The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-19

No vessel has been detained in con-
sequence of the action of the men, nor
can it yet be said that any vessel has
been detained five minutes in leaving
port because the men were afraid to
face the risks of German submarines.
There are seamen today who can
claim to have been in no fewer than
eight ships that have paid the price"
In the ports of Cardiff, Liverpool, and
elsewhere it is quite common to meet
men who have had the experience of
being on no fewer than four vessels
that have been torpedoed.
know a case where a number of
men signed on ship, and within four
days they were back in port again
In that short time they had faced
the Huns guns and suffered priva-
tons through being cast adrift on the
open sea in small lifeboats.
A further extension of this story
will show the sort of pluck am talk
ing about The seamen's union makes
allowance to its members when such
accidents occur.
The men in question were so anx-
ious to carry on that they did not
wait the two or three days that were
necessary for the examination of
their claims, but resigned again and
again until they drew no fewer than
three claims in one month.
These are the kind Of men who
carry on our mercantile marine and
whom our paci1sts' German friends
are numbering as fast as they can.
Nearly $4,000 of them already have
gone down, and not one among those
left who are not ready again, and
still again, to go to sea and face the
many dangers that await them!
This is the record! The Germans
are trying to wipe the British sailor
off the high seas, but they will have
to try till doomsday to wash the salt
of the sea out Of his soul and the hat
red he now has for those who have
so abominably Haunted the glorious
knight-errantry of the salt waters.
Crews Privations
This is what our seamen are endur-
ing so that Britain can win through.
A Castle Liner was torpedoed 500
miles from land. Many of the crew
were killed instantly The majority
however, escaped in the lifeboats. The
German submarine then left them.
For twenty-nine days these men
were adrift on the ocean-in winter
time. The only provisions they had
were a few biscuits and very short
allowance of water.
They were scanti1y clad, for their
beautiful German friends and COM
cades had given them no time to get
either clothes or provisions.
They were huddled together in open
| boats 500 miles away from land, on
rough seas in bad weather.
Eventually the supply Of biscuits
gave out. Then they were reduced to
the smallest possible allowance of wa
ter-not more than a tablespoonful
at a time.
Day by day their numbers gradu-
ally decreased. Some of them went
raving mad because they would persist
in drinking salt water.
Other were frost-bitten and suffered
agonies Of pain, and so day by day
the numbers were reduced until event.
ually when rescued there were only a
few of the original crew left
Stil1there are others always ready.
They realize all the dangers, but there
is no fear in their hearts.
IndOmitable Grit
No sooner have those men arrived
in port and obtained a new outfit of
clothes then Immediately they have
resigned on other ships.
The British sailor remembers all
these things, and it is because he re-
members that he will have nothing
to do with the British pacifists, who
want to meet and shake hands with
the representatives of a nation that
has so brutally betrayed the holy
trust of the sea.
He had no bitterness, against the
German before the war. Now there
is no difference in the British sailors
mind between the German people and
the German military man. To him
they are all as bad as one another.
Cheered Atrocity
The conduct of the German seamen
themselves has been such as to dry up
any feelings of mercy or compassion
for the German. The German sea-
man has proved himself during this
| war to be nothing less than a cold
| blooded murderer, and in many in
stances to the knowledge of our sail
ors has played the part of spy as
well.
They have broken the record of the
splendid chivalry of the sea, which
has been a boosted and precious her
itage, handed down for hundreds of
years by seamen of all nations.
I will prove what I mean. When
war broke out there were in this
country a thousand German seamen,
| all of whom were members of our
union. A general feeling amongst US
at the time was that we should our
selves look after interests of our fell
members, whom at one time we
had no hesitation in calling German
comrades"
We decided to set an example to
the Germans, SO that they in .trun
would give every consideration to the
British seamen who happened to be
in Germany in August, 1914.
With the consent of the Government
we purchased an estate in North
hampton, and there we placed a
thousand German seamen as guests
not prisoners-of the British seamen's
hospitality.
They had every indulgence it was
possible for men to have-food, ac-
commodat1on, recreations- everything
of the best. This contiued until May,
1915. Then the beast proclaimed it.
self.
The Beast Revealed
A concert had been organized for
the benefit of the Germans for May
8. On May-7, it will be remembered,
the Lusitania was torpedoed.