t '■ . • .r~ .. y.. 111 ni
American Newspaper Man Describes
in 4 parts Sinking of Laconia by Sub
___ _ _ _^
V ■ " ' —
An American newspaperman,
Floyd P. Gibbons, was the first cor
respondent to experience the crash ot
war as the result of the submarine
blockade. He was a passenger aboard
the Cunard liner Laconia when it was
torpedoed, resulting in the death of
several Americans, and his story of
the rush for the boats is intense and
* thrilling. It will be printed in tour
parts.
PART THRKF.
“I thought it best to make my an
swers truthful and satisfactory, sir,’*
said Hallyn when he repeated the eon- j
versation to me word for word. “I
was thinking of the women and child-1
ren on the boat. I feared every min
ute that somebody in our boat might
make a hostile move, lire a revolver, t
or throw something at the submarine.'
1 feared the consequences ot such an
act.
P.ospects of Rescue
There was no assurance of an early,
piek-up, even though the promise
were from a German source, for the
rest of the boats whose occupants—if
they felt and spoke like those in my
boat—were more than mildly anxious
about our plight and the prospects of
rescue. We made preparations for
the siege with the elements. The j
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weather was a great factor. That
black rim of clouds looked ominous.
There was a good promise of rain.
February has a reputation for nasty
weather in the North Atlantic. The
wind was cold and seemed to be ris
v
ing. Our boat bobbed about like a
cork on the swells, which fortunately
were not choppy.
How much rougher weather could
the boat stand?”
This question and the condition
were debated pro and con.
“Had our rockets been seen?”
“Did the first torpedo put the wire
less out of business?” Did anybody
hear our S. O. S. ?” “Was there
enough food and drinking water in
the boat to last?”
That brought us to an inventory of
our small craft, and, after much dif
ficulty, we found a lamp, a can of
powder flares, a tin of ship’s biscuits,
matches and spare oil.
The lamp was lighted. Other lights
were visible at small distances every
time we mounted the crest of the
swells. The boats remained quite
dose together at first. One boat
came within sound, and I recognized
the Harry Lauder-like voice of the
second assistant purser, last heard on
Wednesday at the ship’s concert.
There was singing.
*‘l Want to Marry ’Arry" and "I
Love to be a Sailor."
Mrs. Boston was in that boat with
her husband. She told me later that
an attempt had been made to sing
"Tipperary" and "Rule Britannia,’’
but the thought of that slinking dark
hulk of destruction that might have
been a part of the immediate darkness
resulted in an abandonment of the ef
fort.
"Where’s the officer in that boat?"
came a cheery hail from a near-by
light.
“What the hell is it to you?" baw
led out our half-frozen negro, for no
reason imaginable other than, pos
sibly. the relief of his feelings.
"Brain him with a pin, somebody,"
yelled our profound oathsman, and ac
companied the order w'ith a warmth
of language that must have relieved
the negro's chill.
The fear of some of the boats
Invite you to send to them for such items in FURNI
TURE and DRY (JOODS as cannot be readily sup
*
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All such orders received by FREDERICK I
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attention of an expert shopper and Parcel,
post shipments are sent POSTAGE PAID
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I
crashing together produced a general
inclination toward further separation
on the part of all the little units of
survivors, with the result that soon
the small craft stretched out for sev
eral miles, all of them cndcavoing to
i keep their heads in the wind.
And then we saw the first light, the
: first sign of help coming, the first
searching glow of white brilliunce,
deep down on the somber sides of the
! black pot of night that hung over us. i
l don’t know what direction it i
came from—none of us knew north !
from south—there was nothing but
water and sky. Hut the light—it just
t came from over there where we
pointed.
We nudged violently-sick boat
mates and directed their gaze, and
aroused them to an appreciation of the
sight that gave us new life.
It was over there—first a trembling
quiver of silver against the blackness;
then, drawing closer, it defined itself
as a beckoning finger, although still
I too far away to see our feeble ef
forts to attract.
i
We nevertheless wasted valuable
flares, and the ship’s baker, self-or
dained custodian of biscuit tin, did
the honors handsomely to the extent
of a biscuit a piece to each of the
twenty-three occupants in the boat.
“Pull starboard, sonnies,” sang out
old Captain Dear, his gray chin
whiskers literally bristling with joy
in the light of the round lantern
which he held aloft.
We pulled, pulled, lustily, forget
ting the strain and pain of innards
i torn and racked from vain vomiting,
oblivious of blistered hands, and yet
half-frozen feet.
“Come On,“
Then a nodding of that finger of
light—a happy, snapping, crap-shoot
ing finger that seemed to say, “Come
on, you men,” like a dice player woo
ing the bones, led us to believe that
our lights had been seen. This was
the fact, for immediately the coming
vessel flashed on its green and rod
side lights, and we saw it was headed
for our position.
We floated off its stern for a while,
as it maneuvered for the best position
in which it could take us on with the
sea that was running higher and high
er, it seemed to me.
“Come alongside port!” was meg
aphoned to us, and as fast as we could
we swung under the stern and felt
our way broadside toward the ship's
side. A dozen flashlights blinked
down to us, and orders began to flow
fast and thick.
When I look back on the night I!
don't know which was the more j
hazardous—our descent from the La
conia or our ascent to our rescuer.
One minute and the swell lifted us al
most level with the rail of the low
built patrol boat and min sweeper, the
next rolling wave would carry us
down into a gulf, over which the
ship’s side glowered like a slimy,
dripping cliff.
(Concluded in tomorrow’s issue.)
I am leaving on the Alameda on
business. All parties owing me,
please call and settle before the Ala
meda arrives.—Mrs'. Jessie Ellsworth.
We carry Symphony Lawn Station
ary the Seward Drug Company.
Oy^er cocktails at the Branch.
FORFEITURE—NOTICE
To M. IMHOFF, C. J. IMHOFF, A.
M. IMHOFF, HARRY V. MILLER, H.
D. THIELE, ESTATE OF H. D.
THIELE. Deceased, and AUGUST
MELHORN, your respective heirs and
assigns:
You are hereby notified and will
take notice that we, the subscribers,
H. P. Salisbury and A. A. Hein, have
expended, during the year 1914, the
sum of Three thousand, forty-six dol
lars and twenty ($3,046.20) cents,
during the year 1915, the sum of
Six hundred ($600.00) dollars, during
the year 1916, the sum of Two thou
sand, five hundred and sixteen dollars
and seventy (2,516.70) cents in labor
and improvements upon each of the
following described mining claims, to
wnt: OPHIR QUARTZ MINING
CLAIM, COLUMBIA QUARTZ MIN
ING CLAIM, BESSY PLACER MIN
ING CLAIM, MILL SITE and WA
TER SITE OR LOCATION, all of
which said claims are situated and lie
in the Moose Pass Mining District,
Kenai Recording District, Third Ju
dicial Division, Territory of Alaska,
The notices of location thereof are of
record in the office of the United
States Commissioner and District Re
corder for Kenai Recording Precinct
and District, at the Town of 9ewrard,
Territtory of Alaska, to which office
reference is hereby made for a more
particular description of said mining
properties. Said expenditures were
made for the purpose of holding pos
sessory rights and title to said min
ing claims under the provisions of
section twenty- three hundred and
tw’enty-four of the Revised Statutes
of the United States and the amend
ments thereto, section one hundred
and thiry-six of the Compiled Laws of
Alaska, 1913, and the Session Law’s of
the Territory of Alaska, providing for
the annua! labor upon mining claims.
If you fail and refuse or fail or re- \
fuse within ninety (90) days from the
personal service of this notice, if per
sonal service be Had, or within ninety
(90) days after the publication of this
notice, to contribute your proportion
of such expenditure as a co-owner,
your respectice interest in and to said
mining claims, and each and every
one of them, will become the property
of the subscribers, who are your co-j
owners, and who have made the ex
penditures and improvements as
above-mentioned on said mining
claims, and each and every one of
them, pursuant to the provisions of
the said statute, Compiled Laws and
Sessions Laws.
A. A. HEIN
H. P. SALISBURY.
First publication, March 21, 1917.
Last publication, May 23, 1917.
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