AT SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 7 June 1917, Page 7

AT SEA.

THE SINKING OF THE LACONIA. (By Floyd Gibbons, of the "Chicago Tribune," who was on board.) As an American, passenger on board the Laconia, which was sunk by a German submarine last Sunday light, I was travelling as a journalist —a neutral observer of this war. I booked a berth in this liner with \ view to the possibility of being the spectator of a great historic event—the "overt act" which would bring the United States into the war. It would not be true to say that I came hoping that the ship would be torpedoed, but there was undoubtedly the chance, and if it did occur on this occasion I meant to be present. In any event, the life seemed to be so small as to warrant one taking the journey, otherwise I should not have Come. On the Sunday evening three of us —two Englishmen and one American —were talking in the lounge on the one topic of the voyage —the chances of our being torpedoed. It -was night, and therefore the sense of danger was more or less absent, because hitherto we had not heard of ships being attacked in the dark. One Englishman, who had been absent from Europe a good many years said: "The odds are 4000 to 1 that we shall not be hit." The other Englishman, a London solicitor, began carefully to weigh the possibilities with legal preciseness. "Consider," he said, "the size of this ship, its great importance, and also that we are already now in the danger zone." His companion listened attentively and then was disposed to revise his estimate. "Considering all those arguments," he said, "I reckon that the odds are 250 to 1 that we shall not be torpedoed." lie smiled confidently, and then . . . Brrrump! The noise sounded no more than a slight collision, but we all knew what it meant. j "What a lousy torpedo,'\ said one J American. : Then we heard an explosion, but it made about as much noise as the vioi lent slamming of a heavy door. Five seconds more and "Toot —toot —toot —toot—toot" —five blasts on the whistle above. 1 A gramophone in the lounge Avas 'playing "Poor Butterfly." We all 1 made for the door hurriedly, but there i was no rush, and only tSe first man out broke into a run. I went to my stateroom and got some belongings, and came up on deck to find that all the deck lights j had been switched on—and it was as j bright as a roof-garden. ' The time was .about half-past nine and, thanks to these lights we were able to get to the boats, already swinging cut, very quickly. There; were powerful lights al3o to show up the sides o: the liner, so that we could sec the water. I am confident that man5 r more lives would have been lost but Tor this precaution. • ThGic. was cue ineideat that fteaaied

comic even in these circumstances. A young- American, who had been helping to lower the boat my party was in, got entangled in the ropes, so that w-hen the boat went down he went up. A little later, when we had left the ship, I saw a man above preparing to jump, and then there was a splash, and above the surface of the water appeared the grinning face of our young friend, who got into the boar. The sky was overcast and there was a heavy run of black, ragged' clouds. It was doubtful whether the boats could stand much more of a swell, but fortunately the sea was not choppy. It was cold, and there were one or two very lightly clad firemen in our boat who felt it keenly. A grey old mariner in this boat took charge. Once or twice we fancied we saw searchlights, and then finally there was a radiance in the sky, and a finger of light would flutter about occasionally. After only six Jiours of it we were picked up. Meanwhile, there was tragedy in another boat which had not been so Successfully launched and had shipped a good deal of water. Among the people in it was a re;markable old Englishman of seventyone, named Naylor. Grey, thin, and virile, Gft. 4in. in height, clad in evening dress, and two American ladies, Mrs. Hoy and hen daughter, and a

priest. All of them were sitting in the water up to their waists. The boat was almost level with the sea and only its air tanks kept it afloat. Those American women sat close together, their arms around each other.

"It's all right; —we shall come through/' they said. Between three and foun o'clock in the morning they saw a relief ship on the horizon go towards the other boats and pick up the survivors, but this little boat had drifted away, and although they shouted they could not attract attention and the ship went away. The women were beng overcome with a drowsiness that in their plight meant death. The elder was the first to succumb.

"Wake up mother —don't go to. sleep,'' said hen daughter, but the mother could hold out no longer. The daughter patted her face and tried to wake her, but soon she, too, fell asleep, and presently both the bodies floated off the seat into the middle of .the boat.

They were gently lifted back again. In another part of the boat was an eldenly man with a young girl. The man was dead, but she did not know it.

' ' Hell ! I cannot stand this any longer!" exclaimed a fireman. "I'm going over the side."

"No, we don't want to think of that," said a British priest. The man went to the priest and said. "Hit me in the face, father.'' The father struck his numb cheeks, and then the fireman and his companion sat close to the priest, and one man rubbed his face on the priest's coat and said. "That feels good, chum. All three hugged together for warmth.

Not long afterwards they made out what looked like a mast. The united strength of three exhausted men lifted an oar to which was tied a handkersaw the ship turn towards them, and chief. They waved and shouted till they they knew that they were safe. Of all the crew young and old the man who stood the exposure as well as any man was the old man of seventyone. His condition astonished the doc much better than some of the younger men. It is my belief that our ship had been stalked from daylight to darkness by the submarine that torpedoed us. There was a little bit of a moon which was to starboard, and I imagine that the submarine commander brought his craft to the port side so that he could see the hull outlined against the faintly illumined sky. Then just as the moon was setting he let fly with a torpedo which, fortunately for us. missed the engines, so that we Averc able to illumine the deck. He was apparently not satisfied with the effect of his torpedo and* sent another which crashed into the engines, extinguished the light, and hastened the descent of the ship. Our rescuers were ready with every comfort for us—food and clothing and warm drink.. A wonderful body of men are these British seamen, cheery, and taking everything as a matter of course.