Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-04
A WONDER SHIP
Remarkable story Of the Liberty Clio
Which Reflects Luster Upon Hog
Islands Good Workmanship
WHEN the Liberty Clio sails up the Della.

:. bOine tnree month nenCe, ftOR
Island will write finished" Mt the bottom
OF one of Its bright pages. And be it said
IN confident prophecy that, as the sturdy
cargo carrier steams by, whistles will shrek
and men will shout as tney have not done
SINCE the great day when the first returning
uansport brought home the vanguard of
Pennsylvania sons.
The Liberty Clio will be twice welcomed
as IN a sense ship twice born of the shops
and ways of Hog Island. 1t will sail the
seas sturdy argument for ships made all
OF pattern, and monument withal to the
excellence with which that principle was
exemplified at Hog Island.
'NliE Liberty Clos tragic history goes back
= to November Of last year, when she
sailed for Hamburg aud Bremen. carrying
-, ,OOO,OO0 relief cargo for Germany.
Mlthin ten hours of her destination, on
december D. she struck submerged Ininc,
which cut her almost in two from water
me to water line. at No. . cargo hold. Her
master, Captain j. I. Stousland. of Ruther-
iord' n. D., was forced to anchor near Ame-
land Light. on the coast of Holland.
Before help could reach him, terrific
storm swept over the North Sea- and the
oulwarks and deck plates all that held the
severed parts of the ship together. were torn
dritted on the beach. Followed ceaseess
battering by storm after storm. during the
worst winter Holland ever knew.
captain Stousland stayed aboard, though
one of the wrecking tugs sent to salvage
the ship was lost with all hands and an
other American ship that went ashore in the
same neighborhood was broken to pieces.
AT length, with spring, most of the cargo
was saved and the Liberty Clio on Easter
morning, with all flags flying and steam up
in the engine room. though only No. 3
brlkhead kept the seas from her boilers,
was, towed into a safe port and put into
drydock.
TNHE Liberty Clio epic story is best told in
l. Captain Stousland's letters, some of them
written while he could hear the seas beating
on the Liberty Clos steel flanks.
The captain himself Is a remarkable
figure. He was one of the men to whom
the war gave opportunity. He served in
the United States navy reserve corps with
the rank of lieutenant commander. He was
born in Norway. but came to America as
boy. All his life he had followed the sea,
but the Liberty Clio. on which he centerei
all his devotion, was his first independent
command.
HERE is Captain StouslanG's story of the
- wreck, written under stress of excite
ment not yet abated after hours of touch
and 20 with death,
When she nit tie mine. oil from the
double bottom was sent fyng up ia, tbe
masthead, accompanied by bales Of cotton.
barrels and bolts Of all kinds, and it created
a fearful havoc. ,"
At a m. December g. told the chief
engineer to get his men up from below ms
the ship was breaking in two. | order d
them all in boats. not knowing what she
would do when she would break I did
not want them to leave brt to keep tho
hn To tnIp fhn cta d., TO- h. II.
and noise Of escaping steam. it was i'm.
possible to establish any kind of order. They
were bent on one thing, getting away from
the ship. They cut the painter and dis
appeared in the darkness"
Captain Stousiand stuck by his ship.
though it looked like certain death to 10
so. BY miracle almost the boats made the
shore. though four Of the crew died from
exposure.
"At 1 80 a. nj. the after end of the shin
parted company with the bow in roaring
noise, steam escaping. cargo from No. .
hold drifting all around. The lights went
out and all was dark.
Il could hear the roar of the breakc-;.
and after a little while ! could see the
white outline cleaning like the teeth OF
wolf-and 1t was getting nearer AMI
nearer"
Captain Stousland. with the deck engineer
and third cook. who had been left behind.
were saved from the wreck by Dutch motor
life boat. 81 had no idea she could come
near me in those breakers. but she came up
on the lee side like a cork. and when the
sea lifted her up level with the rail. I
jumped into the net.
WITHIN a week a contract had been let
w by the shipping board to salvage the
ship Captain Stousland had been going
forth bntwnon tho ibnrtv IA
and Ameand. An armed guard on the
beach protected the cargo.
December IL ne wrote: "Monday morn
ing early returned to ship. With all tho
wood available fires were made, but oil In
the tanks so thick we had to knock a hole
In the tank. take out oil that way and
throw il into the fire." And almost from
that time on, steam was kept up in the
wreck.
Salvage work proceeded slowly, because
Of almost insuperable weather conditions.
storms of unprecedented violence were not
the only menace, however.
"Sunday, February I :" the captain wro.c,
"fre broke out in the shelter deck, port
side. about under the stewards room, in the
hailed cotton Will I ever forget it? Livery
ottomnt was made to get at the fire, but the
smoke and fumes made 1t impossible, ~
we closed Up everything and turned on the
steam. Monday another attempt was made
oreat as to ignite the woodwork in the
steward's room. The deck was so hot you
could not walk upon it. In the steward 8
room the plates buckleG, also one plate on
tbe side. /" Tuesday morning the burn
;ng bales were finally pulled out, and the
whole dumped over the side. BY noon all
~ the burning cotton was scattered all over
the beach. 20
.The ship Is all right. She has now
/ ham subjected to most every element OF
destruction, but for all that she is n shin
vet and the good ship. want to
see her of. ship in the water again, more
than want anything else. V
TT WAS not until April O. however that
Captain Stousland could write from Rot
tor1am to Matthew Brush, the commanding
genius and driving force at Hog Island:
''I am no longer watching the barometer
| and have lost all interest in studying th,
~eatber. ." While passing the Hook Of
Holland, had arranged with a photog