The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-06-27
HAS LONG YARNS TO SPIN
Kenosha's First Sailor to Be on Tor
pedoed Snip Tells Thrilling Stories of
Experiences on Eventful Voyage
On the High Seas.
(By Esther Heyman)

(By Esther Heyman)
"We want to 90 to sea, we want to
go to sea. :" That 3 the slogan at the
Great Lakes and Elmer Smith, Keno
sha IS young representative ON the i'll
fated President Lincoln, is singing the
same old song again in spite Of the
fact, that during the recent disaster
he was UP to his neck in the middle of
the "sea" for about fifteen hours.
Bu5 he's just as enthusiasts about go
ing hack as he was when he first en-
listed and he's only eighteen years old.
Elmer has one long yarn to spin. 1t
dates way back to when he first en-
tered the Great Lakes in February. He
must have been calling the old slogan
81 want to go to sea pretty regularly
for it WASH It but three weeks after
he enlisted that he was sent across the
briny deep on the President Lincoln,
that was and is no more.
The ship left United States port
on May 10th and landed somewhere on
the coast Of France on May oath.
After taking off the cargo, the ship
set sail for its homeward trip on May
Goth at four p M. The President Lin
coin was accompanied by three other
ships and was conveyed for two nights
On May Both the feet of destroyers
left them and returned to French waters
and the next morning at 1858 o'clock
the ship was attacked by submarines.
Young Smith was stationed at port
lookout but as he had only twenty two
and a half degrees to watch and the
U-boat did not come in his range, he
saw nothing of the approaching danger
until it was too late. He did, however,
see the first torpedo as it came whiz-
zing along about three hundred yards
away from the ship, and after the sec
ond and third had struck, he held those
on guard in the station until final
orders were given. After the ship was
struck for the third time, she imme-
diately listed port, meaning she turn
ed on the side she was hit. She soon
righted herself and orders were given
to stand by as there was possible
chance that she might not sink How
ever, after an inspection of the dam
age done, the officials decided that the
only thing to do was to abandon the
ship and the captain merely waved his
hand and the work began.
Great excitement prevailed. The
ammunition supply had to be brought
from the aft part of the deck as a
ship never goes down without empty
ing her gums.
Smith was in the life raft crew and
was with the last few on deck. When
every raft was overheard he had but
to step from the ship into the water
1T was so low. The gunners were up
to the belt in water while firing the
last six shots.
1t took the boat exactly twenty-nine
minutes to go down. While the ship
was sinking, after every man was safe
on the RATS, the crew secured the lat
ter with ropes so that they could not
drift apart The three ships that had
accompanied the President Lincoln
were long out of sight The boys sang
the national hymn. then "Cheer Cheer,
the Gangs All Here" and finally
Where Do We Go from Here Boys. y
About half hour after the ship sank,
the submarine appeared on the hori-
zon, looking for the spoils, namely the
captain, But as the latter had chang
ed his costume for that of the seaman,
and was pulling an oar with the rest
of them, there was no possibility of
their finding him. They did, however,
take the first lieutenant who had been
suffering from illness and did not have
time to change his clothes. The
submarine drew up close to the raft
young Smith was on.
The U-boat crew laughed at the sur
viyors and took pictures of them, all
the while, covering them with their
guns. Finally one of the Jackies could
hold it in no longer and called to the
Pnemy's captain, "Can you talk Eng
Hsh?" The supposed German COM
mander laughed and called back, emo,
but can talk darn good American. "
After assuring themselves that they
could not find the captain, the subma-
rine left the six hundred or more sur
vivors and disappeared. The survi-
Tors remained in the water for some
ifteen hours, for it was after midnight
before the destroyers appeared. Smith
emphasized the fact that every man
hat came off the boat was saved and
hat those missing were killed by the
explosion. The happy sailors were
aiken back to France by the destroy
SIS Smith and Warrington. and soon
bfter were put aboard anotber'strans-