The daily progressive-miner. [volume] (Ketchikan, Alaska) 1915-1919, 1918-06-22
JACK WRITES VERY
INTERESTING LETTER
WHILE COMING ACROSS

I Jack P Hedricks. in Uncle Sans
service. who lett legion OF friends be-
hind. does net forget them soon. Jack
writes newsy letter and OF more
than passing interest as it shows what
/ the boys have 10 put up with His
letter undated and headed only with
Somewhere ON tahe Atlantic" and
+ heavily censored. follows:
I Dear Mr. Riyard:-
+ Just line OF so 10 let yo uknow
/ that am still alive. and also TO thank
you for the Progressive-Miner you are
sending. They are sure treat.
Well, as you will notice. the subs
did net get Us get, and as promised
I TO send you some real news If | got
hold of anything. l want 20 keep my
word. So here goes.
/ suppose you have heard all about
the SIS Presidnt Lincoln being sunk
! Of VII have - the time you will re-
ceive this Letter. We are just one day
out OF France on our way TO New
/ York with the survivors OF that un-
/ io-tpnste bcat aboard. she was sunk
on the morning of May 81 at 1890 and
our ship passed her just seven hours
/ before. I think we were in great
,uck ina. il was not our ship. As We
were loaded with troops al the time.
But We have little more speed and
! ia. ,.elps a whole lot in lodging the
/ Tin Fish" or sub. The ship that was
ahead Of us-a very large one-was
nine hours ahead OF US. had a fine
moonlight running fight with four Of
/ the new super-subs: and believe me
/ the new subs have sure the goods.
They are about 400 feet long, carry s
inch guns for ward and aft and four
torpedo tubes On the bow. So you see
they are a match for any destroyer or
Tins 9or.; bur they are scared OF the
American depth bombs" They also
~ a wireless as big as any ship and
c2n stey a. sea about thirty days with
out making port. can't tell you how
/ | happened 10 know ali this because it
will have TO go through the censor.
AEhow the Lincoln lost about "a sail
crs and officers. That number OF
zen were missing al muster this
morning. We got the survivors aboard
{ bout 19 hours after the Lincoln was
sunk, and I want to say they are a
game lot OF young Americans. They
were in the water or on RATS or boats
about Is hours. and most OF them have
very little clothes. They had nothing
10 ear or drink, as their ship sunk in
eleven minutes. They are all in our
hunks now having we'll deserved
sleep We are trying TO fix them up
with some Q. our extra clothing until
they can draw some. 1T sure was a
sraat sight 10 see a fine big ship like
the Lincoln go down. but not a cheer
tul one" one OF the survivors said 70
IEle. The story Of the incident as told
me by that fellow, in substance fol
lows
We firemen were all down in the
bottom reserve coal bunkers, shifting
coal into the main bunkers when We
heard a great noise and we thought
II was one OF the boilers exploding
b1. we soon found out different when
tte ship began TO list 10 starboard and
then another one hit right astern Of
US in the empty coal bunkers. We
lad a ladder running down TO the
deck plates from the hole through
: which we came through into the bun
kers. And when the second torpedo
hit US, our ladder which was only q
temporary one broke in three parts
and there was no way TO get out, ex
cept the hole through which We haG
come, adm then the third torpedo hi
in the after hold, and threw US all OF
our backs and covered some Of ths
boys with coal We dug them ou
. and they were not hurt very much
. There was IS OF US In the bunkers ant
. w did not know what to do. W.
) could hear the other men running ar
. rived On the upper deck. But in abou
! Old wss laying on it. The sub stoppes
CONTINUED on Page ~