Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-17

ed, this would be an ideal position to
the city. A natural fortress, II there
Is one
But II it's the history of Washing
tons cannon you're after. much of that
is still dark, unknown, mysterious.
However, some of them have opened
their mouths and spoken in confidence.
BY sight, know them all. having seen
them in rain and sunshine, day and
night"
And he led the way down Sixteenth
street, past the Royal Residence and
across Pennsylvania avenue, to the east
end of the New Museum Building,
Smithsonian Institution. Here stands a
grim specter of death and war. A faded
placard reads:
"6-inch Naval Gun and Mount.
From this gun was fred the first
hostile shot during the World War.
Fired at 5:23 am, April 10, 1927,
against German submarine, the gun
at that time being mounted on the
after deck of the S. s. Mongolia and
manned by seven Naval seamen."
This rusting cannon is the most
historic in the city" he said. 1T hlazed
| the trail for more shots than were fired
In all the wars that preceded 1t.
aside from what the label says, peo-
pie know 1t not. If they did, would
they allow it to rot in rain and snow?
No. Instead, they would drape 1t in
flags and send it to national shrine,
where its moving parts would never
thirst for drink Of grease and its
dress Of paint would always be fresh.
1.-THE Navy has been helpful, and sup
piled me with document whose con-
tent was national secret until very
recently. It is the confidential manu-
script report Of Lieut.. Bruce r. Ware,
commanding the Armed Guard on, the
s. S. Mongolia, an American freighter
skippered by Capt. Emery Rice.
1T was two-minute engagement
Her crew, you see, were real minute
men, And 1t is important to remember
that April 10, 1917, was the 1920 ami
versary of the Battle of Lexington.
"That was the Mongolia's second trip
through the sub zone. On the first
she went unarmed, alone. On the sec
ond, Navy gun crew came on board
fighting seamen, commanded by Lieut.
Ware.
"And the skipper felt much safer
under the wing Of an expert gun crew
with cannon mounted fore and aft. He
said: I no longer feel like an ole
woman with a well-filled purse, goinl
among brigands.'
well, they had zigzagged across the
Atlantic from New York. Five day,
and five nights, the skipper and hi
lookouts hadn't removed their clothes
In the fog of dawn, the ship cruiset
full speed She was rounding Beach.
taken sounding and looking for thu
i
IA sub of the port bowl split thu
air.
SGT EFT Lieut.. Ware give the rest o
IL this story. Here it Is, taken from
his confidential report to the Secretar,
an latitude 5000 N, longitude 0o:s:
W., miles s. 81 z. true from Over
Light VESSEL weather commencing y
thicken, sea smooth, with light variabl
breezes. Fog commencing to set II
from the east. The Mongolia was max
ing is knots through water and owe
16 knots over ground. The sub wa
making 10 knots through water and
knots over ground.
1--WE had decided not to zigzag, bu
to make all speed possible for the Cat
Entrance on the South Forelands
Visibility at dawn was about miles
but this had decreased to less than
miles at $50 am.
lat 5:22 am, the chief Office
sighted a submarine periscope broad OF
the port bow, distant about 500 yards
1t swept along our port side until abou
200 yards distant when abean, and a
that point disappeared. At this instant
the chief petty officer reported 1t an