Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-04-04

CORP. SIGvALD NORMAN TELLS
THRILLING TALE OF TORPE-
DOING u. s. TRANSPORT.
The following letter recently re-
ceived by Mrs. A. Norman, from her
son who is now serving in France
with Co. E, 20th Engineers, tells
an interesting story of the sinking by
q submarine Of the s. s. Tuscania
on the night of February s, 1918.
This story will be doubly interest
ing to the people of this community
because it relates the experiences Of
Corp. Sigvald Norman, who grew to
manhood in our midst and is well and
favorably known by majority of our
citizens. Mr.. Norman enlisted in the
Engineers Corps at Seattle, Washing
ton. in November, and because of a
washout in the mountains was COM
PEELED to pass through Ortonville on
his way to the eastern coast the lat
ter part of December without even
stopping off for a few hours visit
with his mother.
Harold Norman, a younger brother,
enlisted in the chemistry department
of the Medical Corps about two
weeks ago and is now stationed at
Fort Riley, Kansas.
The letter is as follows:
On Active Service with American Elk.
I. peditionary Force, England
!, :, February ....., 1918.
Having experienced one of the most
weird and grusome nights Of my life.
it is with relief l pen these lines in
forming my friends Of my safety.
We were aboard the S s. Tuscania
on the night of February 9Th, when
at $3.50 p. M, ships time, we were
torpedoed to approximately the same
point where Lord Kirchner met his
fate.
The torpedo struck US just forward
of the engine room, or rather in TIN,
boiler room, and hardly stoker had
half chance. / happened to be in
q state room on &c" deck, little
astern from the point struck, playing
cards, when the muffled thud which
could not be mistaken, aroused us.
The electric lights went out instantly
and the ship quivered from stem to
stern, while the noise of breaking
glass and falling objects were the
only audible sounds.
No time was lost in grouping on-
way to the halls, where lights were
struck as we wended our way toward
our assigned life boats. Men call.
ing: ''Take your time. Don't crowd
Steady, boys" which We all took up
as we shuffled along the crowded pas.
sageways and all in order. / venture
to say not one single man was injured
in reaching the decks, nor was any
of our American boys injured by the
exploding torpedo.
We have all marveled at the cool
ness with which the men viewed thu
situation, only a few losing theil
head jumping overheard, and l be-
lieve very few did so, although l saw
q few jump.
The most Of our losses were incur
red by upsetting life boats, and mer
sliding to the life boats only to fint
them gone.
Personally, I can say that after th'
first shock of the moment, I was no
the least excited from the time of tn,
accident until picked up six hours lat
er in an open boat.
For days previous to the accident
we all wore or carried our life pre-
servers, and only "a few men wer'
raving in search oH life belts.
was. among the first to reach tn
assigned station 1--WE were all pre-
viously assigned definite stations
and Immediately set about assisting
in getting off the life boat which Gov
cred the one to which my squad o
eight men was assigned.
After some little time we succeed
ed in swinging the boat clear of tn
decks, and men e'varmed into tn
boat, and So men were lowered, non
Of the ships crew assisting US. wa
very much afraid as / saw the boa
lowered, as I was directing the low
ering, that the grab links would no
hold. The boat landed on the cres
of wave, and l yelled down, but tn
boys dropped about six feet befor
they caught the falling wave, but a
were safe.
We pulled back the blocks and a,
tached them to the raft (the boat
was assigned to), but we had gres
difficulty in getting our raft out q
1t was fastened to the deck, and b.