Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-06-27
DESCRIBES ACT OF GERMAN
FRIGHTFuLNEss IN SINKING
PRESIDENT LINCOLN.
GERMANS PHOTOGRAPH
AMERICANS IN WATER
Make Pictures Of Scenes Attending
Sinking Of Huge Transport-loss Of
Life Comparatively Small, TotaIins
Four Officers and Twenty Three
Men-iowan Home on Furloush.

= Oskaloosa, June 27-Art Lewis, son
OF Mrs. Mary Lewis Of this city and
who was aboard the III fated transport
President Lincoln, which was sunk by
submarine on May 81 is home on a
fifteen day furloupgh. Art arrived
home Monday and tells a very in,ar-
esting story of the singing of the Presi-
dent Lincoln.
1T occurred on the morning Of May
81 at about o'clock. about 500 miles
off the French coast" said he. Il had
just come off watch and was in the
wash room washing my clothes, when
bang gland l knew right away that
we had stopped torpedo. In about ten
seconds. after the first shock, a second
one rocked the ship. This time it hit
aft of the engine room and it was not
long until the entire room was flooded
with water. The first one had nit in
the coal bunker where about twenty
men were busy shoveling COAL but
luckily none OF them was hurt. They
had Just started and were not down
very deep and so had just time to get
up the ladder before the water came
in but were all swimming before they
got out.
THE second torpedo would have
caused quite a toll Of lives had It hit
ten feet forward of where it did. This
would hare been the engine room and
nobody would have been able to have
escaped.
Abandon Ship.
"An hands began 70 throw RATS over
the sides and to lower away the life
boats. Altho there were 730 men on
board there was not one who got
excited, and not one went over the
side until the captain gave the order
to abandon ship. As had nothing on
but my underclothes I ran into an Off
GERS cabinand grabbed what I could in
the dark managed to get a white shirt
and a pair OF dungarees which I put
on. BY this time most Of the men were
over the side. I ran to the portside and
jumped in the center Of a raft and as
1t was the closest raft to the ship we
waited for the captain to come over. L
did not need to jump but that ladder
looked too slow for me. Just as the
captain came over the side the gun
crew fired five shots Of distress. AS
they fired the star board side was TAX
ing water and at the last shot they
!, Jumped over the bow just as the ship
was taking her last plnng, aft end nrss.
The ship foated for thirty two minutes
after we were hit.
"As the ship went down we tried to
get the raft away from her side but
could not. So just as the captain called
to hold tight and look out for the
suction big wave took us up over the
bridge and across the bow. When we
turned to look back the ship was gone
and nothing to be seen but the stack
which had broken loose and fioated. 1t
was then that saw one of the awful
est things imaginable. One OF the
sailors was sucked into the stack and
went down with it.
Sub Comes Back.
TN about ten minutes after the ship
sank we saw what looked like a sail
boat coming toward u.s. We began to
cheer and thought we would soon be
picked UP and taken to land Imagine
how we felt when we discovered that
it was the submarine coming back tc
the surface. We thought it was gooc
night for US and that we would be
fred upon. They came back AND
drifted among US Just as big as you
please. They were looking for our cap
tain and taking pictures Of US. By thai
time I had been picked up along with
the captain by life boat. The subma-
rine picked up a sailor VINO was driftine
by himself and gave him some brandy
and coffee and thereby saved his life
as he would have drifted off and beer
lost They then took our first lieuten-
ant and put the sailor in life boat.
Captain Escapes.
One Of the Germans could talk
good English and he would call out
TO the life boats to pull along side
while they gave US the once over In
order to find our captain but as he
had on hat and a sailors sweater, they
did not And him. Just before they left
one Of them went out to one Of the Zig
z4r.s and again. NC had TIE feeling that
thing were all off and that they were
going to sprinkle a few shells amcne
US. And maybe you think we we're not
relieved when he took out the shell
and covered the gun. Just before they
left they told US to be thankful we
were not Englishmen or they would
kill every last one of us. And we were
sure thankful taht our home was in
America.
Rescued From Sea.
after they had left we all felt bet