Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-12-19

was o0e . case OF Ill dressed up o00
no place to 60!
Then I swan hard and caught up to
the Limeys who had Jumped frst. They
were asking each other II they were
downhearted and answering. "Not
bit Of 1t. me lads" and trying to sing.
"Pack up your troubles In your old kit
bag" only they could not do much
singing or account of the waves that
slipped into their mouths every time
they opened them. That was just like
Limeys. though.
Some Of the boys were Just climbing
up the Jacobs ladder on the Moewe
when the old Georgia let out an awful
roar and up went the deck and tie
matches high in the air in splln.ers.
One fellow let 60 his hold on tho lad
der and went down and he never came
up. The Germans were making for the
Moewe in the lifeboat and We reached
1t just before they did. Up the ladder. !
we went and over the side and the
first thing we caught sight Of was the
German revolvers in our faces drilling
us all into line.
The lifcboat brought back the ships
papers from the George and we had
roll call. They kept US up on deck In
| our wet underwear and 1t was very
cold indeed. Then the first mate and
the old man and one of the German
officers called off the names and we
found we had fifty missing.
The Boche commander had gall
enough to say that he was not there
to kill men but to sink all ships that
were supplying the allies! He said
England was trying to starve Germany, /
but that they would never succeed and
that Germany would starye the allies
very soon.
After roll call some of us asked the
| Germans for clothes, or at least a
place to dry ourselves In, but Fritz
could not see us for the dust on the
| ocean and we just had to stand there
and SILVER till we shook the deck, al-
most. Then I went and sat down on
the pipes that feed the deck winches.
They had quite q head of steam in
them and I was beginning to feel more
comfortable when I got a good clout
alongside Of the head for sitting there
and trying to keep warm. It was a
German garby and he started calling
me all the various kinds Of schwein-
hunde he could think of and he could
think Of a lot.
Finally they mustered us all on
another part Of the deck, then drilled
US down into the forecastle and read
the martial law of Germany to US.
At least I guess that Is what 1t was.
It might have been the "Help Wanted
Dog Catchers" column from the Ber-
lin Lokal Taggabble for all most Of us
knew or cared. It shows what cards
the Germans are-readlng all those
four.to-the-pound words to US SILVER.
ing garbies, who did not give O dime
a dozen whether we heard them or not.
Fritz Is like some other hot Sketches
he Is funniest when he does not mean
to be. Every German Is a vaudeville
skit when he acts natural.
There were hammocks there and we
jumped into them to get warm, but the
Germans came down with their re-
volvers and bayonets and took the
hammocks away and poured water on
the decks and told us to sleep there.
They could not have done q worse
trick than that.
Then they put locks on the portfolios
and told US that anyone caught fddling
with the locks would be shot ut once.
This was because we might sight q
British or French man-of.war at any
time and as the Moewe was sailing un.
der the British flag and trying to keep
out Of trouble they did not want US
at the ports signaling own war
ships for help. II they had buckcd
any Of the allied ships and had a fight
we would have died down there like
rats.
The Moewe had already captured
the voltalre, Mount Temple, Cambrian
Range and the King George and had
the crews Of these vessels between
decks with us. These men told us
how the Germans were treating them
and It looked to me as though the eve
ming would be spent in playing games
and a pleasant time would be had by
all-not
The crew Of the Mount Temple were
on deck working when tho raider sud-
denly opened fire on them. Two or
three men jumped Into tho water and
the Germans turned o gun on them
while they were swimming and killed
them. That was Just q sample Of what
had happened to them.
The men now began running up and
down In a line to keep warm, but I
took q little run on my own hook and
treated myself to as much Of . once.
over Of the ship 40 I could. I do not
believe the lioewe had more than q
threc-fourths-inch arrnor plate, but be.
hind TINT she hnd three rows Of pig
Iron, which made about q foot In thick.
ness. There was nothing but cable
strung along the deck and when / saw
that ] would have given anything to
have had a crack at her with 14-inch
naval. And ] sure wished hard enough
] that nnA Of nmr ahlns xvos,1A ~ii~ - -