MARQUETTE DISASTER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2662, 6 January 1916, Page 3

MARQUETTE DISASTER

ACCOUNT BY A SURVIVOR. ' An interesting account of his trying experiences when the Marquette was torpedoed in the Aegean Sea is given by ■ Private Herbert IS. Paisley in a letter to his aunt in I'almersion. Private Paisley, who left with the 3rd Reinforcements last ' February, was wounded with a bullet in Ms left wrist on August 8, and was sent to Abbasia Hospital, Egypt, to have it extracted, and then, sent to No.. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital at Port Said. From there he loft with the Marquette. Writing to his mother from Salonika on November 1,, ho states: "Just a few lines to let you know I am still alive and quite well, except for a slight touch of rheumatics. I am very luoky to be here writing to you, as I might have been at the bottom of the sea. "Wo left Egypt a, week ago, and had the bad luck to be torpedoed last Saturday, October 28, at 9 a.m. I can tell you I never waut to experience again what we all went through that day. I shall never forget it as long as • I live. The torpedo hit us on the starboard side, and I, with others, being down in the hold (our mess room), did not know what had happened for the moment, but very soon realised wliat it wc,S; When the explosion occurred 1 and the water rushed in, we were nearly caught like rats in a trap. We • could not get up on deck, as the stairs ' were blown" away, and we just had to wait until the 1 wator reached the top of the hold. Then wo managed to reach life-belts. By this time the ship was getting full of water, and had a heavy list to port. I did not seem to know what to do after getting on deck and putting on a lifebelt. I felt quite dazed, as something hit me in the back while I was in the hold. I saw my mate, and we thought it was time to leave the ship, so we both dived overboard,' and did not meet again until last Wednesday. "I was in the Water over two hours, and was picked up: by a small boat, which' had forty-three survivors on it. We decided to row to land. However, wo were picked ui> by a.-. French torpedo beat at seven o'clock that night, which towed us to Salonika, and we were thankful. Wo were - then put on a hosnital ship, and given hot wine and food. "All l and some others had on was a shirt only. We were nearly frozen. The water was terribly cold. We lost .twenty-two men out "of the hospital staff, and eleven nurses. I am jo)lv dad to be here with the others. We have lost evervthing we had. The ship took fifteen minutes to sink after being hit by . the torpedo."