Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-09-05

three feet deep, grabbing at the rail-
ing, ventilators, anything to hold on
to for it was as easy to walk on the
bulkhead as on the deck in one of her
big plunges and rolls y
The nlen were all hardy bunci,
of sailors, used to wind and water.
Their past months were enough
make men seafearing and most of
them had done service on battIeshlps
and other seagoing vessels before.
They gave little heed to themselves
but all wanted to save that eleven
million dollar cargo for Uncle Sam
and the world struggle for Justice
and Liberty.
The Quarter Master was blinkering
to the other ships to keep clear. One
OF the big chains had broken near
the center and the strain had been Sc
great that the end when it swung had
broken the rail and bent some of the
stanchion around the steering gear
Had we been at our regular station
few of us would have escaped or if az
all it would have been with broke
legs and arms from the swinging OF
the chain.
Ship-ftters, carpenters mates, ma
chinists-mates, seaman, and nearly
ever one together with the officers
were trying to get the hand steering
gear connected up with the two ends
of the chain and shackled together,
all shifting back and forth with the
roll of the ship. Seeing so many help
ers and in each others way, / decided
ed sleep. Instead of going to the ford
compartment and swinging my ham
mock / went to No. hold where we
had a sort of crews quarters, inciden-
tally some seven hundred and fifty
depth bonds slowed there on the first
deck. / could hear them rolling
about some and didn't exactly like
the idea, especially when 1 thought
of all the I N T and gun cotton in
them and knew their explosive quail
tiles, and l also remembered the Hal
flax explosion which happened but
short time before.
With a sigh not altogether of sat
isfaction I fell asleep on a chest after
securing it to a stanchion, but had not
been asleep long when the gunpoint-
er of the crew came down and woke
me. With a drawn face he told me to
get on deck quick and stand by to
jump overheard, for the officers had
nearly given up the ship, the last roll
had registered So degrees to star
board and AT degrees to port and but
few degrees more and the ship
would turn turtle. The radio oper-
ators were sending out S. o. S. and
the cruiser conveying US was stand
ing by to pick up survivors.
It would have been impossible to
launch boats in that storm, they had
dipped water any way, some water
having run into the hatch of the chart
house. 1 informed him in the choice
language of the sailor, Git might not
look well in print) to get out and get
on deck if he wished, but for myself
| was going to sleep while there was
opportunity. He started for the lad
der, missed it and grabbed for
stanchion and collided with the bulk
head. Luckily there was a coil of
line there or his skull would have been
crushed. He recovered and crawled on
all tours to the ladder.
All the while / was enjoying see
saw motion, first my head highest
them my feet but the chest was Sc
cure and unable to slide, but my back
was raw in several places from the
friction. Looking about / saw several
ike myself too sleepy to care and
resolved to take the consequences
without worrying. I could not go to
sleep Immediately on account of the
clatter of the ash cans (depth
bombs) and other cargo stored in
after hold. I tried to see the hunor-
Gus side of life and nearly succeeded
when 1 saw the steward with his life
preserver on crawling to the ladder
when the ship gave one of her large
rolls and he fell fiat on his stomach.
and a cask came over the deck and
rolled squarely over him pinning him
closer to the deck than ever. 1 nearly
split my sides laughing but it prob
ably was not SO funny to him.
then got up and worked myself to
the ladder resolved to report the con-
dition of the depth charges There
saw the colored mess-attendants hud