Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-10


was keeping in touch with tho de-
*troycr. Every time amy one would
pass the wireless they would be sure
TO stop. stick their head in the, door
and shout: How She coming. Kip" And
. k ip would grin back and say:
Like the Twentieth Century Limit :
cd; If this old ice cart will only hold
| together Il little while longer were
, saved
! Aboard the destroyer one OF the
! sailors told nc aftcrward. they were
working like mad to get every ounce
! of steam possible into her Every
! plate in her was vibrating. FOR she
| was making better than forty knots.
| All hands were tremendously excited.
| for Kip had told how the iicnic was
Smothcring us with shrapnci
II guess I don't have TO keep re-
, peatiny on the Smelling stuff. Just i'm
agine yourself UP on Boston Common
/ of Fourth Of July night with two
! or three OF those big bombs going off
every minute. with tho Sigh, addition
/ Of those bombs containing shrapncL
and you Get some idea cf II.
Along little after 10 | went into
I the radio room and relieved Kip at
! the key. Aftcrward he told me that
/ the destroyer wireless man had been
! giving good chccry dope on holding
! out and not TO TAX" {" the beats. be
cause they would get on the scene
! inside of An hour.
Just as ] took my scat and pulled
( the receiving set over my head tn"
/ wireless man on the destroyer spelled
/ out:
".D-O NOT S-u-E-T- EN- D. l. r.
! MY hand was the key. and with
out thinking tapped out instinctivcly:
"'NE-N- Err
~ second later q shell dropped
/ plumb into the 'Gddlrr'-;hats the
passaEcway just forward o. the wire
less room--and crashed down int" the
cnEinc-room.
The wireless wen, dead. The steam
line WAS broken. Eie clouds ot steam
came pouring up from below. Suckers
bleeding badly. cam" crawling out.
! The third engineer was hurt seriously.
SO wcr" two other engine room men.
Altogether that shell got seven.
WIRELESS OPERATOR
HIT ~ SURAPNEL
AS rushed out To help on firs,-a i'll
treatment. another she'll tore into the
uuartcrmaster's cabin. seaman
dropped. The fellow who had :ra bted
! the shell from me got hit. and | felt
Shrapncl strike me.
For a minute | was wildly excited.
! CROPPED all over my body looking for
my wounds. but when ! glanced over
a my sailor friend 10 watch him. took
to laughing and forgot all about my
wounds
First. he pu, his hand On his
shoulder.
They go, ms once he Shoutcd
Then he f"i, OF his side.
They got me two times he
shouted. louder.
Then he Eel, Of his leg. and between
a groan. a curse aud veil. declared:
Three times they got nc and be-
gan hawlinF.
He WAS not hurt badly nj All in any
place.
Then started looking myself over
again. 1t WAS !" laugh. Tho shraPncl
had gone plunh into my lifchc!t. I had
felt tn" shock, hut hadn't scratch to
show fo7 H.
SHIT STOPS. AND At
MERCY or SUBMARINE
'''ro cap tho climax ot our misfor-
tune the ship started 10 slow up.
Finally NC stopped altogether. Il VAS
,rkiiSh moment. Unable 10 ma
neuNcr the ship. W. were at the mercy
"f the submarine.
And the sub WAS slowly getting
around 10 our stern where SHE could
creep safely i'll On US and get in thu
finishing touches.
shells still cznr a, ~ regularly.
'.Evcn Happy now connected that
tho submarine had US on the hip. Then,
10 make matters worse. the chief comes
running up with tho last straw-thc
boilers were threatening u burst
'''raik about your just III the nick
Of time stuff. We had all gone 20 our
stations ready 10 abandon ship, when
the destroyer doomed up. Maybe she
didn't look good
Another shell rot us-wcnt right
through hatch cover into The hold
Flu, now wc had made up our minds
10 stick.
You couldn't see that destroyer so
hc was the way" she was making
About y Ia she gets tho range Il the
sub she dropped five or six shells
over him. Then. with a final shot al,
Us. the sub divcd and We all sat down
on deck, laughing aud crying and
cheering.
~ navy doctor and several navy men
cam" aboard. and after four hours
work on the engines VIC got under way.
w" got in with a convoy ncNI day. and
saw TWO ships Of the convoy iorpcdoed
right under our cycy.
'bf course. We lost The convoy carly
the following morning \ French de-
*troIcr came alouS and ordered MS 10
keep lose 10 shore. We did. and went
aground.
""n he way back y" went in with
4 convoy cut If an Irish port, \ few
hours out saw til. American do
"tr"y"r mako q dash tor the center OF
IN" convoy. \ sub had made daring
appearance. The destroyer fred about
SIX shots and then >wcrvcd almost in
her own length Next minute NC saw
Il blS explosion in The water.
III was depth bomb. 4 minute
later the nose q the sub rokcd up
dia2onailv from the water. We could
see the Germans crawling ont OF tho
coming tower and holding up their
hands. Later the sub went down
We lost our convoy that night"
Bennington Grinned.
When We got back 10 an. Atlantic
port aud read the mouIh-old news
papers that played me m for hero
Just because said Never when
could not think Of anything else TO say
was never more surprised in ms. life
My car had been badly hurt by the
conclusion from the forward gun ana
went TO the hospital. Tho injury
brought about my hnnorahl discharSe
from active service. Here | am TO-
day"
Young bennington shook hands in
pariinS rather ncrvously. As I looked
hack on my way out. the reason was
plain. The youngStcr would rather OK
pertinent with his wireless love than
/ tell his story.
BRISTOL IMPROVEMENTS
NJ.