Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 September 1945 — Page 7
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WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 2%, 1948
wane | MIRACLE SAVED SHIP'S STRANDED!
War Correspondent Tells How Dutch Army Men Killed Themselves When Japs Sank Steamer.
{Seeond of » of
By WILLIAM M McDOUGALL United Press War Correspondent
SINGAPORE, Sept, 26.—They say miracles don't happen, but I
was saved by one.
Hours after the Dutch ship Poeloe Bras in which I was escaping
from Java in 1042 had been sunk
Indian ocean I saw a mast appear on a lifeboat. strength and began swimming for it. Then a sail appeared on the
mast. I. was too far away to shout go I uttered a prayer. “God,” I prayed, “make that sail go down.” My miracle came to pass. The sail collapsed. I caught up with the boat and was rescued. ss » x _ AFTER the Poeloe Bras slid down stern first I heard some cries punctuated by pistol shots. A few Dutch army men had jumped overboard with pistols in their belts, They used them To blow out their brains rather than drown. I saw a woman prevent the suicide of one officer, He was thrashing about frantically, screaming in terror and bellowing suicide threats. The woman swam to him, spoke soothingly, took him in her arms, quieted him and kissed him. I swam away: I didn't see them again, The sky became overcast. The swell increased. Riding the crest of a wave I spotted what first looked like a periscope but proved to be a lifebort mast. Hope spurred my tired arms and legs but as I neared the boat it hoisted sail and rapidly made off, paying no heed to my cries. = ud » » THEN another mast appeared and the sail that fell down in answer to my prayer. As I neared the boat 1 saw another swimmer and pointed it out to him but he was swimming slowly. The boat's occupants paid scant attention to me. They were busy rehoisting the-sail, But when I reached the boat they pulled me in. “Thanks a million, boys,” 1 gasped and added, “there's a man behind me.” But they wouldn't wait. “We can’t take him in,” they said, “too much water aboard. We must think of ourselves.” ® = THEY BENT to their oars, pulled away and eventually hoisted the sail. For a few moments I sfood. in the water, knee-deep, gazing from the: boat into the sunset. Nothing all my life will seem more beautiful. Then I collapsed from exhaustion. The lifeboat skipper, Peter Pauw, shook me from my stupor sometime later, shoved a can into my hand and ordered, “Bail for your passage.” I did.
Aboard the boat were a beautiful
girl, 24 men and the ship's dog. The girl was Helen Colijn, a
comely Dutch ash-blond, She bailed
and rowed with us, a real thoroughbred.
A chill night wind shivered our sodden bones but speeded the boat
northward.
” ” » DAWN brought our first drink of water. The second drink came at sunset. Our daily rations consisted of two small drinks of water, one drink of condensed milk and three
biscuits.
The wind held for ‘three days
a Series)
by Japanese dive bombers in the I gathered my
» » » William MacDougal, United Press correspondent was rescued recently after more than three years internment by the Japanese in the Sumdtran jungle,
Helen's father, A. H. Colijn, son of the former premier of Holland, also was a passenger who took turns at steering. He was a wise man, He let
have been awarded medals, according to a war department announcement today. They are: Marine Cpl. Elmer A. Squires, (see if I could find any Japanese 5205 Crown st. (left), who earned [tools that we could use,” Swanson the bronze star for heroic action |explained. “The warehouse where I n Iwo Jima, and Seaman 1-¢ Ed- {found this stuff was in the back baie Gilliam, son of va and Mrs. (part of a larger warehouse, but nfrer Kessing, commandant of Yoko-= F. L. Gillam, 909 N. Parker ave, (was not locked and there did not suka naval station, which we took who received the purple heart for |seem to be any attempt to hide or Ver after the Japanese surrender.
wounds suffered on Okinawa,
chucks, usually born in April of|gtation—contained 1,000 bars of sil- [2nd unloaded here. early May, remain in their under-iver pullion and 119 wooden chests Kessing has a theory as to why the ground nest for about a month, one!of putch guilders and smaller coins, |J3PS did not manage to hide it or reason being that it takes that long| The guilders, apparently, were make awdy-with-it, for their eyes to open.
.__ THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES
Awarded Medals \Yank Carpenter Stumbles on Fabulous Treasure i in Japan
Times Yorn Correspondent |The silver bullion came from the YOKOSUKA, Japan, Sept. 26.—|0gaka branch of the Japanese mint. Estimated millions of dollars-worth| mach bar of silver weighs about of Japanese silver bullion and Dutch [gg pounds. The bars are numbered
guilders have been discovered in a|onsecutively and bear the stamped warehouse of the Yokosuka navallorest of the mint with the. words in
station. English: “Imperial Mint, Osaka,” The discovery was made by Chief| 1t ig impossible to do more than Carpenter Norman Swason, San guess roughly at the value of this Francisco, rich cache, since the coins have not “I was just browsing throu been counted. No one here knows ] 8 ough to just how much the silver is worth. Tests of the silver, however, have shown it to be of the highest grade alloy, according to Commodore Oli-
TWO MORE Indianapolis men
camouflage the treasure.” The presence of the silver and The corrigated iron warehouse— |€0ins at Yokosuka naval station can IN NEST FOR MONTH located about half-a-mile from the [Pe explained by the fact that ap-
WASHINGTON. —Baby wood-|hegdquarters building of the naval [PArently it was brought in by ship Commodore
B.S SEEK TO HALT “THEIR EXECUTION
GREAT FALLS, Mont, Sept. 26 (U, P).~Two soldiers, convicted of
rape by a court martial and sentenced to hang, sought today to escape the gallows on writs of habeas corpus. The. soldiers, Pvt, Keith E. List, 23, Logansport, Ind. and.John W, Bishere, 23, Sheffield, Ala., asked fi: nal write of habeas corpus Judge Charles Pray on the ground that all members of the court martial did not agree on their guilt. Preliminary writs were issued last month, They were convicted of rape last year and were sentenced by an army court martial at Camp Haan, Cal, April 29, 1944,
ANTI-GAS“HOOD
WASHINGTON. — A war-de-veloped infant protector, for children under four who might be surrounded with polson gases, consists of a one-piece hood and coat into
which air ean be pumped with a
; Copyright, 1045, by The Indianapolis Times looted from the Dutch East Indies. and The Chicago Dally News, Ine.
bellows through a gas-absorbing canister, . v
Army Reports 7 Additional Units Enroute to U. S.
PARIS, Sept. 26 (U. P.).—Today's|be conducted Sunday at Elletsville redeployment timetable of U. §.|Memorial park. The principal speak=
63d and 99th Infantry: On high
106th Infantry: Clearing Le Havre. | Carnes as speaker, The victory serve 5th Armored: In Le Havre stag-|ice will be held at 2 p. m. when ing area awaiting shipment Sept. 27, 7th Armored: In Le Havre staging area awaiting shipment. 70th Infantry: Transferring from depot. The program will include the Le Havre to United Kingdom to|Elks’ Chanters, of Terre Haute, and await shipment home, 10th Armored: Moving into Marseille staging area. 16th Armored: Arriving Havre staging area, 9th Armored: In Marseille staging area awaiting shipment, 8th Armored: Arriving in assem- ter contains approximately 15,000 bly area command, 36th, 66th, 75th, 79th, 89th Infan-| Summer butter is above the avers try, 12th Armored and 16th Corps: age because cattle then are using Alerted for shipment, :
EX-60V, SCHRICKER VICTORY SPEAKER
Viétory and memorial services will
er will be former Governor Henry FP. Schricker. The memorial service will be held at 10:45 a. m. with the Rev, C. O,
Mr. Schricker will speak. Other guests will be Lt. Gov, Richard T. James and officials from Camp Atterbury and Crane naval
the Four Notes, Indianapolis quare tet. fo A basket dinner will be held a% noon at Ellettsville Methodist in Le| church.
VITAMINS IN BUTTER 1 WASHINGTON —A pound of bute:
international units of vitamin Ay
quantities of green feed.
Jove run its course and kidded Helen when she joined Peter at rowing. ¥ a * » WHEN the wind died down our troubles really began. We fried all day in the blistering sun, It was too much for the ship’s dog, Whisky. We had to increase his water ration. How I envied that dog. We had to row hour after hour across the glassy sea. The water problem became more acute. One afternoon when I was toiling at an oar—or thought I was—someone shook me out of my daze and thrust a bottle between my Hps. I sucked a few drops of water. “Your face got so green we thought you were passing out,” they said, Most of our passengers spoke English and at night we would sing American popular songs. But the | last few nights our throats were too dry for anything but a few occasional etbaks,
5 » ON MARCH 13, the sixth day of our voyage, we arrived off a small island in Semanka bay opening into the Sumatra side of the Sunda straits. 1t took several hours to get through the ceral reef to the shore. A few agile boys climbed coconut palms and threw down the nuts. We broke them open and greedily drank the cool, delicious coconut milk. We ‘gulped the sweet, ‘white meat. We found a small stream in which I submerged my face and drank and drank and drank.
That night ‘we crossed to the! mainland, Sumatra, and laid plans] to get a native boat and crew with | which to escape to India ahead of} the advancing Japanese. |
(Next: : Captured)
‘LOCAL SEAMAN W WINS DFC FOR GALLANTRY
Bignalman ‘1-¢ Robert J, Faudree, | son of Mr, and Mrs. Heine Faudree, 1242 W, New York st. has been awarded the distinguished flying cross for gallantry against the Japs at Marcus island, according to” the navy department. The 24-year-old aerial naval man participated in low level daylight attacks in face of fully alerted defenses of the enemy. Signalman Faudree is now stationed in Tokyo Bay.
OKINAWA VETERAN RETURNING TO U. S.
After three years in Panama and | five months on Okinawa, M. Sgt.|
}
giving time for a lifeboat romance
to develop between Helen and Peter.
both fine persons and I hope they won't mind my telling this story.
Jacksonville, Fla., and Robins Field, | Ga.
George Burroughs of 2521 E. 10th | st. is returning to the United States. | | The son of Mrs. Freda Wilson, | Like most shipboard romances it'M, Sgt. Burroughs entered service! terminated on dry land, They are in 1940 and attended schools in|
—
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