"Arrived safely after our little bath," is how Benjamin R. Deweese, of
the 100th Aero Squadron, a Tuscania survivor, describes his rescue from
the disaster in a letter to his mother, Mrs. J. C. Espejo, 5871 Chabot
Road. In writing thus lightly of his narrow escape from a death which
overcame hundreds of his comrades, Deweese evidently intended to shield
his mother, who has been in a highly nervous state, since his
enlistment, from further shock.
In a
Letter dated from England on February 12, 1918, Deweese writes: "Dear
Mother: Arrived safely after our little bath and am feeling fine and
dandy. I was in the water an hour and was mighty glad when I was pulled
into a lifeboat. Of course, I lost everything. Stanley Collins was
washed against the rocks and hurt, and died the next day and was buried.
He was sure a prince of a fellow."
2006 INFORMATIONAL SOURCE:
The
Oakland Tribune; California, March 15, 1918; Page 4
"Little
Bath" is what Survivor Says