The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-08
EPTS0EnR ND &

have twice been torpedoed when carrying important despatches-up- on both occasions in sight of shore and happily with little loss of life among those around me.
 In the coss of my first experience the commander of our ship had not an idea. that there were submarines in his locality. I had been to Egypt and was conveying a most important document to a certain military ofa- cer who then had his headquarters upon one of the islands of the Ae- Eean. Though the document was actually useless to the enemy. 1t was in his interests that it should not be delivered. At Cairo had discovered that [ was being care fully watched by Egyptians whom I guessed were in German pay. but I fondIy imagined had managed to shake them off
 As you may know, a Kings mes esoger can commanders any and evory kind of transport if his mis- sion be sufficiently urgent, and though he is expected to use such powers with discrimination he would be guilty of a dereliCtion of duty if he failed to use them.
 On this occasion had no need to commander anything, for the Ad- miral put an ancient cruiser at my service, and other officers of the staff being on the party, we made a merry voyage, befitting Q merry company. At sunset, on the second afternoon, the crash came. was suddenly hurled right across my cab in and laid flat upon my back at the far side of it. l thought that our boilers had burst or other internal acident overtaken the ship. Not 6n- til I had forced open the door of my cabin, which was badly jammed, did I discover the truth.
 We had been struck full amid ships by a torpedo, and in ten nm 71tes should be at the bottom of the sea I have reason to believe that it was my presence and my mission which fetched the submarine down to the Aegean Sea, but the fact that we were well armed evidently pre- vented the enemy from inquirnng personally for me. They imagined no doubt that I would be drowned.
 Abandon Ship"
 got my vaIuables together. and, netting upon @ pre-arranged plan, I put my precious papers into a. wat erproof pouch and strapped them firmly under my arms. There was no rfebeIt in the cabin. and, though
 
 deck, did not get one. It may be that I was thinking first of the pap CTS I carried and of what would be- come of them
 I certainly stood vaGy good chance of being drowned; my body would in time arise to the surface; and it might be discovered by roy ing Austrian destroyer. and the pap CTS forwarded triumphantly to Vien-
 
 at any rate at that stage; and, hay ing collected money watch and val uables. I went out to the deck tc see what was happening.
 The Austrian in his case evident. lv decided that he had made sure ol us for he was content with his frs shot His assurance was justified for he struck us right amidships. SC that the enGue-room flooded, there was a danger Of the boilers bursting and the magazines might well hay, fred.
 Yet I would say that there haC been no loud noise accompanying tn, original explosion. IL was rather al though, some tremor had struck u from the bowels of the sea-a wiert force driving upwards, and tending to lift us bodily out of the water There followed, however, a terribl, Co0rmouGl in the eugine-rOom, fearful missing of steam and roar ing of flame, and the hoarse shout of men There was never a. monen of disorder, however, and officer and men went about their tasks a calmly as though this were a reviev in the So1ent-
 Naturally I had not pushed my self forward at such q time import ant ss was the safety of my burden Fortunately. British naval officer are wonderful people, and can thinl of Q good many things at one am the same time. I had not been O. deck a couple of minutes when tn Captain sent down a Lieutenant t ts33 zze that I was to go in the frs of the boats which put off He seem ed to think that our own destroy CTS would swarm about us present ly. and that we were in no particula peril, though he admitted that tn ship was going.
 Wonder is the island of C." h said, mentioning a little known is ' land of the Aegean Sea. Its