The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1940-08-16
WHO'S
NEWS
THIS
WEEK
By LEMUEL F. PARTON

NEW YORK.-Snapping the Unit
ed States liner, America, new
queen Of the American Merchant
marine. through the Narrows, into
True Son of Old and 90 On
Yankee Breed to her dock,
OF SheIIboeks Capt. Giles
Chester Sted-
man, master Of the new leviathan.
handled his ship AZ deity as a lad
would handle q toy. Indeed, in his
various maneuverings Of the IS, 900
ton luxury liner on her maiden pas
senger-carrying trip from Newport
News, Va, Captain Stedman evinced
sheer delight in putting his new
charge through her PAGES. The 900
guests, United States senators, ship
ping magnates and so forth, must
have cast their thoughts back to
days when amid mountainous waves
and winds ranging from gale to hur-
ricane proportions, this young skip
per-he Is only a years old-per-
formed deeds Of daring-do on the
deep, deeds that have gained for him
q gold medal from the Italian gov
eminent; the United States navy
cross; the silver life-saving plaque
from the British admiralty; the
Treasury department gold medal
and other like testimonials of high
courage and skilled seamanship.
There was that tumultuous day
In tho mid-Atlantic, October 20,
1925, when the President Hard
ing, OF which Stedman was then
chief offlcer, steamed to the res
cue Of the Italian freighter, L.
mako Fiorio, beaten down and
sinking. Stedman stepped to one
Of the lfeboats and called for q
volunteer crew. Every man jack
Of the distressed crew was saved.
Two years later, westbound and
about lists miles from New York,
the wireless operator brought Sted-
man a message from the British
freighter Exeter City. The craft
had lost her captain, third officer
and two seamen and was sinking.
The seas were a veritable
witchbroth, the wind shrieking
at hurricane force. No possibili-
ty existed for the survival Of q
small boat In such q sea. So
Stedman unanswered his vessel
sufficiently close to admit of q
line being shot aboard the dis
tressed freighter. With tackle
thus rugged, lifeboat was low
cred from the American Mer-
chant and pulled to the sinking
vessel and the crew saved. The
seamanship involved was said to
have represented one Of the fin
est exploits In American annals.
Last September, commanding
the United States liner Washing
ton, Stedman rescued the entire
crew of the British freighter o.
ivergrove, torpedoed by U-boat.
AS a youngster, deciding upon a
sea career, Stedman joined the Unit
ed States Coastguard, where in the
first World war he saw two years
hazardous service in convoy work
in the Mediterranean sea and Eng
ish channel. When peace came,
Stedman enrolled in the Massachu-
sets Institute Of Technology for
courses in marine engineering. He
joined the United States Line in 1922,
was made a chief officer in 1925
and at the age of "a received his
first command.
ONE of the most hard-boiled citi-
~ zens this reporter ever knew
was a bookish college dean who al
ways spoke softly, but swung from
coEonelPecko of Somewhat in :,
Marines a Full this picture is
BusheIofSpunk Col, De Witt
U. S. Marines, who gives quiet en-
phasis to plain words in Shanghai,
as the japanese menace the for
eign areas and tension increases.
The Japanese seem to think they
need an incident" and Colonel
Peck isn't at all likely to provide
one-but he doesn't back down.
When he IL In mutt or In
formal dress, he Is rarely with
out = book In his pocket and
never without his pipe. He may
or may not read BeEgsOn, but
he thinks like . man Of action
and acts like . man Of thought"
He won the Victory Medal for
Gallantry In the World war bat
ties Of the Meuse-ArgOnne and
st. MihieI, and the Medal Of the
Purple Heart for doubling In
negotiating and fighting In Latin
America. He graduated from
Annapolis In 1915 and Is as.
His career is a reminder that this
country has had quite a workout
in handling explosive situations here
and there around the world. In
Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti and other
Latin-American countries, Colonel
Peck has been a successful trouble
shooter and has brought things
through nicely without eating dirt
or leaving any hard feelings. He
has built reputation as a scholar
in his studious application to prob
lens Of naval and military science.
n n