The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1918-06-07
RIDLEY WILLS RELATES
EXPERIENCES AT SEA
Collision With Another Vessel Forces
Return to American Shore: Second
Effort at Crossing Proves Success.

My Dear Mother
hope to send you. a cablegram to-
morrow. However, / may not be able
to do so. My address is-Leon Spgs.
r. o. T. c. Det. A. E. F., via New
York
We are in sight of land and have
been for several hours. The sea is
crowded with fishing smacks; and the
air is swarming with dirigible balloons
and aeroplanes.
For the last several days we have
beer in the so-called submarine dan
gel zone. Something like = second
lieutenants, and = Of us embryonic
captains were given the glorious priv
ilege of standing on the bridge half
Of the night and some of the day
S.. rching with powerful glasses the
ocean in our respective sectors, from
lthe frothy sea beneath US to the arc
far in the distance where the white
caps meet the skies. The rest of the
time we sleep. 1t is great time for
thought-that hour of darkness and
loneliness when you are on lookout. |
have planned my entire future, and
have pigeon-holed the plans in my
mind while ! watched the sea at night.
l have done heroic deeds in battle-in
my mind. / have drawn up terms of
peace on imaginary paper, and I've
thought of home thousand times or
more
| am going to explain why'd have
beer SO long on the water. The CEN
sor may destroy this explanation, but
! / see no reason why he should.
This is the second attempt that we
have made to cross the great Atlantic.
The first venture came near to end
ing disastrously,
va were in mid ocean. Most of us
hsl one to bed a little while before.
a s2day long the ocean had been in
l0iss 81 those Seemingly deliberate
s @'s 'Ns.ss 'iss N
sad n the placss whsre taey were
great troughs remain until they're
filled by the succeeding swells.. /
hate swells, but a swell was the saliva
tion Of our ship-assisted by trough
AS was saying, we were in oui
bunks, and then suddenly some of US
were out of our hunks and on the
floor.
Another ship in our convoy had ram
med us. We had been struck a hard
blow and we knew it; but nearly ev-
cry man was out on deck and by his
life raft in very little time. There
was no excitement. Not a man lost
his head. My accommodations on that
ship were nothing like those we now
occupy. Through an oversight on
the the first vessel we had no state
rooms reserved. | was in the lowest
hcd of our detachment were
there and about = + casuals-
Germans, Greeks, Cubans, English
men, Italians, Negroes and Cinnamon.
There were more than = gem
eral prisoners. The air in the hold,
what there was Of it, was very poor.
But that is rambling from the tale.
These casuals had no appointed leader
among them. No man was in COM
mand of our hold. They comprised no
organization. They were not an unit,
They We're individuals. That was be-
fore we were struck.
When the siren sounded abandon
ship" these loose screws, so to speak
demonstrated that, whatever their
blood flowed in their veins, they were
men above all, and American soldiers,
Certain men among them took the lead
and the men in the hold responded to
the words take it easy and keep
your heads" They marched up the
narrow hatchway an unit. There was
no pushing, no talking, and every
man among them calmly took his sta
tion at his life raft.
At that moment my confidence in
the American army increased thous-
and fold, and my belief in the great
allied victory was replaced by solid
assurance of an American victory
which means the same.
The ship failed to sink-and lost
a great experience. As / have said,
the swell saved us. The other vessel
was riding high upon the wave and
we were in the trough. AS result
the holes in the starboard side of our
vessel, and in the bow of the other ves-
sci were both above the water line. So
we didn't sink.
The two vessels turned about and
went back to port and we took this
vessel and now we're here. Nothing
has happened on the way more wor-
thy of recounting than a broken steer
ing gear that caused us to go around
in circle for half an hour and to
stop dead still for four hours.
would not give my fortune (when
get it) for this experience. /
RIDLEY WILLS.