The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-10-18

was not case of all dressed up ant
no place to go!
Then 1 swan hard and caught up tt
the Limeysewho had jumped first. The.
were asking each other if they were
downhearted and answering, "Not s
bit of 1t, me lads" aid trying to sing
Pack up your troubles in your old XII
bag" only they could not do much
singing on account of the waves tha
slipped into their mouths every time
they opened them. That was just like
Limeys. though.
Some of the boys were just climbing
up the Jacobs ladder on the Moewe
when the old Georgia let out an awful
roar and up went the deck and the
matches high in the air in splinters
One fellow let go his hold on the lad
der and went down and he never came
up. The Germans were making for the
Moewe in the lifeboat and we reached
it just before they did. Up the ladder
we went and over the side and the
first thing we caught sight of was the
| German revolvers in our faces drilling
us all into line.
The lifeboat brought back the ships
papers from the Georgia and we had
roll call. They kept us up on deck In
our wet underwear and it was very
| cold indeed. Then the first mate and
| the old man and one of the German
officers called off the names and we
found we had fifty missing.
The Boche commander had gall
enough to say that he was not there
to kill men but to sink all ships that
were supplying the allies! He said
England was trying to starve Germany,
but that they would never succeed and
that Germany would starve the allies
very soon.
After roll call some of us asked the
Germans for clothes, or at least a
place to dry ourselves in, but Fritz
could not see us for the dust on the
ocean and we jus. lad to stand there
and SILVER till we shook the deck, al
most. Then I went and sat down on
the pipes that feed the deck winches.
They had quite head of steam in
them and I was beginning to feel more
comfortable when l got good clOut
alongside of the head for sitting there
and trying to keep warm. 1t was a
German garby and he started calling
me all the various kinds of schwein-
hunde he could think of and he could
think of a lot.
Finally they mustered US all on
another part of the deck, then drilled
us down into the forecaStle and read
the martial law of Germany to us.
At least I guess that is what it was.
1t might have been the Help Wanted
Dog Catchers" column from the Ber-
lin Lokal Taggabble for all most Of US
knew or cared. 1t shows what cards |
the Germans are-reading all those |
four-tO-the-pound words to us SILVER |
ing garbies, who did not give dime |
Fritz is like some, other hot sketches
he is funniest when he does not mean |
to be. Every German is vaudeville |
skit when he acts natural.
There were hammocks there and we
jumped into them to get warm, but the
yolvers and bayonets and took the
lammocks away and poured water on
he decks and told us to sleep there.
They could not have done worse
rick than that.
Then they put locks on the portfolios
nd told us that anyone caught fiddling
nth the locks would be shot at once.
his was because we might sight a
.ritish or French man-of-war at any
Ime and as the Moewe was sailing I'M
er the British flag and trying to keep
ut of trouble they did not want US
t the ports signaling our own war
hips for help. If they had bucked
ny of the allied ships and had a fight
re would have died down there like
ats.
The Moewe had already captured
ne Voltaire, Mount Temple, Cambrian
.ange and the King George and had
ne crews of these vessels between
ecks with us. These men told US
ow the Germans were treating them
nd it looked to me as though the eve
ing would be spent in playing games I,
nd pleasant time would be had by i
ll-not. /,
The crew of the Mount Temple were ]
n deck working when the raider sud- 1
emily opened fire on them. Two or s
lree men jumped into the water and &
he Germans turned gun on them I
lille they were swimming and killed {
lem. That was just a sample OF what t
ad happened to them. 6
The men now began running up and |
own in line to keep warm, but /
,ok little run on my own hook and
eated myself to as much of q once b
yer Of the ship as / could. / do not G
,lieve the Moewe had more than f
ree-fourths-inch armor plate, but be- a
nd that she had three rows of pig o
on, which made about foot in thick I
,ss. There was nothing but cable a
rung along the deck and when / saw "
at I would have given anything to a
we had a crack at her with g 14-inch n
val And / sure wished hard enough
at one of our ships would slip up on Il
. whether we were caught between 81
cks or not / went aft as far as the B
ntry would let me and saw that In
e had three spare six-inch guns I'M Of
+ the mon deck and two aix-inrh | ~