The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-01-01
HONOLULU BOY IN
THR|LuNCB BATTLE
WITH submarine
Tony Freitas Tells Of narrowing
Experiences When His Vessel
Was Sunk BY Hun Diver i
FOUR KILLED, NINE s.
WOUNDED ON MARINA.
Former Local Pugilist Was Com
PEELED To Leap Into Water
When Ship Took Fire d."

TO fetaliate effectually; 10 be on board
ship loaded with naptha and gaso
line when IL bursts into flames as tn,
result Of this Smelling, and eventually
70 jump into the Mediterranean Sea
! a the only possible loophole to safety
Is an experience hair.raising in th,
exfrome; but TO have gone through al
this, and more, has been the lot Of q
Honolulu boy, Tony Freitas, better
known rs s'Kid Terry the pugilist
u brother to Henry Freitas, former
city and county building inspector.
Tony Freitas was in Honolulu yester'
day, and spent the first day with his
people for more than Ave years, Dur.
ing the greater part Of his absence
he has been engaged in various en-
pocities on steamers carrying NUM-.
lions and other war supplies to Allied
countries, and Il was while on one of
these trips that he went through the
foregoing narrowing experiences. He
told the story in plain unvarnished Ian
1--WE left Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
on the Marina, early in June, 1917,
bound for Genoa, Italy, with q full
cargo Of naptha and gasoline for the
Italian g0vernment,D he said, "and
had an uneventful trip as far as
Gibraltar, where we stayed but few
hours Two days out Of Gibraltar our
air pump broke, and we were forced to
lie to for FIVE hours while the pump
was put in order
Z" At -four clock on the morning of
June 10 we were about to resume our
voyage when suddenly the lookout
sighted Submarine about 1000 yards
70 our stern. The captain at once or
dered full speed ahead but before
the Marina could get properly going q
she'll from the submarine hummed over
head and away went our wireless APP
paratus. aNE 49,.
1.-THE captain Immediately issued q
command to stop the ship, so that our
guns could be trained on the subma-
rine. Shot after shot we fred, but our
thrce-ineh guns were of no avail
against the sixainch guns of the Hun
raider. The submarine continued to-
wards us slowly with her shells batter
ing our ship the while.
Vessel IN Flames
sfWhen the fight had lasted almost
an hour the Marina burst into flames
caused BY the enemy's shells as they
struck the ship. While the crew work
ed hard in an endeavor to suppress the
blaze, our gunners fought calamity.
Many a time our shells fell within close
range Of the pirate vessel, but we were
unable to land an effectual shot. ..
tfFor two and d half hours the bat
fIc ragged, and as the flames continued
70 make rapid Roadway, our crew was
compelled TO abandon the ship. Before
the last man had left, the Marina was
mass Of smoke and flames and every
1inute we expected the naptha and
&|roline to explode. 1t did not, how
tSof, and when the ship finally sank
80 the depths the sizzling sound OF
i1o flames as they were eXtinguished
Nade me feel creepy all over.
tfIhronghout the fight l remained
~ duty below, attending to the ma
tnnery. As each shell struck the ship
4 expected IL would be my end, but /
nna0ed TO live through it all. Rush
~ on deck at the command of the
nIiof engineer, found that the last
hks-boat had been lowered, so grabbing
I<It I jumped into the Mediterranean.
Ihree. quarters Of an hour later was
nlciEed up in q partially exhausted con
.II0n. Strange as ii may seem, the
water on that morning was not very
enId, and after I had been in it a few
ninntes stood IL fairly well,
wanted No English
ono sooner had l been rescued when
the submarine came alongside. Speak
ing III English, the German commander
kaked IL we were all Americans, anC
although we answered In the afiirma
tive, be again said Are you SURE
there are no English among youi' II
took a little time TO convince him W.
were telling the truth, but he apparent
~ believed us, and then took our in
lnre1 on board the submarine wher'
&bif wounds were dressed. Later OF
iedf men we're npb MIA IL the boat and
tbe raider disappeared. afH :.
q During the BATTLE the German pi
rate fred $50 shots, forty-five Of whicl
were effective. Our gnnners fred PSI
shots, which were all we had on board
The Hun commander, before he depart
Cd, was inclined to seoh at our marks
manship, but as our guns were onl,
three inch and the Germans had sil
Inch, we were no match.
-Four Of our men were killed durinl
the Eight and nine others wounded Th'
killed wsre Joe Cnrran, and Ned Gun
ninkham, Both Of New York, and thu
other two were Russian and Dutch
mani The wounded have since re
covered. ~ L W
Two hours following the disappear
anee Of the submarine, We we're picked
up By the Spanish mail ship sBalbanera
en- route from BuenOs AiresltO BARGE
10na. Spain. We were taken 10 the
latter port where the people took US in
fed Us well, gave us clothes aud beds
and batter ON mOuey. Hundreds Oh PEG
pie eame to see w and one and all
were more than hOspitable, #sA NJ
KS "On June IS we secured passage "a
New York where we eventually landYAl
In safety, Since that time have mr. "
two more trips across the Atlantic, and
hope 10 make others before the war i
over. HL. IL tg
FreitAs was the center Of group OF
hfofhers and friends in Honolulu yea
terday. He is at the Present tune d
water tender on a tranGacihe vessel