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VOL. 79. EDGEFIELD, S. C., \#DNESDAY, JULY 1, 1914 NO. 15. COLLISION AT SEA. interesting Personal Experien ces. A Near Disaster on Th'e Pretoria. Land in ? Sight, When I decided to go to Europe the dangers attendant npon an ocean voyage were the most dread ed ol' all the ills and inconve niences of travel. The memories of th? awful fate of the Titanic had not faded from my mind when 1 lead a few weeks ago of the great loss of life and the sinking of the Empress of Ireland. But being re-, minded by an obi colored person of the old saying that lightning never strikes in the same place wt accept ed that homely philosophy along with many other assurance of safety and sailed on the eleventh of June from Sonth Brooklyn. At the pier were hundreds of people waving farewell to the Pretoria as she start ed on her journey. Some were laughing and waving tiny United States tlags and bouquets of flowers while others were sad and weeping as the ship fade.i from their -;ght. Some were so anxious for the las: glimpse of loved ones that they ran along the platform to the extreme end and remained there until we passed from their view. A little giri about five years old cried during tin entire time nnroreour departure in bidd ng good-bye to some one, probably an aunt or cousin. It ap peared unwise to me to subject a child to such suffering, for it >eem ?d as if her heart would breik as she clung to the lady with ber little arms around her neck. In that vast crowd there was not a familiar face to us but the parting of the lady and child brought te irs to our eyes .and we were really glad that we did not have to pass through such -v^^n ordeal. Afi?V witnessing such a scene and the order,"All ashore" was given severing all connection with the homeland a feeling of sadness came over us for we realized fully then that we were leaving behind us all that was dearest in the world. We could not rid ourselves of these gloomy forebodings that seemed to warn us of some approaching dan ger. But we tried to divert the mind by becoming acquainted with our new surroundings, locating our stateroom, steamer chairs, rugs, dining room tickets and various other little items. There are about 360 passengers besides the steerage and crew and for some time after starting there was great confusion on board before everything was ad justed and settled for the journey. The Wicker party had steamer chairs on the promenade deck on the north side of the vessel, each one marked with the owner's name and supplied with a steamer rug. I We were quite willing to remain in I these chairs for the Hr6t afternoon on board looking out at the smooth | calm waters and ;he clear sky that was so soon to b.come cloudy and bring us into terrible danger. The first night passed quietly and the timid ones were somewhat re-assur ed for the days that were to come. The captain's chair is near our and the second afternoon out he seem ed worried and had little to say, final ly giving orders for the fog horn to be blown. The atmosphere became very heavy and damp, and the fog was so thick that the water could scarce ly be seen from the railing. The loud blasts of the fog horn con ti nued after bed-ti me but our party retired at the usual time with a' fair degree of composure and most of them were able to sleep accord ing to later accounts. The collision between our boat and the New York occurred about 3 o'clock Saturday morning. The stewards ran through the halls erying, "Collision. Everybody on deck," but I did not hear them nor did I feel the shock that many ex perienced. I don't know what awakened us but suppose it was the noise around me. I ran out and ask ed what was the matter, but as this is a German vessel all of the crew .speak German and I could not un derstand them but I knew that something terrible had happened for people were running around in their night clothes in the wildest excitement. I went back to my state room and put on my skirt and coat. Helen awoke and was so If riff') tened she could scarcely Hud any of ' her clothes. Bot I threw something around her and was rush ed upstairs oh deck. At first we didn't sec any of nur party and could get no satisfactory informa tion as to the trouble. So we stood there, cold speechless (with fear, expecting anv moment that the worst would happen. We heard the order for the life boats to be lowered and expected to be in them lin a short while.About that time we saw Mr. and Mrs. Dill, our good friends from Gaffney who explained I the cause of the disaster and ex pressed the opinion that the danger was not so great as it first appeared. Others came up then and we learned more of the details and felt some what comforted. As we were on the opposite side we did not see the steamer New Yo.rk that was visible to so many others. I enclose experiences from some of the passengers who saw tiie oth er ship. One account is from a very intelligent German lady from Port laud, Oregon, Mrs. Backrodt .ind there arc others who had different experiences from minc which may be interesting. We sat on deck until morning as sleep was impossible and listened to j the various stories of the catastro phe. We all wore life preservers and as we were grouped on deck one of our party got a snap shot of us as a melancholy reminder of the flight. The stewards served us coffee about four o'clock in the morning to ''estore our drooping spirits. After ' was all over we be gan to see the humorous side as we recalled the appearances of some of the terror-stricken passengers. One was attired in a heavy bath robe with a vest over that and oth ers were not encumbered with abun dance of clothing. I left everything in our state room, purse, suit cases, everything except an Ingersoll wraicu that we held tightly clasped in our hand. One gloomy passen ger anuo un ced to us when wo were recovering a little from the shock that we were slowly sinking, but contradictory testimony kept us from despair. Some say that they vere not frightened but the majori ty agree that it was one of the most terrible moments of their lives. We went down tne next morning and saw the hole in the ship about six feet long made by tearing one anchor away. As this was 25 feet above water line there is no danger but if it had been nearer water we would have had a similar catastro phe to that of the Empress of Ire land. We can't say where the blame suould be placed. Our captain is always very careful and we think he managed well. The Pretoria is 17 years old. and is now on its 118th trip and this is the first collision. We have regained our composure now and having escaped sea-sickness hope to have a pleasant journey the remainder of the trip. We can't get any mail so the only communication that we have with the outside world is by wireless telegraphy, which gives very meagre accounts of the disaster and other current events. We are thankful that we are all safe, not a single person being in jured on either vessel. This letter will be mailed at Boulogne, France, the first stopping place en route to Hamburg. Our steamer letters have been read and re-read and have been worth their weight in gold. Mamie 2s'. Tillman. At 3:30 of the early morning watch I was awakened by a sudden jarring of the vessel. I sat up and listened to hear ii anything was wrong. At once a ship-servant cried ont along the hall, "Collision, all out on de^k." Hurriedly dress ing, my.wife and I ran D the part of the deck occupied by our party. It was a time of intense excitement. It was reported that in collision with the New York both ships weie injured. Wild confusion was on the New York and women and men screaming. I drew ont a couple of chairs and told Mrs. Dill we had best sit quietly and reserve our strength iii ca*e we had to leave the ship. We bowed in prayer to gether for God's protecting care for us all. Soon the Captain came by and spoke a word in German. I ?called to him to speak in English. I Ile sai 1, 'There is no danger at all." The hole m our strip was high above tue water line and all was well. A few hours later I had a talk with tho Captain. . He told me that the New York was over 80 miles out of her sailing track. Tn the collision his prow struck the ? Now York, and cut an tgly gash .ju feet long and :? fool wide, about 10 fret above nor water line. He" held his vessel in against the Neje York until ber Captain called out. I to draw out, as the ?lainage was above his water line. In the coTJJf sion the anchor on the left of our prow was torn away and carried off by the oilier vessel,, leaving a hole", by 0 feet, but 25 feet above our] water line. There was no dancer at all, ano we could easily continue our voyage. Rev. J. T. Dill, Gaffney, S. C. I am requested to express my feelings experienced from the lini ment of the collision of our, steamer ap to the time when we had been' assured by T he Officials that we were safe. Having faced the death several times in my life I am con siderably insured from feeling of fear or panic. for nobody but my dear parents for whom I am guiug now* were my first and last thought* during this torturing hour. I can not say very much more, because to analyze my feelings more it woura be necessary to sink Pretoria by head, or at least to call "S. 0. S?? Prof. Alex V. Skilinskye .? Moscow, Russia. j . % rnuay evening was the first time that I had really noticed the fog horn. It had blown in its melari-: choly \v?y but once until I decided to retire and so I did under some peculiar feeling, which I am unable to. describe. When I felt the clash about 3 a. ra. Saturday between the ''New York'r and our "PretorisT there was a .throb in my mind, which precision in thought..--*tyfiC words is alike unattainable, as I looked through the port-hole and saw the steamer, there were three preeminent and predominant thoughts that passed through my mind; namely: First; It is a good thing it's morning. Second; The answer I gave io a question put to me about a year a^o (i. e.) In times of difficulty and danger, in whom do you put your trust?1' Third: a short piece of poetry, Behind the dim unknown Standeth God within the shadows. Keeping watch above His own.' Rev. Paul B. Clark, Co vi nirton, Ky. I felt a shock and jumped out of j bed and someone turned on the light. I had ray bed lowered and looked out of the port-hole and said: ''We have company at night. There is a collision." There was a steamer all lighted up against the railing of our ship, with passengers running to and fro screaming in great excitement. There was one woman perfectly nude with a baby in her arms. I went into hall bare footed. I saw people coming out of cabins. Then signal was given to lower life boats. Each one was trying to calm the other. One lady told me to put on life preserver. I said no, it will do no good. If we have to e~o down 1 prefer to go as I am. Then First Officer ?ame in and had coffee served to all and we sat quietly and waited foi our fate. Mrs. A. G. Bachrodt Portland, Oregon. I felt the shock when the two boats collided, and upon rising from my berth aud looking through the port hole I saw a vessel very near us. I could see men and wo men running to and fro and seem ing v-ry much excited. I heard much noise, and upon reaching the upper deck was told by some of the officers that there had been a collision between our vessel and the Steamer New York, but that the danger was past and that the New York had proceeded on her way. This kept me from feeling afraid, and it was not until several hours later that I learned that our vessel had lost an anchor, and that there was quite a hole torn in her above the water line and that we had had a very narrow escape. Mrs. D. A. Covington, Monroe, N. C. It was shortly after ten o'clock wpep I first heard that the captain had crone above because ol' a heavy fog.- About tlii-! time the fog horn sounded first and from that time ?n?! I fell asleep we heard it every Uh ree minutes. I do not know what, j waked me, but'at three-thirty (ora tf&tje before) I heard voices and j^dunds of feet on the deck above. )king out of my Port hole, I be Ji?Td a ship fully ?lighted and pass-| in? us at full speed. On her deck jr^re women and children in great ^Mteraent running to and fro. By rt hiv time I felt our ship stop with a >adderi lurch, and with a feeling of great anxiety 1 hurriedly dressed ?ind rushed on deck, where I found j -^O?t of our party, some wearing life! preservers, others carrying them. ! Some even had small hand, bags! "pntiuining valuables. If was light enough for ns to see 'everything perfectly, and the ships 1 corps were clearing and uncovering: ihe life boats From the olKclals i.o one could gel a word of informa- ! lion except that "It is nothing."' I ware in the middle of the Sea, with ; every wheel of machinery stopped, : it is little wonder, when one rc-! membered the security fell by the passengers on the Titanic, and the great disabler of the Empress of Ireland, that all taces were blanch- j ed with terror and that wild rumors! were afloat. The captain assured us over and over that there was nothing. "Go j below ladies, there is nothing! wrong" he would say, but the ladies (and gentlemen) refused to move. At last with smiling faces the deck stewards came around announc ing coffee is served in the dining room." I believe this was the tirst time that every one felt reassured and the timid comforted. Later we learned that the New York had collided with the Pretoria carried away her auchor and left her (?j^unded but not crippled. " The perfect diaeipl ine of the 'crew of the Pretoria is to be much prais ed, and after this experience we k-el much safer in the hands of our good Captain, who held his vessel in the rent of the other until he had t tlked with the other captain and \>as assured that all was well. I hen to bc doubly sure he held his v-?ssel still until he had heard from t:ie New York twice by wireless, taat she was unharmed and was proceeding on her way to New York. If such precaution had been ob Nerved by the captain who wounded t. e Empress of Ireland her history might have been written differently. Mrs. Annie G. Massey, Hot Springs, Ark. Of course it was on Friday night li it on Saturday morning at 3:l? oar S. S. Pretoria, plunged her anchor into the S. S. City of New York. We were going East, our a ichor fastened on North side of b )W, but the Nev, York had great Double in pulling to the South side ot'S. S. Pretoria before breaking anchor loose and after tearing a great bole about ten feet above water ?line in Our Pretoria S. S., Our Aachor was lost in the S. S. City or N. Y. tearing a great hole about 3-> ft. by 6 ft. just above Water Line,, but the Captain of N. Y. tuld Capt. M. Dugge of Pretoria to back away as there was no danger. To be certain our Captain nat urally thought of the recent disas ter of the Empress of Ireland. So Captain Dugge held his bow to the City of N. Y. until there was no I danger, but the people were wild jon N. Y., screaming to the top of j their voices, begging and pleading I lor help. And of course we were all scared to death. Some coming out almost naked, some asleep, oth ers wild to know where the others of their loved ones were. One poor Italian was a steerage passenger and when the auchor pulled out just over his head he made a successful run to top Deck, .even by the Captain's Deck and got into one of the life boats and there curled up and hid himself. After no danger was assured by the Cap tain he pleaded for all to go back to their rooms but not a one would go. In a few minutes the Chief Surgeon who had his wilts said, '"Coffee now being served in dining room." So nearly all went in and partook of the coffee to settle our excitement. This was a collision that none of us want tue experience over. I asked the Captain if S. S. ever exchanged mail in Mid Ocean and lie said never, that he got loo j close to 8. 8. last night to feel good. This description can never j be told accurately for both the Cip ! tains of Pretoria and of S. 8. New I York are far different in iheir j views, neither of them tell ?nu- the same story. And yon can't find lout head nor tail. None of the I crew will tell you anything. And in all it is an experience never to be forgot ton. W. E. .Massey, Hot Springs, Arkansas. Pretoria, June 2?, 1914 It seems that two weeks on hoard a vessel would ?rive ample time for writing but there is never a quiet moment when one can col* ?oct thoughts. So I have concluded io select a very noisy spot where a band concert is in progress and everybody talking in the halls out side It is the general opinion that it is fatal to joncentrate the mind either on reading or writing, for it will lead quickly to mal-de-roer. Until wubin a few days ago we have spent most, of the ti:!:e on deck, but now it is too cold and windy, and we are all io the salon. Just before dinner tonight we j passed the Vaterland off ihe coast of Ireland and everybody jumped up from the table and ran out to see it. A* we ?zet near land, we see many vessels going in both di rections. The passengers are be ginning to brighten up and get ready for landing on Wednesday. There are 704 people on ship, in cluding steerage and crew. Wednesday morning June 23. We are in the North sea n-^ar Hamburg, where we hope to land tonight if we reach there before the j custom house closes at 8 o'clock. Later than that will cause us to re-, main on steamer over ni&ht, raak in g fourteen days on water. ' The English channel was perfectly smooth, and not at all boisterous as we expected. Generally it is quiet I going lengthwise of it, but exceed ingly rollah in crossing from Dover to Calais against the current. The first sight of land at Scilly I-lands was refreshing on Monday. '.Ve ctn appreciate in a small de gree the happiness that such a sight L.ive Columbus. Since then we are ? constantly in sight of land, but it is too cold on deck to watch the ? changing scenes, and rattier misty and fog?*y to get a clear view. : Yesterday we stopped at Boulogne, I France for passengers going lo Paris and other points. It was an exciting event as we reached the! ! shore and the smaller boat came lip for those leaving us. Soras of them were pleasant acquaintances made during the voyage and we were sorry to say good-bye. Among them were Mrs. Parker and daugh ter of Macon, Ga. She is the state j regent of D. A. R., and her daugh ter is going to Paris to study voice for a year, but Mrs. Parker will re-j turu in August, after seeing that ber daughter is comfortably situa ted. As our vessel approached, our band played in honor of the depart ing passengers. There is a formi dable looking fortress at Boulogne which is an entra?e tc France. We got a glimpse of land at Lizard Point on English coast, and the farra lands as seen through held glasses are beautiful. The land is laid off in large squares, and each section is thoroughly cultivated wi:h different crops, presenting a vari-colored picture. In one sec-j tion seemed to be mustard with yellow blossoms, and in others around it were grains of all shades of green, with a brown spot of freshly harrowed earth intermin gled. They say that every avail able space is cultivated in England, and they make a speciality of in tensive farming'. At Boulogue we had news for the first time in eight days. Our wireless has been out of commission, so we were entirely cut off from the outside world. There were several German newspapers, but only one English paper on board which we eagerly scanned as it was passed around among our party. Last night being the night before landing, th; customary captain's dinner was given, which is the cus tom on every trip. The dining room was decorated with flags of every size and every nation, and on each table were tiny Hags and caps ! as souvenirs for guests. A special menu carri was prepared, and one j was presented to each person. The [dinner was more elaborare than J usual, consisting of several courses. Ic is always easy t<-? distinguish a ( German meal, for howver grand, ?somedish will betray their national taste. Along with turkey, aspara^ ! gus, tish etc.. was served, boiled . abbage stuffed w"ith ground meat highly seasoned with onion and pepper. After the last course, all # the mottoes were read and every body donned the colored paper raps. My steamer letters have been a continual joy to me. and have been read and re-read with infinite pleas |.i:re. lam grateful to every'one who was kind enough to remember nie aud for their prayers and good wishes. One lady in our party, Mrs. Massey of Arkansas said she believed we were saved on the night of the collision by the prayers of friends in the Homeland. The Deestrict Sknle letters were very entertaining, inspiring and en couraging. I will never urgec my dear sknle mates. Dresden, Germany, June 26. We have just reached here and found letters from home. We had a delightful day in Be ri in today. Mamie N. Tillman interesting Letter From Mt. Zion. The Advertiser for last week was especially interesting on account of t!ie letter from "Uncle Iv." His writing reminds one of Bill Arp. He pictures his community so at tractively that it would not be surprising if our Edgeh'eld cclony should follow him. and doubtless !s"ine from the rocky clay sections Icmlddosoto advantage. But if they will come down this way they (may have the same advantage with out the trouble of crossing the riv er. In this locality wo have a fine sandy soil, much of it underlaid by n good clay sub soil; and if some good citizens from the upp-r part of the county will move dowe here I think i: would be beneficia! both to them and to our neighborhood. When w?? get our clayed road we will be we'.i situated, and these in comers coni'l bein us io get it. Aiken county has finished claying the road up to our county line, and we can greatly appreciate tue dif ference now in a trip to Augusta. We hear favorable reports, also, from our committee as to collect iez funds for finishing the up o ir parr, of the road; so weare beaming with hope. We have had . fine rains recently and our farmers are now stretching every nerve to recover as nearly as possible the loss from the drought. Recently Messrs. Walter Carpen ter and Willie Murphy sustained considerable loss from the burning of a barn, which contained guano, farming implements, and other per sonal prop?rty belonging to them.. Mr. Farrell Padgett is at home again, after having spent more than a year in the U. S. army. Mrs. Mary Miller spent last week with Miss Fanny Sullivan. In hon or of her visit M^r. and Mrs. Sam Garner, and Mr. William Garner,, spent last Sabbath day in this pleas ant r^me. Mrs. W. A. Pardue, as is her cus tom, celebrated the 4th by holding a family reunion, on this occasion entertaining about thirty guests. Dr. and Mrs. Giraud Whitlock took advantage of our national holi day to visit the parents of the for iner, our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Whitlock. Speaking of neighbors, we find that we are in a community where there are real neighbors-those who have sympathy for another's need and will help one out in time of trouble. This is belter than style, and beats assumed aristocracy out of sight. Miss Marie Padgett, is down from Greenville visiting relatives in this county. She ??wi4 be this week with her aunt, Mrs. W J. Gaines. Miss Padgett ? spent last session in the Greenville Female College, where she made a good record, being one of six on the hon or roll. She represented the col lege Y. W. C. A. at Kansas City and also at Black Mountain. Protracted meeting will begin at Mt. Zion church on the 4th Sunday m this month. B. G. Ml. Zion, July 0th.