OCR Text |
Show I BRITISH SOLDIERS SING I WHILE FACING DEATH I TrnnsKirt With IteKlment About d Strikes Mine nnd SImUm Itnpidly, Hut In Sin od After Troops ..Arc Safely Transported. London, March 28. Tho British transport Tyndarcus, with a battalion of the Middlesex regiment aboard, "struck a mine February 9 off Copo Agulhas, the southerinost point of 'Africa. Tho men were paraded on deck, and after roll call began to sing, while they waited for tho ship to sink. Tho Tyndarous, however, was saved and tho troopa were transferred trans-ferred to two rescuing steamers, hav-'ing hav-'ing upheld, as expressed in tho official offi-cial admiralty report, "the cherished tradition of the Dlrkenhead." 1 Tho admiralty Issued the following statement on the Incident tonight: I "Tho admiralty transport Tyndar- eus with a battalion of tho Middlesex regiment aboard, struck a mine at 8 o'clock in tho evening of Febru- ary 9 off Cape Agulhas. A strong P .southwesterly galo was blowing, and 'Immediately after tho explosion tho ship began to settlo by the head with p'ropellers out of the water. " 'Assembly' was sounded and tho I men donned lifebelts and paraded in perfect order. Roll was called, and upon tho order 'stand easy' tho whole battalion began to sing. "Two steamers, dispatched to tho rescue, arrived on the scene within half an hour. During this trying tlmo, although faced by tho probability proba-bility of Imminent death, tho troops maintained steadfast courage and discipline. Noer was tho tradition of tho Urltlsh army moro worthily upheld than on this occasion. "Thanks to tho devotion and por-severanco por-severanco of the captain and tho officers, offi-cers, tho ship was saved. Tho troops were transferred to the two steamers and taken to Slmonstown, where tho Tyndareus subsequently returned under un-der her own steam, with two holds flooded and another leaking. "Tho king haB graciously expressed hlB deep admiration for the conduct of all ranks in upholding tho cherished cher-ished tradition of the Dlrkenhead." Tho Dlrkenhead, a Drltlsh troop ship struck a rock off Simons bay, South Africa, February 26, 18G2, having on board S3C persons, largely troops on their way to the Capo, Of the crew and soldiers 454 were lost. |