Licking Valley courier., 1918-06-27


About two of three minutes al
er the ship went down the sub
marine appeared right among the
ooats and RATS, and was one of
The latest and largest types. She
lew the German battle flag and
her number was U.1011. was
On a raft all alone and foated
right into the sbmarine. | could
almost spit on deck. She cruised
around among the RATS and ask
ed for the Captain. She had a
three-inch gun fore and aft.
Two men came out on her deck
and manned one of her guns and
we thought they were going to
fire on US, but they only took the
shell out and went in again. The
submarines Captain and three or
four more were in the coming
tower, She took Isaacs, our first
lieutenant, from a life boat, and
picked up a seaman from a raft,
gave him coffee end cognac and
set him aboard one of the life
boats. | thought they were 60
ing to take me and did some ex-
cellent work playing 'possum on
them. | stretched out on the
raft like was dead and they
paid no attention to me. | was
floating westward, on the raft by
myself, and was afraid | would
be separated from the bunch, but
finally drifted into some more
RATS and tied up to them. The
submarine stuck right with US
until about three in the afternoon
waiting to see if some of the 9TH
er ships would try to pick US up,
but the three ships that were
with US had run out of sight as
soon as possible, and came on to
the States. Our wireless appa.
ratus was on the bum so we could
only send about ten miles, and if
the other ships had not been with
US to send the S. o. S., we might
have been out there yet. We
drifted about fifteen miles before
the destroyers came after us,
which was some time after mid
} night. Believe me there wa:
never a more welcome light thar
: the searchlights of those destroy
ers. We had had nothing to ca
or drink all day and were wet
cold and worn out. They hat
warm clothes, hot coffee and har,
| tack for US and it sure did tast,
good to US. We arrived safely il
4 France June 9rd and were place,
e aboard the Great Northern. -whicI
e left three days later and arrive
5 here today. The old Statue o
= Liberty sure looked good to us
: and | felt a deep regret for m
: shipmates who would never agai
o see the welcome sight.
} One of the radio men was los
and he was one of my bes
j friends. We are getting togetf
er and are goin
u to send something to his folk:
| knew the officers and most c
/" the men who were lost. Hin
II melwright and Wilson were worl
: ing in a store room near wher
I the torpedo struck. They bot
J. ate at the same table with mi
{ They were caught and browne
N like rats in a trap.
: suppose the papers had a
" the news and rumors about oil
> little mishap, didn't they? Nv;
- worried more about you folks 9
" home than about myself; | didn
know what the papers might prin
! Well, | am perfectly health
=, and uninjured. The Is hou
r.. salt water bath has made n
i some salty, seagoing sailor. Ir
i, ceived yours and Dads letters t
:, day. | suppose you had no id,
\. of what was going to happen
,r me. Tell Dad | am very than
:. ful to him for referring me to M
!. Brown &c. |. Brown, and ju
~ as soon as we get stralghten,
~ out will try to see him. We ha,
fe 10 get another new outfit befo
! we get another ship, and may
n. here a month or more. Unde
in stand we viii leave this ship
n. day to go to the Navy Yard. v
n. are all set for another tilt wi
~ Fritz and he has not scared
40 one bit. AS long as | am doil
~ ~ q