The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-18
I askin's Le,tter;
a LUSITAINA SURVIVOR
CD cssiisIn1nD : - AaU1A1

for it to become fouled and .,,.i
Then came an especially sham n.
and the deck tilted at sucA m -.
Gle that he could hold on no lonssr :.
and he slid into the sea.
Mr.. Gauntlet says that ths n,,.
rowsst escape he ever had n hi.l
life came moment afterwsrds n
struck out from the side Of IN
sinking ship and thought himsels
safe when the great liner took her,
ANAL plunge. The great mast.
slammed over into the water. -
tween them was strung the ,er,s,
OF the wireless. . complicated ar
rAngement OF strands OF wire,, A,
they came down into the sea. thew
surrounded him and It was viii
the greatest difficulty that he freei
himself. For half an hour he sv,m
around looking for Mr.. Knox Ana
Mr.. Ferguson. but could not ,bnd
them. Then he struck out for Tia
shore-eight miles away.
When asked II this was not IN
exceptional exploit for a man Of his
years-between IS and 5o-he
said:
Not especially, in view Il The
fact that have cup for winning
a 10-mile swimming race"
Exposes Fraud.
A curious aftermath of this eY.
traordinary experience was the ex-,
posture of q fraud by Mr.. Gauntlet
on his return to the United States.
Everyone remembers how the lists
Of missing passengers and Of sur
vivors were published by the news,
papers.
It seems an old, retired sea can.
tain, living in Newfoundland, had
conceived the idea Of obtaining
money on the pretense that he hal
picked up floating baggage Of per.
sons lost on the Lusitania. Using,
the published list of names Of the
lost and even of the survivors, be-
circularized them saying that their
baggage had drifted ashore and
that for stated sum he would for
ward it. 1t was a scheme likely To-
attract the next of kin Of the
drowned passengers, anxious to.
have the effects Of their lost
friends or relatives, and also likely
to attract survivors who had lost!
their baggage. Hundred of dollars
were sent the old captain, but
there is no record of anyone's hAv-'
ing received any baggage.
Mr.. Gauntlet uncovered thei
fraud. Familiar with the sea and
having been a victim of the Lusi-
tania disaster, he knew the eXast
position of the ship when she sank
and knew that the ocean currents
were such that baggage never
would drift ashore where the Old
captain said he had picked up
many trunks. Investigating. hs
confirmed his suspicious and, upon
publishing the facts through the
Coast Guard, saved money for many
persons.
/ Mr.. Gauntlett's ownership Of .
modern navy is story equally
fascinating. He learned at dinner
party in Washington attended BY
the Charge d. Affaires of the Greek
legation that Greece wanted to bay
some battleships. He knew, a. .
result OF his intimacy with naval
facts, that the United States navy
was about to retire two fine ships.
He consulted Secretary of the Navy
Daniels and made deal. He com
pleted the other end with the Greek
Charge d'Affaires. Then by dill
gent application, he got q bill
thorugh Congress authorizing the
retirement of the warships and
their transfer to Greece.
By a curious technically. of Me
transaction the two warships ffrs'
were transferred to Mr.. Gauntlet
and by him to the king of Hellenes
1t so happened that. because of thu
red tape involved, a period of twt
days elapsed in which he. as a pr
vate citizen, was the sole owner O.
, these two great warships. The
: were anchored in Hampton Roads
each burning 200 tons of coal d.
, just to keep the boilers warm.
: The deal was cohsummated ami
Greece took the ships. But MI
! Gauntlet often has wondered wha
would have happened to him il, 10
3 any reason, Greece suddenly ha
backed down, leaving him in pos