The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-05-18
Naval Ensign, Given Up
for Dead, Returns Af-
ter Adventure
DRIFTED FOR DAYS
I'M THE NORTH SEA
Many Ships Passed Close
to Them but Failed to
See Signals
tBy Associated Press.l

Washington. May 18.-Eusign e, A.
Stone, U. S. naval reserves of Nor
folk. Va, given up for drowned in the
English channel last month, has
safely arrived in London, according
to information received here from
the London representative of the
committee on public information.
With companion Stone clung for
eighty hours without food or drink
to the under side OF a seaplane pom
toon before he was saved.
Ensign Stone tells a thrilling story
Of how he and a. companion, Sub
Lieut.. Eric Moore. Of the Royal
Naval air service, drifted In seas
from Saturday morning until g
Tuesday night before reaching
safety.
we left our station In a British
seaplane at 8 a. m, Our duty was to
convey patrols. When two hours out,
having met our ships coming from
the westward, We thought we sighted
a. periscope ahead and turned off in
pursuit, We lost our course. Our
engine dropped dead and at 1880
o'clock forced us to land on the sur
face in a rough sea.
1--WE had no kite nor radio to call
carrier pigeons. We tied g. message
with our positions and the word
sinking ON each. The first, the blue
barred one, flew straight of, and
reached home. But the other, which
was White-checked, lit on our ma
chine and would not bulge until
Moore threw our navigation clock
at him which probably upset him so
that he failed us.
Plane CapsiZess
Heavy seas smashed our tan
planes, which kept settling. I saw
that they were pulling the machine
down by the rear, turning her over.
We tore the tail fabric to lessen the
impact Of the waves, it wasn't any
use to stop. The tail fiat was smash
ed and it's box filled with water. This
increased the downward leverage and
raised her perpendicularly in the air.
At 2:30 o. IN. we capsizeds climbing
up the nose and over the top to the
under side Of the pontoons.
"Our emergency ration had been In
the observers seat at the back but
we had been so busy trying to repair
the motor and save ourselves from
turning over that we didn't remember
this until too late. For nearly four
days, until picked up by a. trawleT.
we were continually soaked and lash
ed by seas and with nothing to eat or
drink. We had nothing to cling to,
and so to keep from being washed
overheard we got on the Same pom
toon and Rugged our arms about one
another's bodies for the whole time.
We suffered from thirst. I had a
craving for canned peaches. Twice a
drizzle came on, wetting the pontoon.
We turned ON our stomachs and
lapped up the moisture but the paint
came off with salt and nauseated us.
"Our limbs grew numb. From time
to time the wreckage from torpedoed
ships would pass. Once two full bis
cult tins came close enough to swim
for but, in our weakened state. we
knew that we would drown If we tried
to get them. We did haul in a third
tin and broke it open. 1t was filled
with tobacco.
Every day we saw conveys in the
distance and vainly waved our hand
kerchiefs. We had no signal lights
to use at night. Our watches stopped
and we lost all track Of time. We
how easy 1t was for a sub
marine out there to escape being
spotted