The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-13
WAR THROBS |
TURN GUNS ON SUB
Then American Crew DiScOv-
cred 1t Was Z. s. Boat.
Cry of "Cease Firing" Just as
Gunner Was Ready.
INTERESTING VISIT IN AZORES
Lieutenant Keilmann Tells of
HonOrs to Americans.
e. s. GunbOat Saved Town
From Hun Destruction.
BY EARL D. KEILMANN.

BY EARL D. KEILMANN.
(Former Lieutenant American c. A. c. in
France.)
Submarine off the port bow" 1t
was yell from the foretop. There
was a rush toward the port side of
the ship and every pair of glasses on
board came into use. Sure enough,
there emerging from the waves was
! first a stick, then a tub, followed by
the smooth fish-like back of the
underseas craft
The crews that had been standing
at watch beside their guns sprang into
action The long alert appearing
| rifles swung around and waved up and
/ down as they sought the proper eleVa-
] ton given by the range officer Then
they stopped Cease tlrlng- II was
/ a cry from the bridge. The sailor who
was about to throw a shell into the
! yawning breech of the gun stopped in
/ his tracks. The gunner, slumped back
! from his place and his lips moved
with his utterance of unheard of
| things.
A cheer broke out from he mem
bers of the crew. From the coming
| tower of the sub, which was rapidly
/ approaching, floated the Stars and
Stripes. The submarine coming up
| was one of the many that are now
| fighting the kaisers tin fish The
gunner. however, was still disguised
1 He had lost a chance.
| First Sight of Azores.
/ We lost interest in that sub and
| turned our attention and glasses to
| the now fast approaching line OF coast
| that was looming up on the starboard
| side of the ship. 1t was our first
/ sight of the Azores. ST. Michaels, we
/ learned was the name of the island,
] also that we were to drop anchor in
] fa1 of h q
group.
I We crept by long jetty aud swung
| about into the basin of the harbor,
| dropping anchor in a medley of sail
| ing Ships liners. destroyers and scout
| cruisers. Hardly had we stopped than
a bedlam of shouts came up to US
| from the water line. 1t was the fleet
of bum boatman, all of whom wanted
/ to sell oranges, banaS, plneapples
| and grapes, the fruits of the lsland.
The medical men on the BOAT WouIo
allow none of us to purchase because
| the quarantine had not as yet passed
| upon us nor the medical men mad a
| chance to pass on the fruit o. particu-
larly on the boatmen themselves
At noon word was passed about that
we would be allowed to go ashore.
! Preliminary to being given shore
leave we were again called into the
smoking rooms for another confer
ence-so called. We were told TINS
/
leave as a special privilege and that to
get this privilege we must all prom
/ Use on our word, etc, that we would
neither tell what we were, who we
were, where we were from or where
we were going.
Full of Marines.
! A gas launch took us ashore and we
landed at a stone wharf that looked as
if it had been there since the time of
| Columbus. 1t was quaint old town,
! built on the slopes of an old extlnct
volcano. Its streets were narrow ana
naved with cobble stones. The houses
| rose sheer from the edges of the gut
tiers. But everything was so clean and
newly painted that we thought they
had "policed up in honor of our ar
rival.
| american ones) and all sorts of busy
war work was going on. None of the
| marines had any word of what had
| been doing in France and fewzof them
knew what had been doing in Amer
lea They were anxious for news
any kind of news. Gee, but they were
| disappointed when we told them that
we were under pledge not to tell
| word.
Went into a cigar store for smokes
| and found that the brand of cigarets
| most smoked were named Orian. The
package bore the photo of the Collier
| Orian of the United States navy. 1t
| was a part of the tribute to the vessel,
which had happened to be in the har-
Dor last July when German sub ap-
peared and started to shell the town.
The Collier was armed with naval
guns and Immediately moved out.
Smelling the said sub, which hurried
away from thence. Since then the
Portuguese firmly believe that the
Orian saved the town. Now not only
cigarets. but two kinds of wine, three
cafes and one restaurant. not to speak
of innumerable little Portuguese, are
| named after the vessel.
Trouble With Money
Found when we started to shop for
souvenirs that our lack of the Portu-
euese tongue was no trouble at all.
Those of the shop keepers who knew
no English were able to understand
our brand of French. Our greatest
trouble was with the money. There
are two kinds of money on the
islands-"strong" and weak" The
strong is regular Portuguese and one
gets 1900 refs for a dollar American
! The weak money is island money and
one gets 2, 900 refs for that same dol
| lar. Felt like a millionaire when I
| bought a piece Of lace for the wife
costing 1000 reis. Never spent money
in that large amount before quite so
offhandedly.
At an old fort which overlooks the
harbor the Americans were greet