davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20
Declines Thanks
OF Old American

1 walked along the train to say good
oy TO the passengers, who had so UNI
wllilngiy made our acquaintance. and
! was warmly thanked by an old
american, to whom l personally had
cone a small favor, for my courteous
treatment; he spoke in the name OF all
me passengers, who had experienced
aiso the greatest civility at : hands
OF OF the port authorities. declined
ensse words OF thanks, for they had
only received The treatment ,bat was
their proper due
A1ter the train had left. the hour of
our oa . own departure had struck; we cast
for Sm 'ne tmo lines mes that had kept US bound
rTl n, 'wo such memorable DAYS on the
Flemish coast. In passing by waved
farewell to the two Dutch CAPTAINS,
e"o away we Westward ho,
,,S uUS9pyright. 1917. by John Hays Ham.
rishts, ,aonu, sr.. ana Anna Crafts goldman All
r,"n, ,s''s reserved Printed by special arrange
i"'Hl with the Houshton Mifflin Lompany.)
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

Further on ur the mole, instead ~
Engilsh troo?s that the King wonn
SO gladly have sent over in iranspor,s
to march Though neutral Belgium and
pay u an u invited visit. STOOD IA.
by side our own brave fellows Of sss
army ard OF the navy. len frors,
every branch OF the service. =
their different informs, wee visibIe
as they crowded on the pier witnes.
our arrival Win our two prize boats
for the news If tins unusual capturs
had already spread far and vide, ana
they all wanted to satisfy their cur.
osity.
Their enthusiasm would have bee,
even greater had they guessed tha.
cor cealed thin the hull Of our tvo
vessels an Easter feast Of undreamed.
Of Gaintles lay IN store for them. But
even without this incentive a tremen.
dous cheer from a thousand tnroats
hailed our appearance as We rounded
the mole, and our thirty voices re-.
turned as hearty, = not as loud d three
times repeated cheer 9or the garrison
of Zeebrugge.
Before making my Official report
inspected my two prizes that were
docked just behind us-a chain parted
them from the rest OF the quay. with
scntries placed on guard rave the
preference of my first visit, naturally.
as polite man should, to the steamer
with so many of the fair sex on board
| hoped that by appearing surrounded
by my officers I should dispel their
fear Of the German barbarians."
l was told the ladies' belonged to .
variety troupe that was to give per-
tormance the next evening III London.
Poor London, 70 be deprived by our
fault OF an enjoyable evening,
Among the other Passengers were
Belgians and French who had waited
six weeks in Holland for q chance to
get across, and also an American re-
porter of the Hearst newspapers. He
had camera for taking moving pict-
ures, and we discovered later that he
had photographed the whole occurrence
Of the capture Of the ship by our sub
marine. A few days later The
Graphic" of March u, 1915, published
several of his pictures, which even.
tually found their way to many Amer
ican papers.
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20
The Englishlnan
Hoped to Escape

Meanwhile we had also put on all
steam In pursuit, and drove our en-
gines to their Utmost capacity. The
English ship was going at great pace,
and VIC had many knots TO cover before
we could catch up with her to impose
our commands, for she paid no heed to
the international flag-signal we had
holsted--"Stcp at once or we fire ~
anl she was striving her utmost to
reach a zone Of safety. Our prov
plunged into the surging seas and
showered boat and crew alike with
silvery, sparkling foam. The engines
were being urged to their greatest
power, and the whirr of the propellcr
proved that below, at the motor valves.
each man was Going mis- very best,
AnXlously we measured t he distance
that still separated US from our prev.
Was it diminishing? Or would thcv
ret away from Us before our guns could
take effect? .loyfully we saw the in
terva! lessening between us, and be
fore long oar first warning shot across
her bow raised high, threatening col
umn of water. But still the English
nan bepsd te escape from ~, and the
thtcs eHssks tslshiay sCya Ahs $usnais
AhaWad that tia stekaxs 4ssA shovAIllns
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

feel the boat tossing among the bigger
waves; hut we laugh, as they heave
and dip around us, for we know everv-
thlng is shlpshapc on board, and thaS
they can do us no harm. The wild
seas are bearing us onward toward
the hated foe, and after all-in the
END they lull so peacefully to sleep the
sailor in his eternal rest.
III thls manner, on fine March
morning, we steered our course to the
English coast, to take all active part
IN the commercial war. Gently the
waves splashed around the prov and
glided over the lower deck. Our duty
was to examine every merchantmen we
met with the object Of destroying those
OF the enemy. The essential thing was
70 ascertain the nationality Of the
ships we stopped On the following
morning we were given several oppor-
unluieS to fulfil our task
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

more and more coal into the glowing
furnace, they we'll kgew what risk
they had to run.
Even after two well-aimed shots
wero discharged from the steel mouths
of our cannon right and left on either
side of the fugitive, which must have
warned the captain that the next shot
would undoubtedly strike the storm,
he was still resolved neither to stop
nor surrender.
Nothing now remained for us but to
use our last means to enforce our will
With whistling sound, shell f'cv
from the muzzle of our cannon, and
few seconds later fell with loud crash
in = c oud of smoke on the rear deck
the steamer. This produced the de
sired effect.
Immediately the steamer stoppe.
and informed US by three quick blast
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

lh's picture by himself Of the kind Of who glores
SINKING SHIPS wuhout wornng numbering
1t to
cd a7ten by Freiherr Foystn the
u6nnareae somewo careless product odd
The translation has been abridged by the
out shoes u1d the mixture entmntaly feyociq
peculiar to Germans and portruvs lacking
officer concerned for the are his kindly doce
courageous, loyal, enduringand Lboa enthusiast.
To-days shoes this sheing nhino British
rcantan after chase aud taking cnptue o Dutch
Published
sion under German copyright 1916 by Ulktein Co.
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20
They Bid No
One Farewell

Ac commander usually spends the
eve OF his departure IN the circle Of
shis comrades, but it IS a solemn mo-
ment Tor him as soon as he sails from
ms native shore. He becomes rcspon-
sible Tor every action which is taken.
ana Tor many weeks no orders reach
ann from his suporiors. lie is unable
70 ASK any ones advice CT to consult
with his interiors, and he stands alonn
N the solitude of his higher rank
even the common sailor is conscioli. of
'ne seriousness of the task ahead and
oi the adventures which may occur be-
%" seas. NO lond farewe!is, no iollv
Land, no reckoning girls arc there to
p'o US godspeed Quietly and silently
90 we take our departure. Neither
wife nor child, nor our nearest and
dearest, know whittier we go. if we re-
mann III home waters. or if VIC 80 forth
10 encounter the foe We can bid no
one farewell. 1t is through the alb
sehce OF news that they know that we
nave gone, and no ono is aware, cx-
fept the special high officer in this de-
partment Of the Admiralty who pivcs
The commander his orders, on what er-
rand NC are bound or when we shall
return, for the slightest indiscrction
might forfeit the success of our mis-.
SION.
BEFORE dawn, on the day of our dc
parture, tho last pieces of equipment
and OF armament are put on board and
fhe machinery is once more tested:
then, al the appointed hour, the chief
engineer informs the commander that
everything is ready. A shril whistle
bids the crew cast loose the moorings.
and at the sound Of the signal bell
The hoat begins to move AS we glide
rapidly out of port we exchange by
mutual signs d few last greetings with
oar less favored comrades on the decks
Of the ships we leave behind who rr
doubt also long to 90 forth and mce,
the enemy
The land begins to disappear in the
distance, and as we gaze at the bobbiur
buoys that vanish in our wake VIC hope
hat after Il successful journey they
!. sat ssss' sSsa.s ks.ss. - Aisssr rssshs,I. sssaI..
~ &aaa amaathix at Axat ya aooA
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20
Another Dutch
rize aiken

The Batavian was ordered to proceed
slowly on the same course, and we
would catch up with it later; then,
turning my attention to steamer No ..
made quickly in her direction to in
tercept her on her way to England
After half an hours pursuit we sig
nailed for her to stop, and we discov-
cred she WAS also Dutch The captain,
seeing 1t was useless to try to escape,
put out boat and came on board with
the ships papers; he seemed thorough
~ dlspleased at the meeting, and hoped
no doubt by coming himself to get away
more easily, but of this expectation he
was to be sadly disabused On discov-
erng that he was also carrying contra
band or war--cases Of eggs for London
i ordered him to follow US to Zee
brugge One officer and stoker, for
cou d not spare another sailor. accom-
panied nm as our prize command on
board his ship, the zaanstroom. and
after a lapse of an hour and half. fol-
loved by No. 2. we caught up with No l =.
1he difficulty OF my task can be
easily imagined. for l was obliged to
make the two steamers follow each
other at given interval and at the
same speed; Ike a shepherd dog herd
ing his flock, had to cruise round NV
two captives anI force them to steer a
stralgnt and even course, for one tried
occasionally tC outdistance the other.
probably with the desire to escape in
the foggy weather, which increased
my fear of not reaching the Flemish
coast before Ozark
:. But finally ! got the steamers into
llne and wherc persuasion might have
falied the menace of my cannon was
doubtless my surest reason for sue
cess.
My second officer on the Zaanstroom
slgnalied That everything was going
TO ms liking and that they were Just
Sit1lnS down 20 { savory meal of
droprod EGGS This was reassurinr
news, and could also feel TRANQUIL on
ms behalf he ;ides. in few hours we
should be safely under cover of our
coast artillery. We notified the pilot
depot by wireless TO send US a pilot
tor each ship and, our messages hav-
ing been acknowledged, we were GER
tam Of being warmly welcomed, and
that every preparation would be made
tor the reception: OF our two prizes.
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

seeming reality; and in thick fog
objects are strangely magniiied ard
distorted; q floating board may as
sumo the shape Of boat, or motor
launch be taken for steamer.
remember little story about
man'o-war seeking to enter harbor
in a heavy fog; every one on board
was looking in vain for a buoy to in
dicate the channel, when the captain
himself called out: at is for me then
to point out the buoy; there it isl"
5ut as they drew near the buoy float
ng on the water spread out pair of
wings and flew away in the shape of
5ull, and many a gull in fog may
ave deceived other experienced sea-
pen.
But to return to our own adventures
n this misty morning; we not only
saw gulls rising from the sea, and
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

~ against the merchant marine
of the Allied nations began in
February, 1915, throughout the war
zone established around the English
and French coasts. Day after day, the
number increased Of steamers and
sail boats that we had sunk, and COM
mercial relations between all coun-
tries were seriously menaced. The
English were forced to believe in our
threats, and even the shipping trade of
the neutrals had greatly diminished.
'Ihc mighty British fleet no longer
dared to patrol the seas, and the mer-
chantmen were told to look out for
themselves and were even armed for
the purpose.
While the winter lasted there was
not much for us to do, and We awaited
fine weather with lively impatience.
During this period our victorious
armies had occupied Belgium and Ser
bia, and conquered the Russian girdle
OF fortifcations. The subsequent par
ticipation of Italy produced but little
impression on the fortunate current Of
events, whereas Turkeys entrance at
our side in the war opened new field
of operation for our U-boats in the
mediterranean
At last l myself was ordered to
prepare for long voyage, which I well
coined most joyfully after several
months Of comparative inaction. We
were to remain in the enemys waters
for several weeks, which, of course, in
volved the most elaborate prepara-
tions. Every portion of the boat was
again minutely inspected, every ma
chine repaired and thoroughly tested.
Like well-groomed horse, we must be
In perfect condition for the coming
race. Each man in the crew holds a
responsible position and knows that
the slightest neglect endangers the
welfare Of the whole boat. The COM
manGcr must be certain that every
thing is completed according to the
highest standard. The boat is fre-
quently submerged and performs vari-
Gus exercises underseas while it is
still safe in the friendly waters off our
own coast.
We are dlWdyS aDuDQd0tly pro-
visioned; for the thirty men must be
given the most nourishing food to be
tit for their arduous tasks. I have
often laughed to see the quantity of
provisions placed on deck,-for the
dealers, oil course, are never allowed to
penetrate the inner shrine Of the boat,
and yet we have often returned from
long cruise because our food was
coming to an end. Every available
corner and space is filled with pro-
visions. The cook-a sailor specially
trained for the job-must hunt below
in every conceivable place for his vege-
tables and meats. The latter are stored
IN the coolest quarters, next to the
munitions. The sausagcs are put close
to the red grenades, the butter lies be-
meath one of the sailors hunks, and the
salt and spice have been known to
stray into the commanders cabin, be-
low his berth.
When everything is in readiness the
crew is given Il short leave on land, to
90 and take the much coveted hot
bath. This is the most important cere-
inony before and after Il cruise, espe-
cially when the men return, or when
they have remained unwashed for
weeks, soaked with machine oil and
saturated with salt spray, their first
thought isa hot bath. At sea we
must be very sparing Of our fresh
water supply, and it's use for washing
must be carefully restricted
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20
U-Boat TAX es
Her First rize

On reading the papers the officer
handed me, I saw the steamer was the
Batavian ", destined for London,
carrying cargo OF provisions, which
are contraband of war. | had to make
rapid decision as to the fate of the
steamer, and | resolved to bring the
BataVian into one of the Belgian ports
now in our possession. No U-boat had
ever attempted such a feat before. but
why not try? OF course we had to
cover long distance, with the immi-
nent threat of being overtaken by Eng
llsh warships, but if we did succeed it
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20
VGERS AND CREW LEAVING SHIP TORPEDOED BY 1LBOAT
Making the Port
OF Zeebrugee

Inc closer We &C. to the coast the
heaVler the fcg lay upon the water
not unusual experience at sea. We
mad to advance with the greatest eau
ton; our u-hoat led the wav to con
urn anew the assurance we had given
our Two steamers that they were in
no Danger OF mines. We had to meas
uie tne depth of water repeatedly
with the lead, and so doing we had tn
stop very often; otherwise. the 'H lead u
being dragged by the current. draws
the line to an inaccurate length. II is
put TOO easy matter to run aground
OH tne coas. of Flanders, as submerged
SanooHnks are everywhere to be en-
couhsered, and snls would have been
III our present case. a most unfortu-
nate occurrence This continual stop.
ping rather disturbed the order of our
iiiaIch' Tor steamers are more un-
wieldy and lees accustomed to rapid
fnan"uvring than war vessels. Luckily,
trip OF several hours, we gladly greet
ed our Gerran guardships lying off
the port Of 7cebrugge, and the light
house on the mole beckoned to us from
afar through the thin afternoon mist
We quickly surrendered our two
captives to the patrol Of the port au-
thorities, into whose care and surveil-
lance they were now intrusted. Our
lob for the day was over, and we could
loyfully hurry to our berth within the
harbor We passed along the tremen-
dous stone quay Of the artificial port
of Zeebrugge, it extends several kilo-
metrcs and was built by Leopold 7!
with English money; it had cost many
many miliiors and was intended to
serve quite another purpose than its
present one. We could look with deS
fance at the mouths of our German
cannon that gaped over the highest
edge Of the jatty toward tho sea. as
Il awaiting the Zoe. "s
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20
Ships Struggle
In Last Agony

After the crew had left in two boats
the blazing hull of the Leeuwarden,
CT Harwich, wcll-directed shot was
aimed at the water line. Mighty lets
OF water poured into the rear store
room, and the heavy listing of the
ship showed that her last hour had
struck. We beckonod to the captain to
row beside Us and deliver his papers:
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

was very fine catch, and, after all,
nothing venture. nothing have. Besides
the misty weather was in our favor,
and it would only take a few hour to
reach the protection of cur batteries
IN the Flemish coast.
The Dutch officer was notified that a
cize crew would be at once sent on
,oard his steamer TO conduct it to the
ort of Zeebrugge. He opened wonder
& eyes, but made no protest, for he
vas fully aware of our cannons turned
p his ship and of the loaded pistols Of
ur crew. The crew and passengers on
oard the Dutchman were no less
astounded when our prize command,
'onsisting Of one officer and one sailor,
up on deck. could not we'll
dispense, myself, with more men, and
in case my prize was released by the
English it would be better they had go
few prisoners Of ours to take.
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20
Leading the Way
Through Mines

The Dutch captain raised several OBJ
jections at being led away captive in
this. manner; above all, he was afraid
Of the German mines strewn before the
entrance of Zeebrugge, but my officer
reassured him by telling him we should
lead the way, and he would therefore
run no risk He finally had to resign
toward the shores Of Flanders; we, in
the proud consciousness of a new
achievement, and the Dutchman lament
ing over the seizure of his valuable
cargo The passengers must have Won-
dered what was in store for them.
Many Of the ladies were lightly clad,
having been reused in fright from their
morning slumbers, and their anxious
eyes stared at US, while we merrily
looked back at them.
Our officer on board exchanged con-
tinual signals with US, and we were
soon conscious, with feeling of envy,
as we gazed through our field glasses,
that he was getting on very friendly
terms with the fair sex on board our
prize. We had feared at first that he
might have some disagreeable expert
ences, but his first message spelled,
There are a great many ladies on
0oard," and the second, eve are having
delicious breakfast" and the third.
ne captain SPEAKS excellenL German,
o after this we were quite reassured
oncerning him.
An hour may have elapsed when a
cloud Of smoke on the eastern horizon
announced the approach Of another
steamer, and the idea that we might
perhaps capture second prize ship
was very aliuring.
The wisdom Of abandoning for a
while our first captive was considered
somewhat doubtful; if we delayed it
might escape after darkness set in. but
when heard my officers exclain, What
a fine steamer" | decided to try for it
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

Neat Sundays instaIment
7r'N tell Of q .fou,'-hour
running fight apjth q Brit
aslt merchaet7nan and her
destruction acithin sight
Of cruisers.
New-York tribune., 1918-01-20

= sa sass q ss.ssms.a sas Ssss Ss.s: - .ss ssshts stl
~ alaAa aaaaathix at Axat yA aaoA
Evening star., 1918-11-26
SIXTEEN DAMARU DEAD
OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED
Men Died of Starvation and Ex-
posure After Ship Was Destroyed
by Explosion. J

Names of sixteen men of the crew
of the American steamer Damaru,
who died from starvation and ex-
posure after their vessel was wrecked
near Guam. October 16. by lightning
exploding her cargo of gasoline. have
been made public by the Navy De-,
partment. The men were:
James Ferreter, seaman. Rochester,
N. Y; E. J. Novel;, engineer. San
Francisco; George Olsen, engineer,
South Bend, Wash; C. Christensen,
chief steward, Bandon, Ore; Frank
Bolin. deck boy. White Salmon,
Wash; H. A. Sampson. messman, La
Crosse, Wis; George Nickladia. fire.
man, San Francisco; James Eanet,
seaman, Portland. Ore; Pedro Lopez,
cook, Seattle, Wash; Peter Wealand,
fireman; Portland, Ore; James Goodies,
fireman. Portland, Ore; Antonia
Arqui. fireman. Cavite, P. l.; Ernest
H. Dinger, seaman, Portland. Ore.
Olso ElkIand seaman. no address.
Evening star., 1918-11-26
MIRACLES IN MENDING.

The knitting bag now has rival in
the mending bag. and the soldier sock
or sweater must share the honors with
the garment in need of repairs; for it
has become decidedly the thing to
mend ones own clothes and the
clothes of ones family. Patches and
darns are things to be proud of nova
days, and where women meet-even
women whose dressmakers' bills are
usually stupendous and are still con-
siderable-one hears notes compared
as to the extent of various darping
and mending achievements.
The idea is not to mend ones old
clothes and give them to the needy,
but to mend them to wear ones SELF
Stockings from last year are rescued
from the discard and transformed
into goodly hosiery supply for this
rent last year is brought to light and
mended into fitness for service now.
thus making 1t possible to save the
price OF a new one and conserve wool
and labor.
When women first began to do SOL
der knitting there was a surprising
amount Of chatter about it.. 1t was
regarded as ostentatious to knit in
ones box in the theater or opera And
some prominent women who were seen
to knit thus in the theater could not
have received more criticism than
they did had they puffed at a cigar
cite on the same occasion. Their con-
duct was branded as insincere, osten-
tatious, almost indecent. And now, Of
course, we take it as a matter Of
course. 1t was once a part of the
most accepted courtesy to discontinue
any needlework that We might be
doing when a caller arrived, and to
continue any sort of finger work even
when a member Of ones own family
addressed US augured inattention II
not actual discourtesy. But not so
has 1t been with war knitting, and
the men who were at FIRST annoyed
because the women would go on knit
ting Just as energetically when they
talked as when they did not simply
had to get used to the situation.
And the new craze for mending has
put that form OF finger work on al
most the same plane as war knitting;
women carry their mending bags to
other peoples houses and continue
their work OF restoring old clothes to
usefulness in season and out. Even
mending socks is carried into the
drawing room. and one no longer feels
that just because q Jacobs ladder has
appeared In q pair Of stockings should
t11sy be given to the maid or 4 Door
ETo1a31on.