Untitled

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 12, 28 July 1919, Page 6

At ti.lo on the following morning the look-out on tho upper crow's-nest reported the approach of a torpedo on the port bow. The chief officer saw it coming at right angles to the chip's course, He gave the order "hard a-starboard" and rang "full astern" to both engines. But before the ship had swung the torpedo had struck her; the explosing throwing up a high column of water and debris on the bridge and blowing up hatches and beams of No. 2 hatch. The ship was rapidly sinking by the head, so Captain Cliave ordered that she should be abandoned. He sent out a wireless S.O.S. signal, but there was no response to it. The 139 occupants of the ship, including the one woman passenger and her four-months-old baby, were all got 6afely into the six boats, which were pulled to a safe distance, and there waited to see the end of the Alnwick Castle. Then , the German submarine quietly rose to the surface, and remained there silent and sinister until the end came, her crew gazing with callous eyes on the human beings whom they were leaving, exposed in open boats, far out in the Atlantic, in the stormiest season of the year. In about ten minutes the Alnwick Castle plunged down bow -first; her whistle gave one blast,' there was a smothered roar, and a cloud of debris rose in the nir, and she was gone, should steer between east and east-north-after a homeward-boiiiui steamer, which was visible about four miles away. Soon the castaways heard a muffled roar, saw a tall column of water rise, and knew that the submarine had found another, victim. During this Monday, the first day of the voyaging of these six bonis, things went well. There was a consider-able-swell, but there was only a moderate breeze blowing from the 'west. So the captain gave orders that the boats should steer between east ond eastPnortheast for the motiith of tho Channel and the track of ships. The boats hoisted sail and ran before the wind in a line, and kept in touch with each other until the evening. But in tho night the wind freshened and the sea rose; all sails had to be lecfed down. Later in the night the fair wind with which they had started headed them nnd worked round to the north. It became intensely cold, and the wind ever increased in strength. By tho following morning, in consequence of the heavy weather, the boats had scattered and were out- of sight of each other; cach boat found herself tossing alone on an angry sea. Two of the boats were, never heard of again. Day after day of misery passed by. lint no vessel came to their succour. To quote tho captain's words: "Never a. sail or wisp of smoke had we seen. If was ns though the German submarines had barred the ocean again?! all traffic." Exposure to wet and cold filled the weak, and then after a few days even the tiny rations of drinking water could not be issued, as the simply was exhausted. Men went, mad from thirst, nd with throats on fire and lips furred it was impossible for any to swallow the solid food, of which there was a sufficiency. The seas washed into the boats, but men became 60 weak that it was with difficulty *that they could be prevailed upon to bail the waior out. It was not until five days after the torpedoing of the Alnwick Castle that Ihe 24 survivors of the captain's boat—five had died of thirst and exposure—were rescued by the French steamer Yenezia in the Bay of Biseay t 1200 miles to Ihe south-east of the scene of Ihe Alnwick Castle's disaster. It. is needless to say that the exhausted men wero very well looked after by the kindly French. Four of their dead'they left in the boat, for tliey hod been in too weak a condition to lower Ihese into tht sea. Eight Days in a Lifeboat.

The other boms had similar ex per euces. The report seat in by tlio cmef omct-r should be read by those who dud excuses lor German methods. His boat's company consisted of (II people, including the woman passenger, her Iwby, and the stewardess. Tiiey were eighf uuys on tiie open sea, and so great were the privations enuured (hat eleven out of tlusahirty-ono died, it is inn surprising, seeing that Jintisli sailors iuimned the boat, to hear that the weakest there, the two yoweu and the baby, were among those who were safely landed, On the morning of the second day out, Tuesday, the weather compelled the chief officer to take in all sail and lie to with the sea anchor, while oars -were used to help keep the boat head ion to the tremendous sea that was running. The oil bag proved of great service in quieting the high breakers. The sea anchor was lost in the night, so two oars were lashed together to be used in its plaoe. On Wednesday morning the weather improved, so sail was set again, the boat was steered east towards the Spanish coast. A half dipper full of water was doled out to each person in the morning and evening, The Alnwick's chef died this day of cold and exposure. Sailing whenever tlio weather allowed, and lying to when the wind blew hard, the boat progressed from day to day. Un Thursday the storekeeper, who had gone raving mad and had to be lushed down for the safety of the others, died. Later in the day one of the passengers succumbed. That night heavy squalls compelled the chief officer again to take in sail and put out the improvised, sea anchor. On Friday tlio wind having moderated, though a high sea was still, running, full sail was set and was kept up for thirty-six hours, the boat making good progress.' Throughout this terrible voyage the chief officer, the carpenter, a quartermaster, aud a fireman did all the steering between them. This day another of tile crew died. Owing to the small ration of water that could be allowed, aJI were suffering from intense thirst. From thirst aud fioin oxhaustiou and exposure to cold and wet, even the 6tiongest of the crew who were still able to work were rapidly becuming callous and often felt 1 light-headed. On the morning of Saturday one of the firemen was found lying dead at tiie bottom of the boat, and in tlio course of the day the pantry boy died.

That night the boat drifted with sail down; for it was. very dark, and there wero no stars visible by which to sieer. On Sunilfly, at dawn, tno sail was hoisted again, and tlio boat resumed her course, heading S.E. A man who lmd been*insane for two days jumped overboard (afte£ thrco frustrated attempts) and was drowned. '1 ho high sea and the enfeebled tiie men made it impossible to savo him, though the boat was turned and sailed round tlio spot where he had disappered. On t.nis morning the last tot of water was .served nut—sut more than a mouthful ior each. There were occasional showers of rain after this to tantalise' the occupants of the bijat. A litt-le of l he ruin was cau»hl, but it was undrinkabk, so siil lira Ten with .salt was everything on board. To quote the words oi the chief ullicor's report: "We even tried by licking the woodwork to gather up the raindrops and so moisten our mouths, but the continual .spray coining over rendered this of tittle use. In fact, we actually broke up the water hl.iKer in order to lick the inside of tin slaves, which we found quite sacura'.vj, with moisture «uul to us dclicious. Am til© evening the deck hoy di<xt. < , Land at Last. They sailed all that night, iM on

Monday afternoon, to their great joy, they sighted laud. But it proved to be a long way off. Jit was dark when tliey cauio up to it, and there was so heavy a swell running that the chief officer considered that u would be tou dangerous to attempt a landing until uajiigln. A squall uoiv curried aifiiy tho uuai'b uia=t at tile heel. Tliey then Uove to, .using ihe brouen wuiit as a sL'tt anchor, anu awaited daylight, greatiy'disappointed, lor tliey nad lioped to get lishore that day, anu uotv had Co pass yet another horrible nigh; in the boat. At daylight the next morning (Tuesday) tliey pulled towards th<. snore as weil as tuey were able, but sooli lound that tuey had not the strength to undergo any exertion. But, happily, they hail been seen and two hsning boats came out and towed tliem into the small fishing harbour of Carino, near Cape Ortegai. The villagers, headed by their priest, met them on the beach and carried the iurvivors, who wero in a pitiable condition, to the different cottages. One man expired ns he was being lifted out of tha boat and two demented men refused "to leavo the boat and had to be dragged out. The priest, a doctor, who arrived later from li'errol, and the Spanish villagers tended them with an exceeding kindness and care., Ten days later, when the survivors were well enough to be removed, they wero taken to the hospital at Ferrol. Ono thing stands out clear iu the tragic story of the Alnwick Castle. In all the boats the officers worked magnificently, encouraging the thirst-tortured survivors and maintaining, even in those J"vl:' u } conditions, the discipline that enabled the boats to be handled. properly, the drinkiug water to be rationed, and other measures to be taken which made it possible to save so large a number of lives; The officers speak in the highest terms of the men who worked under the.ni, and that the men appreciate tho leadership that saved 1 them is illustrated'by the. following incident:—An officer who had been in charge of cue of these boat 6,. on reaching home, found a case of pipes awaiting him, a present from his boat's crew—a graceful . act that speaks for itself.