The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-02-25
SOLDIER TELLS
HOW TRANSPORT
HUDED UBOATS

An American soldier. just returned
from France, gives this description OF
the trip across:
II the reader will just imagine him.
self aliGhting from a train at COney
Island and deciding which attraction
he will patrOnize first. and then f1nd-
ing ten huge gunner with drawn re-
vOlvers firing into his face. he will
get some little idea OF how this sol
der felt on the trip over to France.
1t was on August 20 that we saw
land for the first time after leaving
the United States. This was some
fourteen days from the time we got
under way. We had discarded our life
preservers and were all preparing TO
get our trunks ready for leaving ship.
The time was s o'clock in the morn
ing, and not one person in the whole
convoy passenger list even dreamed
Of a submarine.
But the whistle or our ship began
to blow. And right here ] might say
that when ships whistle begins
blowing after il has left for Europe
il is your cue to grab your life pre-
server and without a moments delay
get to your lifeboat station. Well.
this we did. and then began to wonder
why we were there. The sound Of he
guns from our boat answered this
question.
Saw Three PrrlSCObes.
We knew that the tin fish had well
coined us. Some say there were ten.
others swear more. and sim others
refuse to this day to believe there
was any at all. But I saw three peri
scopes. Then there was a long
steam-like streak in the water.
which passed the stern 81 our
ship. The destrOyers, which had
come out to meet US to convoy US
through this part OF the danger zone.
began to get in their work. Not a
gun on any OF the transports or de
stroyers was cold for fulIy two
hours.
The ships took their own separate
courses. They zigzaggcd and the
sailors wigwaEEed.
Every body fought for a place at
the side OF the ship. where all Of the
action could be seen. Shot after shot
was fired. The proximity of the guns
left a laundering sound in the ears.
The destroycrs went this way and
that. firing into the water at second
intervals. They dropped innumer-
able deadly depth charges into the
foaming green. They worked like a
score OF cats after a mouse. oil be-
gan 70 show on the water. Sailors
who had made previous trips told us
what this meant. II meant that
where the oil showed one Of the
Kaistr's nautical murderers had sub
merged for the last time.
French AIrpIanes Help
4 buzzing sound was heard over
head. We looked ana saw two French
airships which had come to the res
cue. They dropped bombs from a
height of not more than two hundred
yards. They few close to the water
dropped more bombs. Then the cN-
element was over. But We had been
entertained for two solid hours 1t
was thrilling, to say the least. When
we got into port universal vow was
made that II that was tn" way the
Kaiser had ordered the LUsitania and
other ships to be sunk. without warn
ing OF any sort, we. every one Of us.
would do our best to get even when
the chance came.
But there was another story wait
ing for us at the port. II was an of
hcial announcement that three Ger
man submarines had been DESTROYED
and that the murderer crews had also
gone to Davy Jones' locker. where
they would no longer terrorizc or
Some days later another re-
port reached us, this to the effect that