Norwich bulletin., 1918-05-31
ALFRED euRNEY TELLS
 HOW HE ESCAPED
When Steamship orissa Was Torpe- died--57 Y. M. 0. A. Men on Board.

1OW TIE ESCAPED When Steamship .orissa Was Torpe- died--57 Y. M. c. A. Men on Board.
 Alfred H. Gurney, formerly of New London and Providence. has written asfl interesting account to Providence paper of the t0rpedoing of British steamship Orfssa near the British coast on April g. He was one of a party of 57 Y. NJ. c. A. men aboard the steamer, bound for the other side tU do war work.
 Of the events at the time. the tor pedo struck the ship lie writes as fol- lows:
 'The torpedo struck us shortly af ter o'clock in the morning. We secretaries had given minstrel show the night before; and I had been one of the end men. After washing the black from my face I went on deck for breath of fresh air before going to bed. The sky was. clear, the sea rippling. Far ahead a light gleamed. An officer gave me it's name. I knew better than to ask our position, espec- ially since one of the secretaries had asked the captain where we were and had got this altogether correct and succinct reply.
 Somewhere in the Atlantic. sir
 "By midnight most of Us had gone below. In the smoking room few of the night owls fingered. As my bunk mate and I went to bed we told each other that the owls would be packing their trunks in the morning while we were on deck seeing the sights. We agreed to be tip at o'clock. which is really early for me. I knew that my bunk mate would waken on time, and I dropped off to sleep quickly.
 'T awose even more quickly. I think the shock must have made me sit up right. I recalled q r1uffiei sound, like that of a heavy door outside ones room being slammed violently. I ing at my wrist watch when my bunk mate switched on the light
 Something doing, I said, bro- midica1ly
 we listened--for minutes, it seefn- ed. There was not ;a sound. 1 heard my bunk mate roll over He wasn't going to miss his sleep for any false alarm.
 Alarm Is Sounded.
 "Tt's nothing he said. I'll pnt out the light
 "As he reached for the switch the ships bell began ringing. That was the signal Of a submarine attack. Which one of us reached tie floor first, I cannot tell. I honestly think that we struck at about the same time. I had arranged my clothes for high speed in dressing. AnG 1 never dressed faster in my life. Above me I could hear the tread of hurrying feet and the shouts of men giving orders. Hurry men, hurry! They're going l to close the bulkhead doors,' came the calm voice of our leader down the cor ridor on the port side, where slept. i The torpedo hit just abaft the engines on the starboard side.
 All ready, old man. said my bunk mate. IS he grabbed his overcoat and l shoes and started away from there. Be with you in half minute said, as I laced up my right shoe didn't have time to fix the facing in my left on9. T had my life be1t already in place
 slung ny overcoat across my arm snatched my suit case and turned for the door. As I stepped over the threshold the ships lights faded out But I had my flash; and had no diff 1 ficulty in picking my path up 8 con- venient back companion way to the
 main deck. My boat was on the deck above.
 T shot along the main deck as fl my feet were winged. Someone had closed it. Or maybe it had slammed shut. So I kept on until reached the steps forard. On the way I passed my bunk mate, wlao had neglected tc
 hitch up his trousers properly. He yelled for me not to stop. I obeyed 1 When I reached my boat, whicl
 was slightly for'ard Of amidships,
 dropped my suit case and laced UT my other shoe. A man in the boat | called to me to hurry. 1 didn't, be- cause then and there the feeling came
 over me that the ship was all right She was on an even keel and stil high out of the water. The thought that she had heen morraily hit was
 absurd. Pm glad now that I coult think thus It save n1e confidence
 that I straigntwdy passel or to ml fr.eighbors in the boat.
 Little Confusion.
 There was little. confusion. At frs i somebody screamed that the blu. wasn't in the bottom of the boat. handed my fiashlfght to a man amid ships and he fixed the plug. q ne9e saw my flash afterwdrd, but I hop that the person who kept it will fir,
 it useful) As the men on deck be
 gan lowering the boat the captain c
 the ship came over the rail and got il
 with us.
 We went down into the wate
 smoothly. The two men slid dow the ropes: aud we began pushini : away from the ship. We were the las
 boat on the starboard side The shi was still making headway, and tn suction was strong. IL took severa
 minutes of hard work to get clear S
 tdat the oars could bn unshipped.
 Shortly after we cleared the sterr i which was now well down in the wa ter the magazines blew up, making fred, sullen glare in the moonligh And then the ship herself. her bo7 high in the air went under. first slow l ly, it seemed, and then with a sudde
 rush. She wcs gone almost befor
 We knew it. As she sank we took O
 our hats. A sturdy ship, she deserve l 1 a better fate than death at the hand of pot-hunters.
 "She was done for in just F min !. utes by the watch. There wasn : much t.1ne for minor details. If "The surface was stFewn with float ing stuff; and several lifebcats jul. I, ahead were silhoaatted ominously 5 the moonlight. Beyond them lay u black shadow of a torpedo boat de l stroyer-the most welcome sight, .. that any nf US ever saw in ol I lives. We made for the shadow ar
 in a few minutes were on deck Ho e good those steel plates felt under ot e feet!
 ] q gave my overcoat 10 a Shiverir l, engineer, put on a bath robe whie one of the men had thoughtful 9 brought along and went scouting fl |. MT. Dawson. I found him below. F
 had got out on deck just in time: ar