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Show Baker Cables Warm Praise For the Navy WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 Warm congratulations con-gratulations to the navy upon the con-! duct of the crew of the transport Mount Vernon, which returned safely to a French port after being torpedoed torpe-doed 200 miles at sea, came to Sc-1 rotary Daniels today by cable from Secretary Baker whose arrival in France was announced last night by the war department Secretary Baker's message said: "I have just visited and viewed the Mount Vernon. The high spirited morale mor-ale of its men nnd the masterful seamanship sea-manship of its captain and officers makes such a stirring story of heroism hero-ism that I wish all the nation might know tho splendid way in which the huge transport met and foiled the attempt at-tempt to destroy it at sea. "The traditions of your service arc enriched by the conduct in this emergency." emer-gency." Captain Douglas E. Dismukes, U. S. N.. commands the Mount Vernon. ' Wounded and Sick Aboard PARIS, Sunday, Sept. S The American Amer-ican transport Mount Vernon, formerly the German steamship Kronprinzessin Cecelie, which, though torpedoed by a German submarine last Thursday off tho coast of France was able to make port, was carrying wounded and sick soldiers back to the United States. Senator James II. Lowis of Chicago, 111., who Avas among the passengers, all of whom were saved, is suffering from a chill resulting from exposure while carrying wounded men from thoir bunks. Thirty-five; engine room hands loBt their lives when the torpedo torpe-do struck the vessel. Congressman Thomas D. Schall and Attorney Jorn Gross of Providence, R. I., were among those on board. Mrs. Schall, the wife of the blind representative repre-sentative from Minnesota, led her husband hus-band upon deck and across 'the ship to their life boat. Both were calm and acted as though there were no peril. The, officers and crew of the Mount Vernon showed perfect discipline and efficiency. Most of the seamen were young and for many it was their first trip but they acted like old hands. In a short space of time they had all the bulkheads closed and the steam cocks shut off. Sometimes they were compelled com-pelled to swim through rising water in order to get at the valves. |