El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-02-12

, that contained the radio, but no one
| was hurt.
Aft Guns Disabled.
Then came a lull in the subs fir
! ing. At first I thought we were beat
ing them off, but as I ran down aft !
/ heard Happy cursing the German for
I a gutter and between his double
barrelled word shooting. explaining
that the sub was pulling Just out OF
range, where he would begin again
with his five inchers.
Begin again they did. I forgot to
tell you that the sub had come up
from port and was lying off Just
Didn't dare to get close enough II
take a chance on torpedoing US. Now
estimated that she was between fout
and five miles away.
What are you going to do%
asked Happy as he sped by to hurry
up the ammunition from the aft hold
7 can't hit him. Happy painted
between breaths. but I can keep him
where he is Then he turned and
looked around at the aft gun
whats the natter he howled al
a perspiring, dirt begrimed gunner
She's busted on the 10th shot,
said the gunner
Happy had no comment TO make
for a second Then he fairly screamed:
''All hands nah the forward gum
Merry Helmsman.
what steadied ne most OF all was
the sight OF the SWede helmsman
away up in the exposed pilot house.
take off my hat to that lad. His hands
were glued to the wheel and he stood
there as cool as a cucumber. Not once
in the whole four hours did he change
expression and the pilot house was
literally riddled with sharpneL
"An hour had gone by in something
TsT-r . zaernnd ~ nr11U K min
utes. Not for a minute had the U-boat
ceased firing. But even though she
wasn't hitting US, we were getting
peppered TO death with the sharpnel
as it burst overhead.
"Oue Of these raised merry Ned
with the antennae Of the wireless and
Kip came hopping out OF the radlO
room looking for someone TO go aloft
and make repairs 1t was a case OF
shiunying up the smoke stack, reach
ing out for the broken wires and re-
pairing them with leg hold for your
only support job for a seaman
Mind you, all the while shells were
bursting at the rate OF two q minute
or more Aloft il was simply raining
sharpnel- Smoke was pouring out OF
the stack Of the Luckenbach as she
groaned out her II knots, ana While
it was bad enough on deck, II was
simply hades up there
Real Hero.
q wish I could remember the name
OF the man who did 90 up, for he was
a regular hero. He climbed up to the
autennae as though the Luckenbach
were at dock-went up yith just an
aye, aye, sir TO the skipper.
a shell whizzed by his very hand
as he reached out to grasp the last
strand Of broken wire, but the lad
never turned a hair. His hand kept
reaching out and fumbling for It
without a seconds lost motion. And
he came down and went about his
business as though he had done moth |
ing extraordinary II he had put that
stunt over on bzttleship he's have
won a medal
Then the Hun got Us twice right !
at the wateriine almost directly under
the forward gun So the skipper
jumped a gang down to plug the holes
up with cotton
".By this time the gun crew was
dead tired from loading and firing so
rapidly and from the long jaunt to the
ammunition hold It took a man fully
three minutes to 90 from the hold to
climbing and ducking, with heavy
shell on his shoulder, as he made his
way down the full length OF the ship.
There was no escaping the sub.
When she first got US the skipper
kept the ships stern to her, but when
the aft gun failed he was forced to
bring her broadside around so that
the forward gun might get into the
game.
at was then that we dropped the
smoke boxes into the water. They
ignited on contact with the water and
for a few minutes we were out Of
sight Of the sub, but she finally
got around the smoke and resumed
firing. We dropped some more. but
when the wind whipped the smoke
back IN the gunner's faces We had to
give It up.
Destroyer answers.
@Just about 7:I5 Kip came bounc-
ing out Of the radio room again,
smiling as though the ar was over.
Pass the word along he told me. I've
just picked up an American destroyer
and they're coming hullabaloo bent
for election Everybody responded
with a jump and a grin when did
Kip had finally crashed an IS. o.
s. through
From speed and position OF our
ship should reach you in about two
hours was the gladstone tidIngs.
You'd imagine that we'd all be a
mite panicky under that wicked she'll
ing but as q matter OF fact every