Imperial Valley press., 1942-08-31
Loses Two Ships
To SUBS; Ready
For Action Again

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 31-CUP)
-Coxswain Donald Haskell Eaton
had two ships torpedoed under him
in six days, drifted for nine days
under a tropic sun, and came home
carrying the tin foil he had salvaged
from emergency chocolate bars.
Eaton, a tall, serious youth from
Meridian. Ida, told his story of
adventure in the Caribbean when he
arrived on another merchantmen
at the navy's armed guard center
at Treasure Island in San Fran
cisco Bay.
He was commanding a gun crew
on an American merchant ship
during the first submarine attack.
Il had just turned around facing
the breech," he said, when blind
ing flash lighted up the whole star
board side. The ship heaved side
ways. I was thrown to the deck
and shell bounced from my arms
couldn't find it.
THROWN OFF DECK
81 got up to get another she'll
The pitching ship threw me clear
off the gun deck I landed in a
canvas awning below. I looked
down into the we'll deck, and it was
filling rapidly.
when I saw that we'll deck fill
ing up with water, yelled to my
men, to the life RATS, fellows, and
started for the after port raft.
II jumped down into the water
to slip the ring over the RATS peli-
can hook Just then a mountain
of water hit us from over the gum
wales. The raft floated clear of
the ship with men and the mess
man hanging on.
"The downcurrent whirled the raft
over and over three times. I hung
en- by going hand over hand around
it. On the second turn I saw the
last of the bow going under, right
beneath us. When the raft stopped
turning over we got the oars loose
and started to row."
SCORES OF MEN
Scores of men, Eaton said were
swimming and crying for help His
raft rescued some. bit hundreds of
| floating sacks of flour hindered
rescue efforts. Fifteen men were
lost
1--WE tried all next day." Eaton
said, ito rlw against the gulf
stream in broiling sun. The RATS
were lashed together. Mine seemed
4 to be heavier than the others. 1
finally discovered five of those sacks
of flour had been tucked under
the raft and I had been rowing
them along"
On the third day they were picked
up by British ship from an
American and English convoy.
Three days later the ship was tor
pedoed and Eaton was flung into
the water.
"A piece of hatch came floating
by finally" said Eaton, "and l
grabbed it, An English chief en-
gineer was struggling along without
life jacket. and 1 pushed one END
of the hatch toward him. l hao
lust located some sailors on larger
piece Of wreckage and asked them
to take him on when someone yelled
look OUT
SUB BORE DOWN
81 turned around and saw the
sub bearing down on us. She passed
about thirty feet away, but almos'
two hours later came back. Hel
captain hailed one of our lifeboat'
in good English. He questioned ou
skipper, unlcaded an English sailor
and gave us some cigarettes"
The sub departed, and for nin'
days Eaton lived in a lifeboat witt
q men. They had ten ounces o
water a day, and at each meal tW'
crackers with pemnican spread
matted milk tablets and a tin
?.locolate bar. Eaton collected tn
tin fell from all the bars.
Four times during the next MIN
days planes we're sighted but non
saw the lifeboat. Then at night
naval patrol bomber saw the life
boats flashlight signals. The mex
day "a U. S. destroyer picked u
the survivors.
Eaton carried his tinfoil to SaI
Francisco, turned it in to salvag
headquarters, and announced n
| was ready for al.cther trip.