The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-01-04

with being quarterniaster ! could
not see.
But they drilled me mp onto the
bridge and told me to take the wheel,
What their idea was / do not know,
Possibly they wanted a noncombatant
at the wheel in case they were over
hauled by a neutral vessel. We were
going full speed at the time, but as
soon as took the wheel she cut down
to half speed, and stayed that way for
half an hour. Then up to full speed
| again.
Pretty soon there was q tramp
steamer on the starboard bow, and al
most before I saw it, there were two
more sentries on each side of me,
prodding me with their revolvers and
warming me to keep on the course.
They had civilian clothes on.
Then we went through the Skager
Rack and Cattegat, which are narrow
strips of water leading to the Baltic,
and we We're only mile from shore
with vessels all about us. 1t would
have been an easy thing for me to
signal what our ship was and who
were aboard, but they had six sentries
ON my neck all the time to keep me
from it. l never wanted to do any
thing worse In my life than jump
overheard or signal. But I would
have been shot down before had
more than started to do either, so |
just stayed with the wheel.
We were nearing one of the Dan
ish islands in the Baltic when we
sighted tug. She began to smoke
up and blow her siren. The sailors got
very excited and ran around in crazy
style, and Badewitz began shouting
more orders than they could get away
with. The sentries left me and ran
with the rest of the Fritzies to the
boat deck and started to lower one of
the lifeboats. But Badewitz was right
on their heels and kicked the whole
bunch around in great shape, roaring
like bull all the time.
left the wheel and ran to the end
of the bridge, to jump overheard. But
the minute let go of the wheel the
vessel fell off of the course, and they
noticed it, and Badewitz sent five of
them up on the bridge and three
others to the side with their reyolyers
to shoot me if should reach the wa
ter. think If had had any rope to
lash the wheel with I could have got
away and they would not have known
1t.
When the five sailors reached the
bridge one of them jumped for the
cord and gave our siren five long
blasts in answer to the tug. The tug
was about to launch a torpedo, and
we whistled just in time. One of our
men was looking from the f1ddley, and
he saw the Huns making for the life
boats, so he got two or three others
and they all yelled together, 'Don't
let them get awayw thinking that
they would get the boat over and
leave the ship, and trying to yell loud
enough for the tug to hear them.
Badewitz took this man and two or !
three others, whether they we're the
ones who yelled or not, and beat them
up and put them in irons. / thought
there was going to be a mutiny
aboard, but it did not come off, and
l am not sure what the Huns We're so
excited about.
The other four sailors who came up
on the bridge did not touch me, but
just kept me covered with their re-
yolvers. That was the way with them
they would not touch us unless
Badewitz was there or they had bayo-
nets. The old bull himself came up
on the bridge after he had beaten up
few men, threw me around quite
bit and kicked me down from the
bridge and slammed me into the coal
bunkers. felt pretty sore, as you
can imagine, and disappointed and
pretty low generally.
After while we heard the anchor
chains rafting through on their way
to get wet, and we pulled up. Then
every German ship in the Baltic came
up to look us over, / guess. They
opened up the hatch covers, and the
Hun garbies and gold-stripes came
aboard and looked down at us, and
spit all they could on us, and called
us all the different kinds Of swine in
creation. They had them lined I'D
and filing past the hatchways-all Of
them giving us the once over in turn.
Maybe they sold tickets for this show
it would be like the Huns.
At first we were milling around try
ing to get out from under the hatch
openings and the shower Of spit, but
some Limey officer sang out, Brit
ishers all! Don't give way!' and we
stood still and let them spit their
damned German lungs out before we
would move for them, and some Cor
nishmen began singing their song
about Trelawney. So we made out |
that we did not know such a thing as
a German ever lived.
We got better acquainted with Ger
man splitting later on, and believe me,
they are great little spitters, not much
on distance or accuracy, but quick In
action and well supplied with ammu-