ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1915, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

THE MARQUETTE. A NURSE'S STORY. PREPARED FOR MISHA Received Nov. 24, 12.10 a.m. London, Nov. 23. A New Zealand nursing sister, who is a suivivor of the Marquette disaster, tells a thrilling story of the experiences of the New Zealand hospital unit, who had been doing most valuable work in the hospital at Port Said. They embarked on the Marquette at Alexandria on October 10, with a number of English soldiers, who had lifebelt drill on the voyage. They were warned of the dingers lurking from submarines, and therefore were prepared for mishap.

LAUNCHING THE BOATS. The Marquette was within a few hours of Salonika, on the morning of October 2.'i,' when a periscope was sight ed. An explosion followed almost immediately, arid the Marquette commenced to -list. The sea was calm and there was a light breeze. There was a good chance for escape, but several •boats were overturned in the confusion. While they were being launched some hung perpendicularly, while another lifeboat fell upon one that was already in the water, causing several casualties. Sister fox, another New Zealand nurse, was injured, and was not seen again.

HANGING ON FOR DEAR UFK The narrator continues: ' : Our boat was not lowered properly. We were suspended from one davit for some lime, hanging on for dear life. Then the rope was cut and we all fell into the sen. 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.

NURSES CHEER THIi TOMMIES. "The nurses behaved with grand courage, and refused to go into the hoats until most of the soldiers were saved. The nurses stayed on the decks cheering the Tommies, until only a few men remained to help the women into the boats. But for tine 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 lifeboat. HOW THE BRAVE DIED. "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 wreckage. We were swamped again and again until we were exhausted. It was pitiful to see nurses and soldiers tiring in their frantic struggles, finally releasing their grasp oil 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. A PATHETIC FAREWELL. "As I watched her she nodded feebly in return, but I was powerless to help her. That was the. last I saw of her, 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. THE RESCUE,

"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 several 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. NEW ZEALAND HEROINES. "Sister Rae 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. Tliey were clinging to a board, along with Sister Walker. Dr. Leahy did his best for us and was very good. Ours was an awful experience, and 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 bravo and self-sacrificing in facing death." GERMAN DREADNOUGHT SUNK.

.<lai;D IN THE BALTIC. 'Received Nov. 23, 10.50 p.m. Amsterdam, Nov, 23. H is reported that one of Germany's newest dreadnoughts lias been mined and sunk in the Baltic. All on board were saved, with the exception of thirty-three. TURKISH TRANSPORT SUNK. FIVE HUNDRED DROWNED. Received Nov. i.'i, .1.5 p.m. Amsterdam, Nov. 22. A Zurich telegram states that a Turkish transport with five hundred troops struck a mine in the sea of Marmora and sunk, nearly all' on board beingdrowned. IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. NINE ENEMY SUBMARINES MISSING Received Nov. 23, 5.5 p.m. Paris, Nov. 22. The Turco-Germans are concerned over the disappearance of nine submarines in the Mediterranean, and they fear th»t the* era loa^