The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-02-17
FURNACE ROOM
STORY OF SHIP
RESCUE IS TOLD
Michael Matthews of Antlnoe
Is Tired of Sea After
narrowing Time.
by Milton Ba'onncr
NHA Service Correspondent

NEA Service Correspondents
IN QUEENSTOWN, Ireland, Fob
IL 1.-THE captains and the
LII first mates and the radio Of
flcers have told their stories OF how
the Antinoe went down. and now
listen to the story of Michael Nab
thews.
It's from the furance room that
Michael Matthews story comes
the furnace room that was hell and
fury when the Antinoe ran into the
four days and nights of lungtn2
plunging peril.
"Im>sick o. the sea-" Michael Mat.
thews told me, and the simple sem
tence told more than all the long
columns Of cables about the rescue
of the Antinoe's men by the Presi-
dent Roose welt.
"A Newry, north OF ireland, man
I am, with Newark, New Jersey,
more like home to me. and I've had
the wander foot for a long time.
The sea calls, and me for ship.
But Gawd, what ship that An-
tinoe was when the old sea began
hammerin' us, and me down in the
furnace room firm upl
The Ocean Pours In
"Half naked l was, because o. the
heat o. the place, when bang-swishi
The water was down on us and our
fires and our furnaces. A hatch had
been stove in by giant wave, and
the whole Atlantic Ocean seemed
pourin' down on us.
"It was hell and fury down there.
And when we got to the deck. it was
to hang there for three days and
three nights and more - wet,
hungry, thirsty, shiverin' like dogs,
a hopin' the Roosevelt could save
us, and then stoppin' hopin' and
| just thinkin' that right in sight OF
that grand vessel we'd soon be sink
in like rats, with our mouths filed
with bitter sea water and nary a
breath left even to cry out so longg
The Miracle
"And then when we wuz thinkin'
we wuz dead men for sure and earn
est, and a-loolSin' to the prist, Mon
signor Whelan, who stayed up day
and night on the Roosevelt a-tryin'
to give us some comfort-just then
the miracle happened, and we wuz
got off.
BLACK as coal from oil and grit
and SCOT and dirt of the furnace
room was.
"They fed us first. I asked for
ham and eggs, and they kept a.
bringin' of 'em It'll / couldn't eat no
more. And whisky. The Roosevelt's
dry boat, but the stuff came up
from somewhere.
And then began to wash and
wash, and to try to look like a white
man once more.
After I got cleaned UP, people be-
gan to give me things One gave
me some underwear. another some
socks, another pants, another a
caot, and anothder a hat. They,
didn't match. and looked all
dressed up like a Portuguese adj
miral.
Philadelphia Chicken
"They gave us a regular Christmas
dinner several nights after. Man.
they fed us Philadelphia chickenl
And ate em and ate EN- till my
ears wagged.
"And sleep? Man, do you know.
what a. real sleep in a real warm
bunk is after you haven't -lept none
at all for three black, wicked days
and nights7
"Well, then, you don't know nothv
in ant all about sleep.
Here wa are back in safe waters
now, thanks to the Yanks-and some
Of those Yanks have good German
names--and I'm sick of the sea, I'm
thinkin'.
I'm goin' to take a good long rest
as soon as the company give me my
back pay. Yep, I amt taldn' no
chances with the sea again for a
whole month or MORE"
And that's the story OF the Anti
noe and the saving of her men from
graves in mid-Atlantic as Michael
Matthews Of the furnace room told
it to me.
A Feature of This Store
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