MEET SILAS Q. SWING

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3277, 10 March 1931, Page 3

MEET SILAS Q. SWING

A WAR COMEDY. Submarine stories of exploits in the Baltic and the Narrows, unequalled for the supreme courage and audacity displayed, are contained in a war book fascinating from first page to last. It is "By Guess and By God." Under this quaint title Lieut. William Guy Carr has collected the adventures of the British submarine service. One is furnished with an unforgettable picture of the exhausting and nerve-racking life aboard a submarine and of the grim humour often required to bear it. The drollest episode in the book rounds off the redoubtable Captain Nasmith's experiences in the Sea of Marmora.

"Late in the morning a small steamer was sighted and ordered to stop. She ignored the order. Ell, having no gun mounted, was forced to come to the surface and rely on the dependable rifle. The effect of a few rounds of small-arms fire was startling. The crew took to the boats in a panic. Two were capsized getting them into the water. The crew of Ell cursed the crew for their clumsiness, and lent a hand to help them rgiht their boats. During the confusion a sedate, calm figure appeared on the upper deck. With a scrupulous regard for social etiquette he made no attempt to speak until spoken to. Neither did he show the least concern at being the one remaining person on board. He was certainly no Turk.

"When asked for explanations he introduced himself, 'Silas Q. Swing, of the Chicago Sun, and tendered his card over the ship's side to prove it. He then objected to the inconveneince Ell was causing him. Duty and a waiting world required that he get to Chanak and find out what was happening there. "Asked if the steamer had any supplies on board, he sensibly replied that he had no Tdea what was on board. Nor did he give a damn, it appeared. "Mr Swing impressed Nasmith very much. He always said he must have been the world's most unobservant journalist. 'When D'Oyly Hughes, my first lieutenant, went on board, the first thing he saw was a six-inch gun lashed across one of the hatchways. The mounting was located in the forehold, and in

the afterhold was a plentiful supply of ammunition to fit it. On deck were cases marked "Krupp." Mr. Swing* was invited to join the crew in the righted boats and forget about Chanak. The waiting world would have to wait. Hughes placed a demolition charge, and Swing saw his means of transportation slide out of sight."