Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-07-11

ships than his own. His one chance
was to beat them to Cape Horn. lose
himself In the broad Atlantic, make
run fer 1t. and probably fight bis
way through the blockade.
By now he was short of both mu'
ntions and coal wireless from
Germany brought the good news that
n supply ship had slipped through the
blockade and was now on Its way out
to meet him. What a tremendous voy-
age he might now have made What
haIr-raising dash at the allied block
ade line he might have madei 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 q British collier and took all
her coal. This delayed him for three
days Meanwhile fleet of Britain's
mightIest battle cruisers had arrived
at the Falklands. He still might have.
run by them unnoticed had he not de-
rermned 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 lnvincibe, the Indonr
liable, and along with them num-
her OF other battle cruisers. that la
ter were to fight CALAMITY at Jntland,
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
FIJI 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"
The captain of the Dresden blew up
his ship, and with his officers and
crew swan ashore. The island was
not quite so deserted after this ship
wreck as II was In Robinson crusoe's
day!
That in brief was the story OF the
plucky Won Spec and his gallant men.
Hence this dreary waste Of waters off
the Falklnnds was sacred to U.s. We
hove to, and from my quarterback
presided over brief memorial service
above the watery graves OF our COM
rndes 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
hive chance to fight II 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 bad
guests" aboard from enemy ships. we
worship of the Great Ruler of the
| Waves. Our service followed the ritual
| Of no particular creed. II was as sim
pie as we simple seamen could make
it. The table which bore the ships
Bible was draned 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 q
pious one. On the contrary, Ii had
been decidedly blasphemnus. My
character was then, and still Is, fur
from sanity. However, | may not
have been wholly unfit for the office
Of ships chaplain | am religious at
| heart, easily sWuyed by. sentimental
appeal Had not been member OF
the Salvation Army In Australia 2
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
! rial service, | addressed our comrades
three thousand fathums below US. No
mounds were raised over their graves,
| no green grass or kindly flowers had
been placed 10 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 ut the bottom of
the South Atlantic.
GLORIOUS fallen comrades, we bring
you a message from home. Your
comrades have kept their promise 10
| your commander On sea and on land
they are fighting for the Falherland.
We OF the Seeadler salute you and
solemnly swear that we, too, will en-
| deayUr To live and die as glOriOuSly