Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-09-05
NAVY LIFE AS SEEN BY A
JACKIE

occurring to the u. S. S. and
her crew carrying supplies to our
naval bases 1over there in the fall art
winter OF II and Is.
Day dawned the morning of this
incident with great crimson appear
ing off our bow to the eastward, a
beautiful sight for land lubber, IL.
fact for any one whose artistic tenn
permanent outweighs his sense of dan
ger The great fecks of crimson and
orange fitting back and forth, and
their reflection on the broad expanse
and almost CLASSY surface except for
the long fade away waves from thos.
twenty odd ocean going monsters ply
ing their way over seas, bring to
mind the adage, "a red sky at night
is the sailors warning We knew
that we were due for one of those
sudden appearing, terrific storm,
that visit the Atlantic just east of
mid ocean at this time of year, and
when the Bos'n's mate piped the port
watch at 7:45 a. m. the wind had al
ready begun to rise, coming from
about two points off our starboard
bow. We, the gun crews of which /
was a member, stood our watches,
four hours On four hours off, ana
logged our watches for supper at
$3.50. Whenever we were off watch IN
day time the Master at Arms would
chase us out of the compartments and
the Bos'ns' mates would make US
turn to on deck with the rest of the
division, so that about all the sleep
we got was during the four hours we
| were off duty at night, therefore you
can see why we could sleep through
any confusion when the opportunity
came. By noon the wind was a gale
wide breakers were rising, and wheE
we relieved the port watch at evening
breakers were coming over the fore
cattle several feet deep.
Our gunner's mate got permission
from the gunner for US to stand watch
on the No. 5 hatch as our station was
on the fantail and we were getting
considerable spray, an occasional
treaker coming over the side. The
ford crew had been moved to the
bridge several hours before. The
port watch came back at 6 2. m. and
we went below to try and snatch off
little sleep before going back on
watch at 8 p. m. Ny clothes were
wet throughout, 1 Topped down on a
tarpalin beside noisy bunch of sail
ors playing cards and was soon in the
land of bliss dreaming / was home on
furlough when / was suddenly
awakened by a crash to look up and
find that a bunch of awning STAN
chions secured to the bulkhead had
carried away and fallen to the deck
in one of the ships plunges and rolls.
climbed the ladder to find things
as black as coal; the sea was seeth-
ing mass hurting dark monsters at
the ship from every direction. Then
1 noticed that we had changed course
and were running with the sea for
safety Breakers would rush up
astern ten fathom higher than the
ship and seemed as if they would
overwhelm and capsize her, but they
| always pushed her little ahead and
| only a few feet of water would rush
over the stern sheets. family heard
eight bells go on the bridge and the
Bos'n's mate call out Relieve the
| wheel, lookouts and 1ifeboats.'
Our gun crew comprising five men,
sight setter, two pointers, plugman,
and shellman. for three inch guns,
| (there were four such on our vessel
had hardly been on duty twenty min
| utes, when we heard a snap above the
roar of the storm and the drone Of
the engines. At the snap the ship
started swinging Immediately We
knew what it was for we had heard
it on previous trips, in less severe
storms.
/ rushed across the ship toward the
bridge as fast as safety perrnitt,s
shouting that the steering gear had
| carried away, then made my aft TO
find half the ships company rushing
that way Deck watches were for
gotten for we knew that no sub could
give trouble in that storm. The ship
was doing some awful rolling by that
time having swung into the trough
of the sea- Sailors were sliding about
on the deck In water from six inch 10