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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1921)
THE BEE: OMAHA. SATURDAY, MAY 14, 15)21. 7 Daring Destroyers of United Navy Were Declares Former Secretary- Daniels By JOSEPHUS DANIELS rwmr Swntvy tht Niy III to 1121. CvHht. 1121. ty John r. Olllt. Crlhl ky Natlanal Nnmnr S.rvlct. Cayrfaht In Gr.f Brlt tll, Ciaill lit thrwaNt Frnitt. All nihil mtnti. ItieMKl trimUtloii Into faraltn UfWtMi latltllii tht SifillM. Uatuthorlu raprlntlni lor y urpoi torbHdi. Making its way across the North Atlantic a convoy of troopships was ctilt nearly 500 miles from land when a fledgling army officer who wii making his first trip across, remarked: "All you can hear about now adays is the navy; the navy this, the navy that; but as far as I can see, the navy is not doing much in this war." " One of the civilians in the party rose to his feet, pulled out his watch and said; "In 10 minutes six United States destroyers will meet this convoy " ' . "What are you talking abouf?" said the officer; "how do you know?" "Well," returned the civilianJ'it is now 4:05 o'clock. The destroyers are ordered to meet this convoy at 4:15 p. m., and they will be here."- The party went put on deck to natch and to the minute, at 4:15, there hove in sight six destroyers. Swinging into line on each side of the convoy, the saucy little vessels, hjtaving foam and spray from bow tJ stern, spanked along through the heavy seas. "Good heavens," exclaimed the officer, "if these little destroyers can csme 500 miles to sea in any kind of weather, keep their schedule and locate on a convoy on the dot, I will believe anything I hear regarding the navy."" 1 Backbone of Convoy System. That story was told me by a man who was on that transport, and nothing could better illustrate the efficiency of these splendid grey hounds of the sea. They went out afcd stayed out in all kinds of w.eathcr, performing ' their duties in sun and storm, guarding troopships aid cargo- transports, liners and Merchant vessels keeping open the sea lanes for the flow of troops, munitions and commerce. They were tlje backbone of the convoy system, far they were the escort through the clanger zone. JThe deadliest foe of the submarine, tlje very presence of destroyers was uiually sufficient cause for the U boat to submerge and scurry away. For every subnarine encounter there were a score of, submarine avoid afices. tYet our destroyers in Euro pean waters were credited with 256 aCtacks on tl-boats, and there were not a few exciting eucounters. In all the annals of the war there 5 no more striking example of pjompt action and quick results than that of the Fanning and Nicholson on November 17, 1917. Gets. Glimpse of Periscope. . These destroyers' were escorting a 6nvoy hi British waters when at 4jl0 p. m. Coxswain Loomis, lookout on the Fanning, caught the glint of a pcriscopev I' was a nnKer Per'" sJope. a tiny thing only an inch and ajhalf in diameter, no larger than a walking stick. It was lifted far only a!few seconds, but the keen eyes of Lpomis caught a glimpse, of it, and, he estimated its distance and loca tion three points on the port bow, 4Q0 yards distant, moving across the bjw at two knots speed. ;'- j Thc Fanning headed for 'the. spot, full speed, and as if crossed the course dropped a depth bomb, lhc .Nicholson changed course and was dashing across to drop another charge when the conning tower of the submarine appeared. The Nich olson headed for the submarine full speed and the Fanning turned in her wake to attack. The . Nicholson dropped a depth charge alongside the U-boat and turned, firing from her stern gun. The sub's bow came up rapidly.. She seemed to- be down by the stern and " was evidently damaged, but tried to right herself and increased her speed. As the Nicholson cleared the Fanning opened fire with her bow gun. At the" third shot the "German crew came . on deck and held up their hands. - At 4:28 the submarine sur rendered. It had been only 18 min utes since ' Loomis had sighted her eriscope. Scuttle Surrendered Boat. 'The destroyers got a line to the crippled craft, preparing to take it in. tow. But two ofiti crew disap peared for a moment. They scuttled tnt boat.. As it sank the Germans jv.nipcd 5nto the water and swam for the Fanning. Heaving lines were thrown to them, and all but one managed to get aboard. When it was seen that he was sinking, two of th.e Fanning's men. Chief Pharma cist's Mate Elzer Harwell and Cox swain Francis G.' Connor, jumped overboard to rescue him. They got him aboard the Fanning, but in spite of, all efforts to resuscitate him he died. :The Germans were eiven hot cof fee, sandwiches and cigarets. Men of the Fanning loaned their warm cloth ing, and no prisoners were ever bet- boats that were to take them ashore they cheered the Farming and its crews. . .. " ! - ' The O'Brien, Trippe. Warrington, Tenkins. Wadsworth, Cummmgs, Wykes, Benham, Parker, Jacob Jones, McDougal, Davis, Conyng ham, Allen, Reid, Stewart, Porter, Pattersoif, Beale, Burrows, Allen, Sterrett and Tucker were officially credited by tihe British admiralty with successful attacks, and there w ere others which probably deserved it, bt were not able to present such clear evidence. For the authorities over there required pretty good evi dence, before they gave any credits. i'The gallant destroyers did most tj combat the submarine menace. They were the bully boys who al vftys kept the subs on the run. At sf a two-thirds of the time, they escorted three-fourths of the trans ajiantic tonnage in and out of Eu ropean ports. Some of them made astounding records. The first year after we entered the war at least three, the Porter,. Davis and Gonyngham, steamed about 65,000 rtiles each, nearly three times the distance around- the globe, while the Caldwell for some time aver aged 8,500 miles a month, over 280 miles a day. No class of ship, big or little, ever excelled this record. "Cnt Him Anything He Wants"; Regarding the Caldwell, I must tell you a little story about Com mander Byron McCandless. At the beginning of the war he was my nval aid, and when he begged to go to sea he was assigned. to this destroyer, then building at Mare inland. He reached the California nvy yard not long after the keel ufas laid. Impatient to get his ship finished, he wa.s on the job day and sight He banged away, at it so Deadly Fear, persistently that the workmen called him "Capt. King-Bang." One day the acting chief of naval operations came into my office with a telegram from McCandless ask ing that' a laundry be installed in the Caldwell. He handed me a letter he had prepared disapproving the request. "Hold on there, now," I said, "That officer is working overtime to get his ship done. Give him anything he wants, and send it by express." Then the acting chief held out his other hand. It con tained a dispatch approving the re quest. "I knew you would want this dispatch, Mr. Secretary," he said, "but I thought I would see first what I could do with, the let ter," Makes Double Record. McCandless finished his ship in record time and for his trial trip made another record by making the run from San Francisco through the Panama canal to Hampton at a speed of 30 knots an hour. After a short rest he took her across the Atlantic and made another record in the war zone. Their skill in navigating, in locat ing convoys or vessels in distress or boats containing survivors was posi tively uncanny. When the President Lincoln was sunk 500 miles at sea the Smith and the Warrington hur-1 ried to the rescue. Other snips in the convoy had sent by wireless the location as they hurried away to es cape the submarine. The two de stroyers were 250 miles from the scene. That, wireless message was all they had to steer by. The Lin coln was sunk about 9 o'clock in the morning, and it w.as 11. o'clock that night when the rescuers reached the locality. But so accurately had the destroyed oftkers estimated the drift that in the darkness they almost ran into the rafts. Can you imagine a nicer piece of calculation than that? Drop Bombs on Sub. As they speeded toward Brest, 1512 DOUGLAS STREET Beauty of Style Commands Attention in These Dainty Organdie Frocks WITH . their special pricing, their freshness in appearance, rich new colorings and won derful styles these exquisite Organ die dresses are bound to win many friends here Saturday. Stunning New Sport M AKINGr that : has . ever been this store's privilege to show. . new Tricolettes in the richest of color ings. Wonderfully embroidered, braided and lace trimmed creations. Unusual FRESH from their packings we offer for Saturday these striking new ar rival sport skirts, novel checks, silk faille, wool stripes and plaids. iYou'll readily recognize them as being worth decidedly more than May Sale of Silk Underwear Now is the time to lay in your complete supply -at $1.95 Fine Silk Jersey - Vests. Several Styles States of U-Boats, their decks crowded with the hun dreds of survivors, the Smith and Warrington discovered signs ot a submarine. Rushing to the attack, they dropped depth bombs all around the location. They had estimated it so accurately that though the sub descended to so great a depth that the water threatened to crush in its sides, the depth bombs shook it like an earthquake. And that undersea craft hiding beneath them turned out to be the very submarine that had sunk the Lincoln, the U-90. It got away at last, but that German certainly had a narrow escape. A thrilling example of the courage, quick decision and prompt action that characterized the destroyer force was that of the Shaw, October 11. 1918 Escorting the big British transport Aquitania, the Shaw was just com pleting the right leg of a zig-zag that brought it close to the convoy when its rudder jammed. As the huge transport turned the destroyer was aimed straight toward its side. Com mander William Glassford, captain of the destroyer, realized that a col lision was ; inevitable. Either de stroyer or transport would he sacri ficed. If the sharp prowed destroyer struck the Aquitania, the big transport, with 8,000 men aboard, might be ripped and sunk, with heavy loss of life. Captain Sacrifices His Ship. Glassford decided instantly to sac rifice his own ship. Unable to turn it aside, he gave the order, "Full astern? A moment later the Aquitania struck the destroyer and sliced it almost in two, passing through it without even slowing speed. Striking just forward of the bridge, the Aquitania ' cut off 90 feet of Shaw's bow and raked the whole length of her side, stripping open- tne torwara Doner room ana tearing out the mainmast, which, in falling, jammed the starboard en gine. . - Sparks ignited the oil in the tor- ward tank, setting fire to the vessel. The Duncan and the Kimberly went to the assistance of the Shaw, the Kimberly rescuing the survivors in the bow, which was floating 200 yards from the remainder of the ship. Bring Vessel Into Port. That the vessel kept afloat at all seemed remarkable;, to get it to port appeared almost impossible. But those brave boys of the Shaw put out the fire in the face of burst ing ammunition. They rigged up its engines and got them working again and repaired the steering gear. their initial appear $ 1 1 ance Saturday are hosts of ' the smartest sport dresses Wonderful effects in Organdie, Taffeta, Crepe de ... Chine and Tricolettc. Rich combinations of colors. The moderateness of . price makes them, doubly, at ' , tractive. Blouse Values of Interest . -r a t t 1 ' 1 11 ' Ruali value giving reacnes its iuii- est scope in this unusual blouse offering. Smart Georgettes and Values in Sport Skirts of silk undertmngs. . -at $2.95 Jersey Vests, Bloomers, Satin Camisoles, Crepe de Chine And they navigated that remnant of a ship to port, reaching Portland at 1:30 in the afternoon. Two of its officers and 10 men of -its crew were dead, killed in the collision. Three officers and 12 men were in jured. Its bow and most of the forward part of the ship was gone. But what was left of it was in port; and it was taken to a ship yard, a new forward part built on it and in a few months it was again in commission, and is doing splen did service in the navy today.. Could there be a better tribute than that to the stanchness of our destroyers and the undying spirit and superb efficiency of their officers and men? (Another articls by former ttcretarj Dantala will ba printed tomorrow.) State Tax Commissioner Explains Assessments Lincoln, May 13. (Special.) Complaints filed with W. H. Os borne, state tax commissioner, by the Standard Oil company against assessments put on the company's oil tank resulted in the issuance of the following statement by Os borne; "Assessors valued oil tanks from a schedule on that subject sent out recently from this office. The com pany now declares this to be too high. I learned from factories at Omaha the prices paid by the com pany for its tanks. I gave these figures to the assessors as a basis to work on telling them to assess the property in the same manner they assessed other property." Forest Protection Week To Be Observed May 22-29 Lincoln. May 13. (Special.) In a proclamation issued today Gov, S. R. McKelvie set aside the week of May 22 to 29 as Forest Protec tion week. He urged organizations to devote their energies that week toward instilling in, the minds ot the public the necessity of providing protection for the country's forests. i Lincoln Man Elected Head Of Schools at Oxford Oxford, Neb., May 13. (Special.) Lowell S. Devoe of Lincoln has been elected superintendent of the Oxford schools to succeed R. B. Thornton, who goes to Guide Rock. Plan Amusement Park Beatrice, Neb., May 13. (Special.) Waylon Miller, wealthy land own er living west of Beatrice, has pur chased property just west of the Court street bridge in West Bea trice, where he expects to establish an amusement park this summer, A labor university is to be 'con structed in Brussels, Belgium, which will unite the 25 professional schools scattered around Brussels. 50 Dresses A (ST V yl W J) I $5 "at $3.95 Extra Heavy Jersey, Vests, Bloomers, Satin Camisoles, Teddy Bears $J975 m m League Debates In Nebraska Arc Being Planned 1 1 " " Townley and Langer Will Meet in Series of Talks One May Be Held iu Omaha. Lincoln, May 13. Ilalf a dozen debates will take place in Nebraska during the last week in May be tween A. C. Townley, president of the National Nonpartisan league, and former. Attorney General Wil liam Langer of North Dakota, ac cording to announcement made to- ipi Menhere's the issue that contributes mightily toward Barker's ability to offer better style selections To assemble a stock of clothing, from one or two houses means to take all the gooJ, bad and indifferent because every house specializes on some particular type of suit, and naturally neglects the balance of their line. Barker's method of selecting the Best and only the Best from more than - twenty 'of America's Foremost Clothes Makers permits the widest of selections and every, one ia masterpiece. The New Low Level in Clothing Prices Is HereInvestigate! Men in eveiy walk of life have awaited the Clothing Market to descend to that stage where a dollar bought a full dollar's worth of Cloth ing. That time hat arrived at Barker's. There is no need for further waiting and watcfiing. Come in compare today's values with the best you encountered in 1914. We'll abide by your judgment. 2nd Floor day from the league's state head quarters here. One of these debates probably will take place in Beatrice and an other may be held in Omaha. The date and place of each will be an nounced later. The series is to start May 25 and terminate on the 31st. It is expected that local posts of the American Legions in towns where the discussions take place will make arrangements in Langer's behalf. Langer and Townley are now making a tour of Kansas and presenting the facts about Non partisan league rule in North Da kota from their opposite points of view. ' Bank Charter Extended Washington, D. C. May' 13. (Special Telegram.) The charter of Merchants National bank of Ne braska City, Neb., has been ex tended to May 13, 1941.' Wenty &efc ahove It's only logical that Barker Y should offer the best values because they've eliminated-" Gigantic ground floor rentals . Losses from bad book accounts ' f High insurance rates Investments in elaborate fixtures Barker's reputation for value and style su premacy in Omaha's Clothing Field should be your reason for coming in for a try-on tomorrow. Assure yourself of a positive saving of at least $10.00 by taking the elevator direct to I ' - - Securities Bldg. A Word It matters not whether you are big or small, fat or About Size thin. There's a Barker suhVthat will fit you Tight. York Farmer Cleared Of Alienation Charge 1 Lincoln, May 13. (Special.) It took a jury in federal court 15 min utes to return a verdict in favor of Henry Branr, wealthy farmer near York, in a $5,000 alienation of af fection suit brought against him by Frank Amos, St. Joseph street car motorman. Amos charged that gifts of money and clothes bestowed on his wife by Brans, on trips to St. Joseph won her affections, caused her to leave home and marry Bran. He obtained a divorce a few months later. The woman in the case is 30 and good looking. While she was at tending the trial yesterday she was arrested on a charge of cashing a no-fund check on a Lincoln depart ment stone. Testimony at the trial showed she was married four times the RISK pent 16th and and was divorced the same numbci cf times. " Alleged Insane Woman to Get Money Paid for Stock Lincoln, May 13.1 Fannie E Griggs of Raymond, alleged to hav been insane when she purchased. $44,255 worth of stock of the Ne braska Building and Investment conipanv, was awarded a verdict for $43,410.?2 by a district court jury here today. The suit Mas brought by Mrs. Griggs guardian, C. D. Coe First Open Air Concert At Deshler Well Attended Deshler, Neb., May 13.-(Spccial.) Over 1,000 attended the first open air concert given by the Deshler band. These concerts will be given every Thursday evening during the summer under the auspices of the Commercial club. Farnam