NOT AFRAID TO DIE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 17029, 2 December 1915, Page 2

NOT AFRAID TO DIE.

ORDER AND COOLNESS.

THE TORPEDOED TRANSPORTS,

(By CAPTATN BEAN, Official Correspondent with Australian Forces.)

(Copyright.)

(Rights Specially Secured by “ Lyttel-

ton Times.”)

ALEXANDRIA. September 17

GABA TEPEH, September 7. —The scene on the transport Southland, which was torpedoed while carrying Australians to Lemnos, recalls the story of the Birkenhead. It was a cloudless, sunny morning, with a fresh breeze and a choppy sea. The Southland was bowling along not far from the journey s end. The only land in sight was the distant sunbathed shores of the Greek islands. . . Exactly at 9.43 in the morning some of those on deck saw the wake ot a torpedo travelling straight for tlie ship. They watched hopelessly. The next moment there was a loud explosion, and a hole 40ft by 12ft was blown in the port side, forward. Some of the deck stanchions were blown clean through the opposite side of the ship, making a hole there, also. There came a sound of water rushing in. The men turned out immediately. There had been boat drill on the voyage, and the men ran straight to their proper places and lined up, their officers shouting, “Steady, boys; that’s the one thing; steady.” Tlie men’s stations were partly in the half darkness of 'tween decks, and partly in tho sunlight on the upper deck. The Southland' was listing hpavily to port. Afterwards tlie list changed with a lurch to the starboard, but the men stood. Their discipline was perfect. In the forward parts of the ship, they could soe the hatch broken in, and tho water washing about tho dark space of the hold with the bodies of some of their comrades, who were killed' by the explosion, floating about in it. Occasionally a mail would turn a head to look down to see how the water was making. ' “ Bad luck that two and a half months in the desert should end like this,” said one. “ Are we downhearted?” called! another. “ No,” they all shouted. “ Are we to die?” called someone, else. “No!” they shouted again. “Are there enough boats for all?” one of tho men asked of his officer. “Don’t know,” was'the reply. “The best thing we can do is to cut down some of those horse-boxes in case they are necessary.” So the party set to work with might and main chopping down part of the temporary fittings. Meanwhile up in the sunlight the order came that trie boats had been launched, but owing to the haste one or two had overtwned. The order then came, “Six men wanted to jump into the sea and right an overturned lifeboat.” Six men came forward instantly, dived over, righted the overturned boat, and baled: her out. Tlie boats were brought round to the gangways or rope ladders, and the men were in by twelve o’clock. The last boat that left the ship contained the general and staff, who were travelling by this ship. During the long wait the men had amused themselves singing songs. There remained on the Southland the, captain, officers and some members of the crew, and a number of Australian officers and men who volunteered to stoke the ship and bring her to port. Portion of tho crew of the Southland proved worse than useless from the first moment of excitement, and, though other members of the crew gave an. example of courage and coolness, the great part of the crew’s work had from the first to be done by the soldiers. The mining engineers helped to got the pumps going, and officers and privates stoked, and the Southland was eventually able to struggle to Mudros. An officer who saw the attack on the Southland tells me that, after the torpedoing of the vessel, a boat containing Brigadier-General Lilian was near the ship when the boat overturned. The brigadier was seen in the water, swimming well, and someono shouted to him, “How are you getting on sir?” Ho "answered, “I am doing well, save the others first.” The rescuers accordingly continued to pick up others, leaving* the brigadier, who was a strong swimmer. He was among the last to be picked up, and when taken from the water was alive, but very exhausted. He died shortly after from 6hock and exposure.