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WHfICN VESSEL HITS A MINE
LAID BY THE ENEMY —SON OF
WELL-KNOWN LOCAL FARMER.
HAS AN INTERESTING TIMB
Uear Mother:
My intentions right now ure to try and
write you a few lines.
I am o watch in the engine room, that
is what little of an engine room we have
left. We were struck by mine* on July
olh at 10 o’clock in the morning. At the
lime of the explosion 1 was in the engine
room, although I was not on duly, having
been relieved a little while before, but 1
have a habit of staving in the engine room
when of! watch because while in the mine
fields, everyone is supposed to atay on the
top side of the boat with life preservers
•u Th* weather i* cold up there and I
never did like to wear a life preserver
say way, (life extinguishers, we call them I,
so 1 always stay down in the engine room
while off watch as well as on, and make it
my sleeping and dining room.
However the first mine struck forward
a little on the starboard side under the
magazine, tearing a hole in the ship’s keel,
we don’t know how big yet. 1 was asleep
at tbe time, but wua not long coming
awake. 1 wee thrown info the air among
pieces of machinery, atcum and smoke. All
lights were put out. 1 made my way to
the lop aide, and opened the door, the
water wae even with the threshold. This
made the water about two feet deep on the
deck. As I waded out a Muck smoke was
hanging on the water; the top of the wuler
looked as black as ink.
The order was given from the bridge
to “stand by, abandon ship,’’ I then
started to the boat deck, where my boat
waa, but on the way i found Howell strug
gling in the water. He was badly hurt,
something having fallen on bis arm and
shoulder. I managed to get him upon
deck, sad on reaching the motor boat, I
found Rand, ray man, already there trying
to start the engine. He gave us a life pre
server, each. 1 managed to lash on flow
ell'a—he could not atuuii to iiave one put
on properly. 1 then turned my attention
to helping lower the boat. We had only
begun lw raise the boat when a mine ex
ploded aft aqd to the port side. Water
went as high as I could see, and of course
wa all knew it would soon be coming down.
1 ran for Howell to keep him from being
waahed overboard.
He swung to me while I swung to a
guy leading to the top of the mast. The
water came down in a solid mass, drench
lug us and completely filling the ship. But
the boat twisted first starboard and then
port and we wore glad to sec that aha wag
still afloat. AJthougti the lorwaiu euu *■
down the first deck on the starboard side
was touching the watro. The fellows for
ward come upon deck, carrying a few
ilothes they had ran down and gotten hold
of. They said their quarters were filling
with water. The crew turned all the wa
ter tight doors, and all preparations were
being made to save the ship if possible.
Two other mine sweepers came along
and lewered big suction hoses into the com
partments filled with water; this stopped
the ship from sinking. The best we could
do was almost to hold our own. There
wss tlie greatest turmoil of passing ropes
snd iiose 1 ever saw. The ships could not
come up very close becuuse of the big
waves and swells which would cause our
ship to crash into the other. One sub
chaser that came along side to bring a
doctor had a hole torn in her side.
QiU. machinery was completely disabled,
ftle steam was let out of the boilers, and
not having any pressure our pumps were
useless. Several attempts were made to
give us a steam hose, and at one time was
successful, but on account of the rough
water it soon parted. Suction hoses
patted time alter time. The crew was
kept busy all the lime working with these.
I left the work long enough to run down
and get my camera and rolls of film. I
just got on deck when I met the chief rn
gineer ooming out of a door. He asked
ine to take his picture, saying he was al
most dead but not quite. I noticed as ho
went off he had a bad leg. I took a few
snap shots and then went to work.
The waves would come over the deck
and drench us time after time, the ship
would no longer rise and lower with them,
but she seemed to stay still and let the
waves roll over her.
And I want to tell you the waters of the
North Sea are cold, and the weather too.
I thought several times that 1 w-as going
to freeze. One good thing, we did not
have any night, as it it always day at this
time of tbs year.
One of the ships sent over some alcohol
in coffee, but I was afraid to drink (or fear
it would do more harm than good.
I went in the compartment where the
hoses were getting their suction and
worked like fighting fire to keep clothing,
blankets and mattresses that were floating
all over the water from stopping them up.
and nfter several hours of this, the chief
engineer passed word to come out and pre
pare to leave the ship.
The U. S. Ider oame alongside and we
jumped aboard. I went right to the engine
room where 1 got warmed up. Afterwards
I got a bath, for 1 was covered from iiead
to foot with fuel oil which was floating on
the water in the compartments, the mine
having opened up some of the fuel tanks.
A sailor gave me some dry clothes and
a good feed was served out. .After work
ing 24 hours we finally beached tlie ship
and at present we are making no liead
way raising it. We have repaired one
boiler and we have it steaming now. This
furnishes enough steam for our pumps.
OUT—COPY MISSING -
room and they sure are throwing water.
We expect to leave here soon for some
drvdock, maybe tonight.
the U. S. S. Ider and U. S. S. Ank are
standing by us to give us a tow. I do not
know whether the crew will be taken off
or not, I rather think as soon as we reach
port that the ship will be stripped to a
skeleton crew.
All the men whose sleeping quarters are
forward, (and this is about half of the
crew! lost all of their clothes, as they were
soaked with fuel oil, they only have what
they have on their backs, and they are full
f oil. My bunk and docker being in the
extreme aft end, the driest place on the
shin, they were not damaged a bit.
One tiling, it is going to lake a long
time to repair this ship and then 1 do not
think it will ever he used for mine sweep
ing again.
Tliere is no less than 40 days’ sweeping
to do yet, and we cannot lie repaired by
that time, so maybe this will end my mine
sweeping experiences. 1 rather feel as
though 1 had had my share anyway, us
this is the Becond time we have been bit.
There's no use worrying about me iH the
least for 1 am getting along fine, and i
am still glad J oV*V, Jor 1 have had
*-oO'e' wonderful experiences.
I do not know when 1 am going to get
out of the navy but we expect to be back
in the state in 2 months, so look for me
any day.
With love and best w ishes to all,
FRED O. RAY,
I'JtWvi. E ft g p F M ,t N' , Y
* if safe 8
®lf Christ Staid Come Today dja)
and ask: jlflllaf
“What have yon done to make known to others the blessings 1
of the gospel you enjoy—to your next door neighbors, to those in the surrounding
counties and to those in the uttermost parts of the world?” what would
your answer be?
/ r: t ttt:--t-t- 4 11t- * ********************* *** ************ *♦♦♦♦
+„+„**++*++***************************+********+*********************************************
Whatever you may have done in the past, the
BAPTIST 75 HUM CAMPAIGN
* offers you a larger opportunity for service along this line in the futui e.
....... •* t *+*****' s ‘**** , >** , h****** , 5 M * - ***<•<***'F*'*'**
These Are Willing
to Hear the Gospel:
400,000,000 in China.
275,000,000 in India.
50,000,000 in Japan.
23,000 000 in Asiatic Russia.
41,000,000 in Malaysia.
50,000,000 in South Africa.
50,000, °OO in the Sudan.
57,000, tOO in ether parts of Af
rica.
50,000.000 in South America.
20,000,000 in Mexico and Cen
tral America.
13,000,000 in the South who arc
not Christians.
Victory MiiL November li-Decemlir 7
Une Up With the Baptist. Church of Your Community
and do the liberal part in raising
How Monsy Will Be Spent
Foreign Missions $20,000,000
Ilcmc Missions $12,000,000
State Mir-rions SII,OOO 003
Christian Education.. $20,000,000
Orphanages $ 4,700,003
Hospitals $ 4,800,000
I.liniricrial Relief 0 2,500,003
Rev. C. T. Brown,
W. W. Heard,
It proposes to raise $75,000,000 in cash and five-year
pledges between now and December 7 for extending the
Kingdom of God through greater emphasis upon evangel
ism, enlistment, Christian education and Christian benevo
lence at home and in all parts of the world.
The Drive for Funds Will Be Made During
SViILLIONS FOR
the piaster
THIS SPACE CONTRIBUTED BY
T. J. Pirkle
r-
Forsyth Cos. News.
These Are C'.rist’s
Commands to Us:
Go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel to every crea
ture—Mark 13:15.
Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on Him
in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in Him
of whom they have not heard? and
how shall they hear without a
preacher? and how shall they
preach except they be sent? —Ro-
mans 10:13-15.
As my Father hath sent me,
even so send I you.—John 20:21.
Pointers For Baptists
We can do more in five years
than we have done in fifty if we
will trust God.
The task is great but not too
large and not near so great as the
need.
Faith and work can accomplish
all things.