Licking Valley courier., 1918-06-27
Arthur Murphy Writes a Thrilling
Story Of His Escape.

Arthur Murphy, OF Cannel City, |
in this county, who was wireless
operator on the President Lin
coin, which was sunk by a sub
marine May 91st, writes to his
mother the following graphic ac-
count of the affair:
aboard U. S. S. Great Northern,
Hoboken Docks, Hoboken, N. j.,
June IL, 1918.
Dear Mother:
Well, | suppose you have heard
all about our little trouble with
the German U-boat. That Ger
man sure did a neat little joN on
US. We left France May 18th,
about 4 p. m. We were about 81
hours out on May 31st when The
U-boat sent daylight through us
with his little torpedoes. 1t was
about 9 a. m. on a beautiful sun
shiny day when he hitu was
in the radio room at the time,
working on the motor generator
set. Suddenly someone on the
deck outside yelled: Submarine,
periscope, torpedo!" | jumped
to the port window and looked
out just in time to see a torpedo
streaking right into us. 1t hit
with big crash and a loud ex-
plosion. The ship quivered in
every timber and keeled over to
an angle Of about 45 degrees. |
= thought we would go down in
! stantly. | grabbed my life pre-
server which hung on a bunkhead
near me and ran to my station
down on the main deck, which
was three decks below the one on
which the radio room was locat.
r ed, If it had been left to me
e would have preferred to stay
v where | was, for the water was
G nearly up to the main deck. Be.
fore | reached the main deck an
other torpedo hit US near the
u stern, the first having hit US for
|. ward. then thought the Ger
o mans were going to sink the shil
without giving anyone a chance
for his life. When reached tn,
main deck, which was slantlnl
like Shoot the chutes" at Cone.
o Island, and saw the water lap
o. ping at the very rail | guess m,
, knees shook just a little, for
:, =, had no thought of getting ava.
,, with my life. Near my station
IL was a coal hatch leading to tn
}, coal bunkers below, where tn
torpedo had hit. The water wa
" rushing up the hatch and som
N fremen who had been workin
:, in the bunkers were strugglin
in it, half drowned, and trying
VI get out on deck. When saw m
r shipmates in need of help | fol
" got my fear and with the help c
70 a couple of other men pulled thel
10 on deck. We had to roll some {
them to get the water out of then
The ship was evidently going
u stay up longer than | had fir'
m thought. We threw the lite raft
)f over the rail and held them to tn
" side of the ships with lines. A
i ter the first shock every or
seemed to get their nerve bac
= and most of them were crackin
e jokes, standing there on the dec
ID of a sinking ship. 1t certainI
o. was a credit to American manhoc
a. the way those officers and me
10 handled themselves. Not OF
acted yellow. Every enc W;
willing to lend a helping han,
~ After waiting about fifteen mil
d. utes, when it was plain the sh
It, could not remain .ahoat mu(
er longer, the order was given to
IN bandon ship. Every one wei
~ over the side in as orderly a ma
~ ner as could be expected und
ie the circumstances. waited Vi
IL til most of them had cleared IL
IS, deck so there would be |
to danger Of any one jumping {
top Of me. | jumped on a Ii
4 raft at the side of the ship.
y ~ was afraid it would be drawn u
OIL der by the suction when the sh
went down and jumped for a
les other raft further out. No 500
ry er had | gotten on this one tn;
,e. it washed right back against d
NJ. side of the ship and nearly ba
49, on the deck, | then jumped al
~ swan for it, and was almost all
Jill when a raft hoated along to m