The Pulaskian., 1919-03-07
awarded the Distinguished Sery-
ice Medal by President
Wilson.
SAVES 600 YANK SOLDIERS
eoes to Assistance of Transport
otranto When She Was Sunk in
collision Off Irish Coast With
American Troops on
Board.
gy (. w. BARRETT.
Editor Birmingham Aee-Herald.

Editor Birmingham Age Herald.
r. ever a man were entitled to the
distinguished service medal, it was
that Young British lieutenant Fran
eis ". Craven of the destroyer Noun
sey.
dispatch from London announced
tbat President Wilson had awarded
hin, This medal and that Maj. Gen. Bid
dlo commander of the American
forces in the United Kingdom, had
presented it to him.
Yhe medal was awarded. in the
words of the London cable, ito Lieut..
Francis w. Craven, who commanded
tbe British destroyer Mounsey, which
saved 600 American soldiers from the
British transport 0tranto, when she
was sunk in a collision off the Irish
coast on Oct. 6, 1913, with the loss
Of 357 American soldiers"
Though the British government con
ferred no honor upon Lieut.. Craven for
his work, because it was not an act
of yalor in war combat, no man in any
navy ever showed more courage nor
demonstrated more perfect seaman
shin than did Lieut.. Craven on this
occasion.
The full story is worth telling, now
that the censorship is off and no fur
Their obligation rests upon the news
paper man who was in the offing, so
TO speak, when this horror of the sea
occurred.
Flagship of Convoy.
The Otranto, which went down, was
the flagship of q convoy of fourteen
troop laden, influenza infected ships
which sailed from New York on Sept
26 last She was British-Australian
liner with something like a thousand
American soldier boys aboard On her
sister ship, the Orontes, a nasty old
plague infected refrigerator freighter
with limited and dirty passenger ac-
commodations, eighteen hundred sol
der boys, the writer and about fifty
other passengers were crowded to-
gether like cattle.
We were accompanied from New
York by battleship, cruiser and
destroyer. The route was TO be around
the north of Ireland and down the
Irish channel to Liverpool. All sorts
of hard luck hit the donvoy and par.
tieularly the Otranto. She first ran
Into fishing fleet and cut down two
boats, but saved the crews. In doing
SO she fell behind, but caught up
when we ran into fearful STERN and
continued battling against it for sew
eral days.
Scattered in Storm.
Before reaching British waters
north of Ireland, the American naval
vessels turned back or were scattered
In the storm. Our old ship was strug-
Cling and our captain was begging in
wireless messages to Capt. Davidson
OF the Otranto for more sea room.
lie feared going ON the rocky shores
OF North Ireland. Capt. Davidson
made no answer to repeated calls.
Then eur wireless went down, our
boats were crushed, the smoking room
doofs and ports were smashed In, the
galleys, dining saloon and many state
rooms were flooded. Only cold foods
We're obtainable. To make matters
worse, 400 soldier boys were down
with pneumonia. They were dying
like cattle in the public rooms and
on mattresses strewn about wherever
there was enclosed room. Medicines
were exhausted, and dead and dying
were all about.
In the meantime every ship put
about to save its own, heading into
the storm. The Otranto and other
ships not needing our captains warn
lngs We're almost upon the rocks OF
Ireland. A veiitable hurricane was
blowing. Waves broke entirely over
the ships.
The Otranto, in trying to get out OF
Its predicament, turned across the