The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-08-28
Survivors Of ZamZam
Witnessed Sinking
Of Ship From Raider
CONTINUED from page y
senting the Defenseless conference.
$50 MISSIONARIES

senting the Defenseless conference.
$50 MISSIONARIES
The sinking occurred during the
latter part of May in the South At
lantic. Of the 203 passengers on i
board, $50 were missionaries repre-
senting 20 different denominations.
Other passengers were American am
bulance drivers enroute to Africa.
Included in the Zamzam's cargo were
ambulances for the free French
forces in the dark continent.
On April 8 the Zamzam left Per
nambuco, Brazil, on what the group
thought was to be the last lap of the
tourney to begin mission work in the
Congo. Six days later the officers
were seen busily scanning the hori-
zon and few minutes later the ship
started back for South America at
full speed.
SUNK APRIL II
Although no information was CIV
en- out by the officers everyone was
certain that something was wrong,
it was pointed out by DR.. Schwartz.
Three days later on April IT at
10 minutes to 6 o'clock in the morn
ing the ship was overtaken by the
Nazi raider and the first shell hit
the ship.
Everyone was awakened by the
impact of the shell but did not re-
alize what the trouble was until the
second shell hit. Everyone dressed
hurriedly and put on extra sweaters
and secured winter coats from the
trunk under the hunks as exposure
in life boats was expected.
LITTLE CONFUSION
In the halls the floor was covered
with debris and the air was filled
with the odor of gun powder. There
was little confusion and everyone
seemed to take the matter calmly.
One of the lifeboats had been shot
away.
In the lifeboat in which DR.. and
Mrs. Schwartz were lowered there
was severely injured man who
had both legs and an arm broken.
DR.. Schwartz, being a medical doctor
and Mrs. Schwartz a registered
nurse. gave first aid to the man
but the boat was so crowded that
little could be done.
NAzI RAIDER
From the boat numerous people
be observed. The Zamzam was list
ing far to one side and looked quite
deserted. The lifeboat rowed ahead
until a large black ship loomed ahead
and waving over it was the red and
white swastika which confirmed the
fears of the group as the source of
the trouble. The officers had not told
them that a Nazi sea raider was
making the attack.
Learned later were the facts that
around so shells had been fired with
about seven or eight hitting the
ship. Two lfeboats had been shot
away entirely and two more had
shlapnel holes SO large that when
they were lowered they filled with
water leaving the people in them
stranded in the ocean.
People from other lifeboats could
be seen going up into the Nazi
raider and it was known then that
at least that they would not be left
to the mercy of the waves. The
passengers, including many children,
were taken down into the holds.
NAZIs TAKE Booty
About noon they were served with
hot tea and thin Cruel which proved
to be very welcome despite its in
adequacy. Sailors were seen carry
ing baggage, food, mattresses and
supplies from the Zamzam to the
raider.
Some of the passengers, men,
women and children, were attired
only in their night clothes and were
given no additional clothing for
ABOUT TOUR days.
In the afternoon the passengers
were told that they could come on
deck to watch the sinking of the
Zamzam. It was done by time bombs
and less than three minutes were
needed for the operation.
TAKE MONEY
Later in the day everyone was
asked to give up his passports,
money and everything brought along
in the lifeboats. At night everyone
was sent down into the holds of the
ship, the men in one room and the
women in another. About midnight
everyone was awakened by the ring
ing of the alarm in the hold and
the sound of running feet above.
Everyone thought that British
warship had been sighted as the
door to the room was slammed and
locked. About an hour later the