White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-08-02

i COuISC, uC hACW lAC DIILlSb WOulO w
laying for him at both places. He
knew also that they would be after
him with swifter and more powerful
ships than his own. His one chance
was to beat them to Cape Horn, lose
himself in the broad Atlantic, make
a run for 1t, and probably fight his
way through the blockade.
By now he was short of both mu-
nitions and coal. wireless from
Germany brought the good news that
a supply ship had slipped through the
blockade and was now on its way out
to meet him. What tremendous voy.
age he might now have madel What
hair-raising dash at the allied block
ade line he might have madel But
he never got the chance.
AS he rounded the Horn, Dame For
tune tempted him. and he made what
proved to be fatal error. He
stopped British collier and took all
her coal. This delayed him for three
days. Meanwhile, feet Of Britain's
mightiest battle cruisers had arrived
at the Falklands. He still might have
run by them unnoticed had he not de-
termined to shell and destroy the wire
less station on the Falklands. Thus
he stumbled into that nest of battle
cruisers he tried to run, but they
| caught and sank him. That day the
British had their sea giants, the In
defatigable, the Invincible, the Indom-
liable, and along with them num-
Der of other battle cruisers, that la
ter were to fight CALAMITY at Jutland,
and then find their way to rest on the
floor of the North Sea.
Only one of Won Specs ships, the
light but fleet cruiser Dresden, showed
her heels to the British leviathans and
slipped back around Cape Horn. But
the Fates were merely playing with
the poor Dresden, and few days la
ter she was sunk by the more power
full British cruiser Kent off San Juan
Fernandez, Robinson Crusoe's island,
in the Pacific. She was lying in neu-
trail waters and should have been shell
tered by the laws of war. Her cap
tain signaled to the commander of
the Kent:
1--WE are in Chilean territory"
"My orders are sink you on sight,"
replied the Kent, land no matter
where you are"
his ship, and with his officers and
crew swan ashore. The island was
not quite so deserted after this ship
wreck as It was In Robinson Crusoe's
dayl
That in brief was the story of the
plucky Won Spec and his gallant men.
Hence this dreary waste of waters off
the Falklands was sacred to us. We
hove to, and from my quarterback
presided over brief memorial service
above the watery graves of our COM
rades and their ships. First told
my boys the story of my friend Count
Won Spec and his men, and every one
of us knew that we, too. might soon
be on our way to join them. But with
the difference that we might not even
have chance to fight 1t out.
On German ships. the captain is
also the chaplain. Every Sunday
aboard the Seeadler we had our hour
! of prayer and song. When we had
guests" aboard from enemy ships, we
invited them to join with us in the
worship of the Great Ruler of the
Waves. Our service followed the ritual
of no particular creed. 1t was as sim
pie as we simple seamen could make
1t. The table which bore the ships
Bible was draped not only with our
German flag but also with the flags of
all the allied nations whose ships we
had captured and under whose colors
our prisoners had sailed. wanted
to make our prisoners feel that the
service was as much theirs as 1t was
ours, and that we did not feel our
selves any more a chosen people be.
fore the Altar of God than any other
people.
My life has not been altogether a
pious one. On the contrary, 1t mad
been decidedly blasphemous. My
character was then, and still is, far
from sanity. However, may not
have been wholly unfit for the Office
of ships chaplain. am religious at
heart, easily swayed by sentimental
appeal Had not been member Of
the Salvation Army in Australia
Those testimonial meetings in Ere
mantle were still vivid memories to
me. So was not exactly green
horn at conducting prayer meeting.
Before concluding our little memo
Il nj n ac
three thousand fathoms below us. No
mounds were raised over their graves.
no green grass or kindly flowers had
been placed to cheer them on their
journey to the land from which no
traveller has yet returned. Only the
waves of the sea. spoke to them as
though my voice could somehow find
its way to their resting place among
the mountain ranges at the bottom of
the South Atlantic:
GLORIOUS fallen comrades, we bring
you message from home. Your
comrades have kept their promise to
your commander. On sea and on land
they are fighting for the Fatherland.
we of the Seeadler salute you and
solemnly swear that we, too, will en-
deavOr to live and die as gl0riOusly
as you. We, too, are hunted on the
sea, even as you were. So perhaps It
will not be long ere we Join you dowi
there in Davy Jones' locker. If we
do, our one hope is that we will b.
able to fight our last fight as gallant
ly as did you"