On the Sea

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 73, 25 November 1915, Page 2

On the Sea

A NURSE'S STORY OF THE MARQUETTE. [Umtkd Pbebb Amooiamow.j London, November 23. A New Zealand nursing sister, who is a survivor of the Marquette disaster, tells a thrilling story of the exjperiences of the New Zealand hospital unit, who had been doing most valuable work in the hospital at Port Said. iThey embarked on the Marquette at Alexandria on October 19, with a number of English soldiers, who had lifebelt drill on the voyage. They were •warned of the dangers lurking from 'submarines, and therefore were pre'pared for mishap. i The Marquette was within a few I hours of Salonika, on the morning of ' sighted. An explosion followed almost immediately, and the Marquette com'menced to list. The sea was calm and J there was a light breeze. There was a good chance for escape, but several I boats were overturned in the confusion. While they were being launchled some bung perpendicularly, while another lifeboat fell upon one that was 'already in the water, causing several 'casualties. Sister Fox, another Now j Zealand nurse, was injured, and was j not seQn again. The narrator continues: "Our boat was not lowered properly. We were I suspended from one davit for some [time, hanging on for dear life. Then 'the rope" was cut and we all fell into the water. Most of us were in the water for eight hours, but we didn't feel the water cold. We did not see the submarine again. Some of the boats were crowded, and many officers and men were saved. . "The nurses behaved with grand courage, and refused to go into the boats until most of the soldiers were saved. The nurses stayed on the decks cheering the Tommies, until only a few ,nen remained to help the women into the boats. But for the lifebelt drill few would have been saved. When we were precipitated so suddenly into the sea we must have been drowned without our lifebelts. A. large hole was driven in our lifeboats. "When we dragged ourselves into the lifeboat it soon filled and swamped, and all were tipped into the water again. The sea was full of soldiers struggling to bits of rafts and weekage. We were swamped again and agaiif* until we were exhausted. It was pitiful to see nurses and soldiers tiring in their frantic struggles, finally releasing their grasp on the gunwale, floating a few seconds, and then slowly sinking without a murmur. ' "Dr. Harrison was swimming near our boat, supporting a nursing sister, whom he assisted to a raft, to which many others were clinging. I last saw that sister some time after, floating near the raft, while I was almost dead beat, holding on to the upturned boat. She was my greatest pal. "As I watched her she nodded feebly in return, but I was powerless to help her. That was the last I saw of her, l but I was told that she was assisted back to the raft and afterwards placed in a boat, which, like ours, was constantly overturning. Like many others she collapsed after a time and died from exhaustion.

"We clung to our boat for a seemingly endless period, suffering intensely from the increasing exhaustion, and only holding on by sheer strength of will; Then a hospital ship steamed up and picked up the survivors. We were taken to Salonika, where we remained two days Here we heard that our matron was very ill, suffering from shock. Colonel McGavin and severaj other officers were saved. Most of us who were unfit for duty returned to Alexandria, and those well enough hoped to get new equipment and return to Greece in ten days. "Sister Eae was so brave. She forced me to get into the boat before her. Sister Poppelwell was wonderful; she held up Sister; Rattray until they died. They were clinging to a board, along with Sister Wilker] Dr. Leahy did his best for us arid was very good. Ours was an awful experience, arid the chance of escape would have been small had not the attack occurred in daylight) in calm weather, and with the water warm. It will be a comfort to the relatives of the nurses in New Zealand to know that they were so splendidly brave and self-sacrificing in facing death."