The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-05-18

The loobouts were ordered to report every
thing they saw. Not bit Of drftwood or a
patch of floating scawced to be missed Al
most every minute call came down from the
tops to the fore or aft gun control.
All at once down the speaking tube to the
forward fire control came an excited voice:
"Fore top, fore top fore top
"Aye, aye, fore top.
"Steamer at 49, degrees; range, 1000 yards
"Aye. aye, fore top"
There was a steamer. and she YVES coming
down fast smoke boiling out Of her single stack,
her bow driving white bursts of foam along ahead
of her. The cruiser charged toward her Inc
gun crews on the Ramapo fighting to bring
their pieces to bear
Its a German raider" the whisper ran about
the ship.
"She hove to only a few hundred yards
away" relates member of the crew. "All OF our
guns were on her. You could see their gray muz-
zles rise and dip as the ship rolled and the gun
pointers held them true on their mark. All at
once l realized loved those guns and the men who
were handling them. It was funny I'd never
thought of them at all before. Now they seemed
to be the biggest thing in the world to me-
There was sudden gasp of relief all over the
ship. The tramp had broken out the British nag
On her bridge someone was semaphorng IRAN
ticaIIy The Ramapo picked up the hysteri-
cal message
"Suhmarine encountered on" hour direct east.
Believe it is pursuing. Advise caution"
Then the smoke came bursting from her fun
mel again and she went blUudc ring on her way over
the sea like frightened ducE
"Then all at once whisper ran through the ship.
1t was repeated those on the walls of Luck
now must have told of the advancing British col
unn. The deStroyers We're coming Somewhere
out Of that gray, cruel sea the American war boats
were sweeping down the convoy. Our destroy
ers, men, they were coming to see their bFeth-
rem safe through the
81 shall never forget the way they came. 1t was
q gray afternoon. when the maintop reported the
flicker of a blinkcr signaling far out over the
waves We didn't see them when they came" They
seemed to materiaze suddenly out of nothing.
"AII at once we saw the first one. She was only
q few hundred yards off our bows. and we had 10
watch her closely to see her at all. That SOUNDS
foolish; but it is literal fact She was camou-
faged-streaked and dotted and splashed IN a
dozen colors and she melted away into the back
ground of the sea as though she weren't maze OF
steel, but of mist.
"Then we realized that they were all around
us. Eight of them. All dapped and harlequin
patterned, all practically invisible at half mile.
Their flagship hung for a moment on wave,
then there n squirt of white at her stern ana
she came flying down u.s. There was no foam
by the bow. There smoke from the short,
oil fires. She slipped through the water like a
fish, and as she passed US, slim, high bred, with
her razor bow and her lean curv1ng HANKS drlV-
ing through the water like an express train, with
no visible effort and as smoothly a canoe, she
broke out the American flag on her stern we
broke out ours, and that was our greeting-that
and the wells of the soldiers who were acting like
madmen AS she flashed by caught glimpse
of her gllAs all cleared for action and the depth
bombs rei6y at her stern. One Of her men, his
feet bracsd to her roll, looked up at US, grinned
and then yawned. We knew that was only show
ing off He couldn't shame the troops by be-
ing blase They acted like bunch of kids"
The worst of the was ahead of them.
but they didn't worry any longer. They knew the
destroyers were on the watch They ranged here
and there. They shot away for a mile or so and
came back to swim circles about them They
we're all new boats-the best ever built. The
British will tell you 50, too. They are modelling
their new boats on ours
The submarine couldn't trouble the transports
men now If one started to worry, all he had
to do was to look the side and the picture Of
the destroyers. running the hills of the sea like
hounds, was full comfort to him
A few days later the RamapO and her consorts
were shepherdpd by the destrOyers into the har-
Dor of "a Port in France
"The troops stood at the rail and cheered and
laughed and shouted, but didn't. We were too
tired lust plain worn out. Anyone who has been
on q TRANSPORTS crew knows all there is to know
about the agony OF anticipation. We just sat
and looked at the green hills and tic green roofs
and the green waters of the bay, and presently
those who weren't on watch went to their hunks
and had a good sleep
"They had brought their men across safe, which
has come to be habit of the transport service
Somehow, was glad that they put me a trans
port instead of a dreadnaught. 1t seems as
Though we doing more to help win the war
somehow, even II ever hears abous u.s."