The Redwood gazette., 1918-03-27
Gaylord Boys
Thrilling Rescue
Gaylord Boy Writes of His Thrilling
Experience While Crossing
The Atlantic

Sundays's Minneapolis Journal con-
tanned a number of interesting let
ters written by Minnesota boys among
which is letter written by Corpo-
raj John G.. Barger of Gaylord, who
was abroard the ill-fated vessel Tus-
cania. Thrown into the sea, adrift
on an overturned life boat, ready to
give up and finally rescued by an
English destroyer is the thrilling ex-
perience he tells in the following let
ter:
81 had a very narrow escape and
don't care to be that close to deaths
door soon again. Our ship was tor
pedoed at about O'clock in the even
ing. About half of the boys had been
to mess and either in their rooms or
on deck. The rest of us were most
ly lining up in the Railways waiting
for the mess call. | had just gone
downstairs after my knife, fork and
spoon, and although l usually took
off my overcoat and cap to go to
mess, something seemed to tell me
to keep them with me this night. l
had just returned to the hallway when
the torpedo struck. Fhe explosion
was not very loud-just a deep dull
The explosion put out the lights and
we were in absolute darkness for
few moments. But someone soon
rustled few lights and the men all
started for the decks in a very or
derly manner. We had all been car
rying our lifebelts with us for the
last few days so everyone was
equipped. S. O.. S. and distress sig
mails were Immediately sent out and
three of the English torpedo destroy
ers and a number Of boats from the
lighthouses near by, Immediately
came to our assistance.
cat the start of the voyage we had
all been assigned to places OH the
ship where we would load into life
boats in case of any trouble l was
assigned place on the port side of
the ship. We all got our places but
they seemed to have trouble launch
ing the lifeboats. The ship had been
struck on the starboard side and was
listing that way making the boats
on the port side hard to launch, so
a number of us were ordered up on
the top deck to help launch these
boats. While we were working on
these boats a destroyer pulled up on
the port side and took off large
number of men. We still continued
to work on the boats.
"After a while another destroyer
pulled up on the starboard side and
we were told we had better get onto
it. | went down to deck A to get
into this destroyer.
"Found rope which was fast to
the destroyer and started my slide
for life. Got about half way down
the rope when it gave way and /
landed in the deep blue ocean,
"The destroyer had started to pull
away and there I was dangling along
the side of the ship.
FINALLY got up on the bottom of
ifeboat which had capsized. This
drifted out into the ocean. The big
waves rolled all over it. I had a
mighty hard time staying on top of
it and was getting cold and numb
and discouraged. I began to holler
and try to get the attention of any
one who might be near. And finally
when I was about ready to give up
one of the destroyers loomed up near
me.
81 called to them and they an
swered that they would come back
and pick me up. They were the best
words | have ever heard. They backed
up and threw rope to me. I tied
it to my waist and they pulled 1
went down into the water, and thought
was never going to come up, but
they finally pulled me aboard. I was
numb and wet so they took me down
into the engineroom and warmed me
up and dried me out. We were TAX
en- to an English army camp and
were treated fine. Anything they had |
was ours. /
"We have lost a few of our bows |
but generally we got away pretty
lucky. The boys are all stronger and |
better men and more determined to /
whip the kaiser"
ENIENJTC DEn CDnoo