The Benson signal., 1918-05-04


there are kept all the records Of Brit
lsh merchant ships encounters with
U-boats. There they are, volumes and
volumes of the most damning evil
dence, indelible for all time, Of Ger
man savagery and British bravery.
Ever since Germany's cold-blooded
frightfulness at sea began these rec
ords have been piling up in this room;
and only now are they being allowed
to see the light.
They tell Of all kinds Of ships, from
big liners down to tiny schooners. All
are short, but realistic, testifying to
the British merchant sailors behavior
against the ugliest methods Of German
warfare. They tell Of fights with
submarines, often against enormous
odds, and Of hairbreadth escapes; OF
gallant rescues and perilous adven-
lures in small boats on the open seas;
Of German submarine crews who
jeered at their victims, and Of some
few cases where the German crews
helped to rescue them.
Here is typical story Of a fight
between a merchantmen with little
gun and a U-boat. It is perhaps one
of the longest Of the records.
There was heavy sea, with squalls
of rain, and the time was five minutes
to three in the morning. The captain
says:
Sighted Submarine Ahead.
almost Immediately l sighted a
submarine right ahead, crossing from
starboard to port. 1t was very big
one, and there were four or five men
around the coming tower. put helm
hard a-starboard and tried to ram
him, but missed by feet, as I could
hear the men shouting aboard her. AS
soon as I saw I had missed her
sung out to the guns crew: Look out
close on port side there! and I put
the helm hard aport to bring the enc
my astern.
almost Immediately afterward I
heard the report Of my gun, and, turn
ing round, saw big bright fareup in
the water in the port quarter like a
big explosion. This was verified by
the guns crew, the second officer and
the mate, who was the spotttng officer.
About ten minutes afterward l no.
ticed what appeared to be the wake
Of torpedo passing along the port
side, and I shouted the guns crew:
Look out port quarter again! and
put the helm to port; but as 1 was
calling out my orders second officer
and guns crew observed the bow and
stern wake Of a submarine on port
quarter steering parallel to us and
coming on at a good speed.
"We fired on him, but made no hit,
as hoped to escape In the darkness,
and the flash Of the gun was very
brilliant, it being dark night.
then ordered the chief engineer to get
his men down the stokehold and drive
the vessel to his utmost and ordered
the guns crew to stand by gun, and
every one to put a. ltfebelt on"
The captain continues with fine
touch of unintentional bravado:
Felt Enemy Was Pursuing.
"As the officers had not yet had
their coffee 1 told the steward to get
1t for them and went back to the
bridge and spoke to the second officer
about keeping sharp lookout, as I
felt somehow that the enemy was
chasing u.s."
He was, sure enough, for, adds the
captain:
about twenty minutes past six
o'clock I went below to the chart room
to get our position again, and almost
Immediately heard terrific explo-
sion on the port side. I ran up on
the bridge and ordered all boats out
and called the wireless operator to
send out an O and give our posi-
ton. AS his machine broke down al
most Immediately we got no reply. A
few seconds after the first explosion
I heard the heavy, dull, explosions