Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1918-02-15
ACTED LIKE AMERICANS
SOLDIERS on TUSCANiA CALM
WHEN BOATS WERE SMASHED.
Tribute Paid To The Women Who
Helped In Rescuing
Men.

behaved when they found that the
eats assigned to them on the Tus.
cania had been smashed is told by an
American officer who landed at an
Irish port. The officer said that his
uIen behaved as he had expected them
to- Two full boatloads under his COM
lnand assembled on the deck when
the torpedo struck the liner and
marched to the boats assigned them.
Arriving at their station they found
that both boats had been destroyed.
Then we lined up on deck at atten-
tion," said the officer, "and all pre-
served the utmost composure until a
destroyer came alongside and affected
the transfer from the gradually sink
ing deck.
''We stood alongside until the last
nan was taken off. who, as might be
expected, was the commander Of the
nip. The patients in the ships hos.
ital, including several cases of scarle-
ina and fever, were among the first
taken off,"
The correspondent of the Press AS
ociation at an Irish port says the
urvivors of the Tuscania who are
there were greatly relieved to hear OF
the safe arrival elsewhere of Major
Benjamin F. Wade, of Washington,
commander of contingent on the
teamer and hundreds of other Amer
can troops.
Women Do Their Part.
The only two women on board, the
correspondents account says, Mrs.
Collins and Mrs. Parsons, went down
I rope into a lifeboat. The former
said that when their boat left the
;'uscania many of the troops had been
brown out in lowering the next boat.
We were Immediately surrounded by
zen in the icy water wearing life
elts," she said. "We had only two
:aen in our boat wko could manage the
,ars. They did their best, and as We
:ame across a swimming or floating
man we gathered him into the boat
'oon the boat was very full. We
many distressing scenes
Eventually we got on board a destroy
r. l don't remember a harder bit Of
:ork"
A soldier who heard Mrs. Collins, a
tewardess, tell the story, said:
Yes, and you did as much as the
est man in the world could have
one, I was in your boat and saw
ou."
They Soon Steadied Down.
A young officer, answering a ques-
ION as to what the soldiers did while
waiting for the destroyers after the
,rst excitement was over, said:
ooh, we soon steadied down,
1unged about and smoked, but we
:idn't venture below TO gather up our
.elongings for fear the ship would
.uddenly capsize. We talked about
he misfortune of crossing the At
antic only to be caught in the last
,ap. We cheered the first destroyer
;-hich came alongside and its men
.leered US. Their work was mag
'ficent, and only when they saw they
,ould save no more life did they leave
he scene. 1t was thought we'll 10
lake for different ports, and here I
m among people who have over
-helmed US with kindness"
A young trooper, when asked what
thought of the experience, said he
Yould not have missed it for any
hing.
81 was on deck talking to my
;hun," he went on, when I heard
bang, and up went a whole heap of
vreckage and water over our heads.
was drenched to the skin. Nobody
cHeamed, but you can imagine how it
cit to stand shivering in the dark
less, not knowing when we would get
mother shot that would send the boat
the bottom"