, although she is
capable of 80. She was formerly the
Ward liner Saratoga.
When she was Is miles from Am
brose Light vessel, off the harbor
here, she struck paravane, one of
the submerged bases between which
cables are strung to sweep mines,
and picked it up, bringing it here
with her.
Even the marines on board were
glad to get ashore. The ship brought
thirty-six of them, fourteen unable
TO walk, who fought at Belleau
Wood.
Lieut.. Col. John A. Hughes, who
} led marines in the Spanish -American
war and the Philippines, was among
the wounded. He wore the Medal
of Honor, the Croix de Guerre and
the d. SO. medal. Asked where
he lived, Col. Hughes replied. "All
over: | am in the marines" But he
added: Il have a dear old mother
Twins at No. l64 West Seventy-fourth
street. and ] am going to see her be-
tore | do any more fighting
Marines Worlds Greatest Men,"
But nothing could drive me out of
the marines" Col. Hughes added,
From private to general they are
the greatest men in the world. They
have one slogan, Death before sur
render! and | think the boys in
France showed pretty well they were
all true to that pledge"
Asked about his injury, Col.
Hughes explained that he got
bumped up in the big push at St.
Mihiel."
"Oh, | was shot in the leg and
few other things" he added, "but
I've been in the army game all my
life and you can't drive me out.
When they patch me up III be on
deck again"
~ Col. Hughes was in command OF
tie Sixth Marines until its ranks
we're SO depleted it was decided to
transfer him to the Twenty-third in
fantry.
At 'em boys! Get 'em" was the
cry OF the marines at Chateau
Thierry as they first went over the
top, several of them said. They went
ahead. yelling encouragement for
one another until every man was
wrought up to fever pitch.
The whole German army might
have stopped them dead, but they
never would have been stopped
alive" one said as he was being
carried off the ship on a stretcher to
be taken to the hospital.