| Show Six Torpedo Victims Describe How Companions Went Mad By ny EDW EDWARD ARD O. O 1 BALTIMORE Feb 25 Six UP-Six Six m men nen n the only known survivors of the he torpedoed Norwegian freighter Blink who whose s sinking s 's ink i n g was announced by the navy department department department depart depart- ment Wednesday told haltingly of their hour 66 fight for life in ina ina ina a swamped lifeboat in rough shark-infested shark seas The ton 2700 freighter was torpedoed torpedoed torpedoed tor tor- tor- tor without warning off the Atlantic coast with a pro provable probable able loss of 24 lives lives' The survivors believe the chief engineer and a fireman fireman fireman fire fire- man of the year old ship were killed when two torpedoes exploded ex- ex in the engine room They believe four others were lost on ona ona a a. life raft 17 Others Went Mad They watched 17 other crew- crew mates in their crowded lifeboats go mad then die of thirst and and exposure Their b bod bodies o d i e s were e thrown or washed overboard The six were brought to Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Balti Balti- more on an unidentified vessel last week and taken to the U. U S. S marine hospital There were no Americans in the mixed crew Five survivors are Norwegian Chief Chief Officer Briger Lunde 28 bodied Able-bodied Seamen Odd 25 and 20 Steward Harry Friis FrUs 31 and Fireman Fireman Fireman Fire Fire- man 20 the sixth is British Ordinary British Ordinary Seaman George Johnson Sunk Once Before Lunde veteran of another sinking sinking sinking sink sink- ing last May said a torpedo hit the No 2 hold without exploding 50 seconds before the two torpedoes torpedoes torpedoes tor tor- crashed into the engine room The explosion jammed his cabin door which he broke down as steam from the broken boilers filled his room Within five minutes 23 men were in the starboard lifeboat lifeboat- e the port boat was smashed in the explosion They moved away from the Blink which sank 15 minutes later Lunde said We dragged anchors anchors anchors an an- all night waiting to see if there were any men in the water When we found none we tried to start the motor It failed It was full of water Lifeboat Capsized Then we tried to raise the sail and the lifeboat capsized Everybody Everybody Everybody Every Every- body went in the heavy sea sea We lost our food our water our oars our sail One man was lost The rest of us clung to the keel and righted the boat Two men clambered aboard to bail out he said but waves poured water in as fast as it could be bailed The other seamen boarded the boat sitting on the gunwales or cross s seats ats in icy water up to their waists The lifeboat capsized twice more that day The men repeatedly were washed overboard by huge waves One by one the men went mad the officer said They would talk of a comfortable bed a cup of hot coffee Captain Sigurd Ulvestad talked of his family just before he died You cant can't expect a aman aman man to live in ice water We tried to catch a few drops of rain on the tongue Several men tried to jump overboard but we kept them in inside inside in- in side Sharks came close They were waiting for someone We saw two steamers We waved but they didn't see us But that gave us hope We knew ships were near The last man to die was the second mate He died two hours before we were rescued Lunde said his surviving companions companions com com- pan ions were good sailors who would really fight for their life But he added it was absolutely luck uck that we were saved I Iwas Iwas was ivas afraid for another night |
