The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-10-12
446 AMERICAN
SOLDIERS LOST
Fearful Toll Of Collision Of the
Transport 0tranto and Troop
Ship Kashmir.
STORIES Of H ERols N
Hundreds Of Bodies Washed Up
on Rock Ribbed Coast Of
Island Of lslay.
(By Delt Edwards.)


At an American Rest Camp in Ire
land, Oct. 12.-U. N. S.)-Thrillins
stories Of the heroism of American SOL
diers, English seamen and the COM
manders of rescuing British destroyers
were told today by the survivors OF
the transport Otranto. which was lost
In collision with the sister troopshir
Kashmir on Oct. 6. between the Scot
tish and Irish coasts.
Three hundred and forty-six. mem
bers of the American expeditionary
force and eighty-five members Of the
British crew of the Otranto are miss
ing and believed to have been killed.
More than a hundred bodies already
have been washed up on the rock
the scene Of the disaster.
ribbed coast of the Island of Islay. near
The catastrophe Is attributed to the
failure of the steering gear Of the kash-
mir when the two vessels burst upon
each other, out of dense fog, and at
the height of the storm.
Near Grave Of Tuscania.
throw of the grave Of the Tuscania,"
declared Lieut.. Cantwell. of Denver.
one of the survivors. "Buffeted by the
seas. which were running mountain
high, the Kashmir burst upon the
otranto out the mist. crashed into us,
and ripped jagged hole IN the
Everyone rushed up to the deck as
the shrieking whistles Of the two ves-
sells followed the resounding echoes Of
the crash. The first two lifeboats low
cred were smashed against the side Of
the Otranto. 1 saw the head of one
soldier crushed and all the occupants
of both boats disappeared beneath the
waves.
Game Efforts to Rescue.
1.-THE British destroyer Maunsey
gamely tried to reach us in spite of tho
storm. AS she came as closely as pos
sible alongside many American SOL
diers and British seamen threw off
their heavy clothing and leaped for the
destroyer's deck, forty feet below.
Some of them were thrown between the
destroyer and the Otranto and were
ground to death. One soldier was cut
half in two by twin wire cables.
The Kashmir backed up Immediately
after the collision, apparently un-
harmed.
II remained on the Otranto for four
minutes and then jumped for the de-
stroyer's deck. with dozen others. We
were washed off the deck by a huge
wave which wrecked the destroyer's
bridge.
"Te Otranto was finally abandoned
by the destroyer after more than 300
of us had been saved"
Thrilling Story.
Corpl. William Weidgenant. Of Chi
cago, orderly to aviation Lieut.. Berne
Coffman, of Galesburg. ILL.,, was sitting
in the cabin with the lieutenant when
the crash came. The lieutenant had
pneumonia.
II put a lifebelt around Coffman,"
the corporal said today, "and hurried
on deck to see how serious the acci-
dent was. They told me that the
Otranto might stay affoat a couple OF
hours. SO l rushed back to the cabin
and dressed the lieutenant. Then took
him to the smoking room.
From there I tried to make it with
him to a lifeboat, but the boat was
crushed to splinters before we could
get in 1t.
Then the order came, Every man
for himself. Lieut.. Coffman was turned
over by the commanding officer to two
British seamen, and l was told to jump
FOR the destroyer, which was battling
alongside.
Tied to VentiIator.
II jumped and landed by ventila-
Tor. tied myself to 1t to keep from
being washed overheard by the heavy |
sea. Two other soldiers came hurtling |
BY and I grabbed on to them. The !
three of us saw another soldier land |
On the deck of the destroyer on his |
Before we could help him he |
was crushed to death as the vessel |
,ame together.
Not Much Excitement.
There was not as much excitement |
Is you might expect" declared Sergt.
Ilenn p. Stein, of Omaha II saw sew
,ral men crushed to death between the |
destroyer and the Otranto. Melvin |
Davies and myself were the only two
'aved out of five boys from Omaha"
Thomas Campbell, of Memphis, was
mother survivor to praise the COM
nander of the British destroyer. 'Tt
vas heroic work." he declared. IT was
With batch of fifty-nine survivors
Who were taken to hospital. Included
n the number are four second lieutena1
nts. They are w. M. II. Pepenforth.
II Columbus, o.: Frank A. Perkins, of
augusta. Ga; David r. Sutton, Glen