Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-08-30
n0sT DARING FEAT OF war
Whole Thing Didn't Take More Than
Quarter Of an Hour-Motor 5oats
=. Crew oo Mad With Joy Over
Their Success. 20
BY BEATRICE Baskerville

Ancona.-Commandant Rizzo, who
has performed the most daring naval
feat of the war, began his sea career
as officer In the Italian merchant serv.
Ice. Not till Italy entered the wal
ives he acquainted with the. royal
navy, He is under thirty, dark-eyed,
quiet, has largish features which look
as though they were cut out Of steel,
a square jaw and a slower manner Of
speaking than most Italians.
When I first asked him, during
his short stay In Ancona' port, for
particulars Of his sinking of the st.
Stephen and the Prince Eugene, Aus
trials two largest ships, he modestly
replied that he was no taiker, and
that for the rest he had to start Of
for Genoa In a very short while. But
when he learned that The World cor
respondent had travelled from Rome
to hear him talk and that 1t would
not take long, he yielded.
ain the Creeping Dawn"
at was on the 10th Of this month"
he said. IL was returning to port
after one of those humble and hard
missions which we sailors have had
to perform all the while these three
years. I had made up my mind to
leave the enemy's coast, when, In the
creeping dawn, I say the smoke COM
ing out Of tunnels, about 5000 yards
OF. I thought we were found out
and being chased by the enemy. 1t
was hopeless to try to run away, so I
turned my two motor boats. the sec
ond being commanded by Head Steers4
man tnow Leutenant) Aonzo, and
made for the enemy.
"As the dawn grew I saw we were
In for a large convoy of destroyers
e~scorting two floating cyclops. of the
Viribps Units type, which Is the larg-
est dreadnaught type In the Austrian
navy. They had four at the begin
ming of the war; on the 9th Of June
they had three. Now they have only
one left.
Here we are at last ! said to my
men. This Is a holidayP
I'VE had not much In the way OF
arms-two torpedoes on each boat,
eight, small enough to be thrown by
hand, between us, and two machine
guns. But this was a chance we would
never get again IL we waited a thou
sand years, so I took It. :
Three Clean Hits:
"Aonzo was to slip around to the
left and attack the Viribus Units
dreadnaught that made up the rear,
and which we now know was the
Prince Eugene. I was to make for
the sister ship, which we now know
was the st. Stephen. / slowed down
silence my motors. but as soon as
1 was we'll within the line of conveys
1 went forward at full speed. Our
men held their breath. My motOrist
had a quiet fit every time the engine
made a little noise. Another moment
and the enemy saw us. Then began
furious cannonade.
"Aonzo sent his first torpedo, but it
did not work. His second hit the
giant full in her poop. Then / fol-
lowed with my two biscuits. precise,
obedient and sure. The first landed
between the st. Stephens tunnels. in
the boiler compartment; the second
under her tower"
"After That IL Was He'll"
The commandant paused. evidently
events, then went on:
AFTER that 1t was hell. There was
a storm from their guns and a mud
died crowd Of ~destroyers encircled the
two giants, which were beginning to
sink. Some chased my boat. ! saw i
must either get out into the open-ike
a dart or perish. With a violent jerk
we turned our boat on herself and
made for 1t. But a destroyer baked
our path. So / jerked round to the
left and rushed right under the PROV
of the st. Stephen, now almost swal-
lowed by the, sea. Aonzo took the
chance he got by their attacking me
and made Off too. The same destroy
that barred his way went for me.
"Our motor boats were only a hun
bred yards apart. 1t was just as If
we were trying TO escape from q loco
motive by running along the railroad.
The cannons buzzed and roared round
our heads. I thought a dose of the
machine gun would do them good, but
1t didn't. They were very close and
our moment seemed to have come.
Like angry mastiffs they rushed after
us, their prows looming owe us from
above. Then / tried them with two
torpedoes. The first fell foul. but the
second hit its mark. There was q
terrific explosion and the destroyer
wobbled and began to turn over. ]
made for safety as hard as / knew
how.
"The whole thing, from the time
we attacked till l fired that second
torpedo against the chasing destroyer
didn't take more than a quarter OF
an hour.
Crews Mad With Joy. :
"When we got into the open. safe
and sound. I was able TO smile again
Ny five lads were still astounded with
the rapidity OF events. Then one OF