Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-17
Negro Cook Gives Alarm.


Once the tension broke as negro cook.
in a high pitched Quavering voice Shrek
ed. Torpedo. yah!' 1t was a swift
wave tops. leaving phosphorescent wake
like comets tail. The porpoise sheered
aside and all grew calm
Then 1t happened abruptly. First
the whole ocean seemed to heave UP as
the first ship of the convoy was tor
pedoed. There was no flame; only a
black cloud Of smoke and debris in the
water. The first duty Of the W
was to chase the U-boat, and SO the
in manner that would bring the
W across the head of the convoy,
where she could. perhaps, protect the
other ships OF be where the enemy
would strike again. The lookouts could
see nothing of the submarine. The sec
ond duty was to save the survivors
Torpedoed Steamer Looms Up.
Abruptly out of the black night
doomed the hulk Of the torpedoed
steamer. stern in air and about to take
the final plunge. Then. as an officer
told me. hell broke loose on an already
turbulent ocean," The W backed
just as the ship sank. but the momen-
tum carried her into the midst of all
that remained afoat. There was a mo-
ment of hideous silence as the engines
stopped and the W fioated on the
scene of the tragedy. Then. as If the
devil himself had led an orchestra Of
lost souls. the survivors began a ter
rible chorus of 'unintelligible yells of
fear, pain, cold, helplessness and en-
treaty. Mostly the screams were long
ally those aboard the W heard the
shout ship ahoy!" A sailor told me:
1T was terrifying. All my life I
shall hear the shrieks of those poor
devils as plainly as though / myself
were in the water ! could follow the
cries Of terror. shock, clamor for aid,
hope. fright. weakness. despair and
cold"
Deciding that it was hopeless to 10
cate the Uboat the captain of the
W turned his entire attention to
rescuing survivors. AT the risk of los
ing his own ship, he lit both the search
lights, which. like inquisitive fingers.
searched out and revealed the terrible
rather raving maniacs. chung to every
imaginable bit of wreckage-hatches,
chairs. ladders, potato lockers, smashed
boats or the timbers which prudent
merchantmen carry on deck these days.
Other survivors fioated supported by
life belts alone.
Rescuing the Survivors.
By difficult maneuver the captain Of
the W brought the yacht near a
! man clinging to a potato locker. and the
crew threw him line. This the man,
vtsibly exhausted, started to tie about
himself as soon as he caught it. The
momentum Of the W kept her NOV
ing slowly. and the crew paid out the
line as the open space between man
and ship increased. Suddenly the end
of the line came before the benumbed
man had been able to secure 1t about
himself. The crew of the W were
forced to throw the line overheard or
pull the man Off the locker Almost at
| the same time the man secured the line
ana neean to pull 1t in. He came to the
end and in the glare of the searchlight
the crew OF the W. saw the poor
wretch hold up the end of the line,
look AZ II, look at them, and then slow
ly shake his head from side to side. The
crew heard his plaintive cries Of
mother IN Spanish. By another man.
euver the second attempt succeeded
and the man was saved.
meanwhile the captain ordered the
boats to the water, and the crew
fastened to obey, since they had been
ordered not to jump overheard and try
70 rescue the men struggling in the
ley water. Hurriedly the boat crews
fought their way over the high waves
from hatSn 70 spar and from chairs to
smashed lifeboats The men at the oars
pulled as they had never pulled before
Three blueJackets at the bow reached
out and hauled aboard the almost dead
Unconscious. ~
Not all. for clearly out Of the dark
ness came the thrilling words, Now,