Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 135, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 June 1916 — ARMORED CARS IN THRILLING DASH [ARTICLE]

ARMORED CARS IN THRILLING DASH

Rescue Men of the Wrecked Ship Tara in Desert Prison Camp. FEAT STANDS AS A CLASSIC Duke of Westminster Heads Train of Motors in Dash of Over 100 Miles Throbbing Fleet Causes Sensation in the Desert. By W. T. MASSEY. Suez, Egypt.—l have just heard the details of the armored car fleet’s dash to the rescue of the men of the wrecked ship Tara. It will stand as a classic in motoring annals. When General Lurfcin reoccupied Solium in western Egypt he found that the Arabs had burned the camp. Ten armored cars came upon a remarkable road which, starting In the desert, runs to Tobrunk, 90 mlies away in Tripoli. Over it the motors had a speed of 35 miles an hour. At Aziza, the cars suddenly came upon the Arabs and dashed into a Turkish mountain gun and two machine guns, killing every gunner by Maxim fire. Then, without a halt, they charged in line over the bowlders, stiff scrub, sandy patches. The charge continued for seven miles. Three field guns, nine machine guns, hundreds of rifles, spare parts, dynamite, traveling workshops and a quarter of a million rounds of rifle ammunition were captured. Some of the camels, hit by machinegun fire, blew to pieces as if struck by a high explosive, or burst into flames. It was found that the Arabs had loaded them with bombs and petrol. The duke of Westminster was informed that a letter had been picked up from Capt. Gwatkin Williams to Nuri Day, complaining that the Tara prisoners were starving and 11l and suggesting that medical comforts should be procured at Solium. The letter mentioned Blr Hakim as the place of the prisoners’ detention. Every prisoner and refugee was in-

terrogated, hut none knew Bir Hakim except a man who said he had fed a flock there 30 years ago. Subsequently another man, who had been the prisoners’ guard, was discovered, and the duke asked permission to attempt a rescue. Every man in the batteries sat up all night and next day tuning up the machines. The batteries were re-enforced by light cars carrying the guns and all the motor ambulances within traveling range of Solium were brought in. There were gathered at the old Turkish fort on the ridge above Solium nine armored Rolls-Royce cars, five touring cars with guns, light cars —forty-two motors altogether. At three o’clock in the morning the column moved out of the fort. When the column got 80 miles on the Tobrunk road the cars turned on the desert due south. After 15 miles rough-and-tumble over desperately rough ground the party began to feel uncertain of success. The two Arab guides were arguing as to whether they were on the right track; the man who had not seen Bir Hakim since his boyhood thought they were wrong. The other Arab would not say much. The desert was now very stony. A hundred miles went by and then 105. Still there was not the faintest sign of the Tara prisoners’ camp. Between 110 and 115 miles nobody spoke, and the silence suggested fears of failure. A mile farther on the Arab became animated on seeing a sort of small mountain. A halt was called at two o’clock and the duke sent forward the armored cars to attack. They raced up to within 200 yards of the mound. The prisoners were standing silhouetted against the skyline, dumb with amazement at the appearance of the strange throbbing fleet. At last one threw oft the sack covering him and faintly cheered, and the erowd staggered forward in the rolling gait of starved men and swarmed round the cars, crying: “Are we free?" They could not be persuaded to leave the cars and slightly hindered the British advance to tackle the guards, all of whom were subsequently killed. The remainder of the column started a tremendous race to the spot. They ran abroad, caring not for obstacles or punctures, and the air was filled with the cheers of the crews and the noise the exhausts. The prisoners’ condition was desperate. A heap of white shells showed that snails had been their staple diet Occasionally they had had goat flesh, but the amount served out was reI duced-tQ the size of a skinned mouse, 1 one prisoner said. Parties had gone out daily to find edible roots. -