The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-26
SOLDIER SAVES MATE
WHOLEAPS INTO SEA.
Heroic Dive Off Transport
Wins q Citation for Ma
chine Gunner.
PRETORIA BRINGS 1,1O4
Troops Shift Coal and Conquer
Fire i'm Bunkers of
Transport.

Just to show that although the war
may be over the men of the A. e. f.
are still right on the Job Private Fritz
A. Westerly Of the Eighth Machine Gun
Battalion, Third Division, risked his
life to save that OF a cornrade and won
for himself an official citation for his
heroism while on his way back to the
States aboard the transport Pretoria,
which locked at South Brooklyn yes
terday.
On the evening OF August II. when
the ship was in mid-Atlantic, Westerly
noticed Private Henry Moss Of the
lo1st Wagon Company wandering about
the deck wild eyed and talking to him
self. Because Moss seemed to be look
ing for a place where he would be
screened from observation Westerly
followed him. and when Moss began
TO climb over the rail Westerly was
close enough to catch the other mans
blouse.
As the machine gunner tried TO pull
Moss back the seams of the blouse began
TO rip. and Westerly. still holding Moss
with his left hand, seized a rope coiled
near by and knotted the end of 1t to a
stanchon. When Moss fell into the sea
Westerly leaped Immediately after him.
holding the COLI of rope and fastening
the other end to his belt as soon as he
struck the water. Then, in spite of the
swirl of water close to the transports
side he seized Moss and held him in
spite OF all his efforts to get away.
The two men dragged along at the
end of the rope. sometimes above water.
sometimes under the surface. now flung
against the ships side and again thrown
out into the foam tossed from her cut
water, but Westerly held on until the
vessel was stopped and both men hauled
aboard.
Soldiers Heroism Lauded.
Capt r. r. Adams. skipper OF the
transport, called the attention of the
War Department to Private Westerly .
conduct and his accommodation for
Official recognition OF the soldiers act
was approved and forwarded by Major
T. A. Weaver. commander OF the Ma
chine Gun Battalion and Of the troops
on the transport.
Besides the Eighth Machine Gun Bat
TALON and the 101st Wagon Company
the Pretoria brought several smaller
units of the Third Division and i've scat
tered casual companies, total Of 1,1O4
officers and men. The trip was further
enlivened by the discovery Of fire In the
ship's bunkers. The fireroom force were
unable to subdue the blaze and 1t was
finally decided to shift the coal, task
which was performed by the soldiers
working in shifts of forty men at a
time After thirty-six hours hard work
the fire was put out and everybody on
board being very much in need Of bath
and the weather being calm Capt
Adams hove to and ordered all hands
over the side for a swim.
Other transports docking yesterday
we're the Manchuria and the Henderson.
The Henderson brought the second Bat
talon of the Fourth Infantry. the Sew
enth Field Hospital and the Third Divi-
sion Mobile Field Laboratory. The Man
churia brought a number OF Third Dr.
vision units, among them the Sixth Engi-
ieers. under the command of Col. Henry
A. Finch OF Huntsville, Tex.
1t was the Sixth Engineers, largely
composed OF railroad men, who formed
part of the aggregation of nondescript
troops known as "Carey's Force" which
was hastily gathered together after the
collapse of the British Fifth Army be-
fore Cambria during the last week of
March, 1918. Engineers, Signal Corps
men, headquarters troops. stragglers
from other commands. they were rushed
into the gap opened by the Germans.
and thanks to their own gallantry and
the slowness of the enemy TO take ad-
vantage of the situation "Carey's
Force" held the line until French divi-
sions could be moved to take over the
sector. The men had been on duty with
the British since their arrival in France
in February.
They were first employed in building
bridges across the Somme. and then for
I'VE days before they were called on to
act as combatant troops in burning
British ammunition dumps and engineer
dumps ahead of the Germans. After
they had Joined the American Third Di-
vision they were again utilized as infan-
try at Claire Chesnes in the Argonne OF
october 20. They also built bridges
across the Marne under enemy fire.
They suffered almost 1000 casualties
and to date they have received two d.
g. C.'s and one Croix de Guerre, al
though a number OF the men wear Brit
ish decorations.