THE SINKING OF THE BALLARAT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3139, 18 July 1917, Page 5

THE SINKING OF THE BALLARAT

FINE BEHAVIOUR OF THE AUSTRALIANS BANDMASTER'S JOKE

Details to hand of the fiinkinn- nf u.« torTis'tf 0 B f^ho n w Lm fha° t +h?=„ k'and a . ml l,w Birkenhead. In this enso it was Australians who added to had P il B n 0f fiM B l itisll tr«<Htions There ?* a b , B ? n , a 'great send-off when tho twopship left Australia, for this Zs tho to maki'V shi P of Australians to unw-Wnf^ 6 V T S ° - to En » laßd an &H submarine warfare advorTW 7-» ho German agists in murder, of perfection that it took but four n»nutes to get tho men out of bed to the ' r f tat J? B ?/ /* th ° «me,Hio ' exaotly lll ° It was Anzac Day, and tho officers were wtrV?, )10M , » »«norial P w °l <¥ cras l l - f oun(le d «nd the ship began to take a list. Without confusion V, ? I K md *& ™ 6n fcll in at thenboat stations. Those men who had used a Pi d ? ue ?t Parts of speech con* clemmng the boat drill now used equally literary expressions in praise of '"t The«o men know.instinctively knew, that the Wavy would turn up. It turned, up. Destroyers and trawlers appeared like magie I hero was a moderate sea,'and tho ship, having been struck near tho propeller, began settling down by tho stern; she did. not actually, sink until about four hours later.

Playing Cards on Sinking Ship. While waiting for the boats to be lowered, sonio of the men sang, some actually settled down to play cards, and most of them smoked. Iho nurses romained with the medical staff until ft H the patient? had been provided for, au d the whole medical staff remained with tho patients until they were safely placed in boats, livery j )e t was soved, with the exception of some of'the ship's cats Over the side went Bill Anzac, an Australian parrot ma cage; a grey squirrel iiad the run of a raft; a fox terrier and her puppies are now guests of the officers of a destroyer. H was all done decently and in orderno heroics, no fuss, and a great deal of liumoin- and absolute efficiency. It is not easy to stand on tho deck of a sinking shin waiting for the word "Go," but Great Britain expects .of her sons that they will behave as. these Australians did, as the mon of other ships havo done under like circumstances. Piny the game. Tho mails written home by the man wero in their sacks and I hey i<ere saven. It was arranged that thev should be saved if possible. The records *nd tno money were saved.

The Cornet Joke. The bandmaster saved his cocael. Be was wont to oall upon his band to fail in hy moans of a certain call on lis cornet, and when the men wero in tho boats, sure enough, from a destroyer, they heard the old familiar cornet sin» out But tho band could not replv) the band had not saved its instruments, and though tho band fell in there was no answer from fife and drum and bugle, and across the water came a great noise of laughter from nil the boats, beoause fjfe little joke had struck home. Tho men had lost their ship, they were miles from anywhere, they were in open )r>ats, an( j w i,en tho cornet sounded they laughed. Tho submarine was novor seen. Tho man who was bringing a littlo white dog to his son hns brought the little whito dog.to his son. And that, so far as.it may be told, is tho story of tho sinking of the Ballarafc without the loss of a single life. Some men had the skin fnken off their hands by shinning down ths ropes too quickly, but that's all.