Four-Fifty Miles to FreedomJohnston, Maurice Andrew Brackenreed
History
Four-Fifty Miles to Freedom
Johnston, Maurice Andrew Brackenreed
Prisoner-of-war escapes; World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, Turkish
When the bearing had cooled, we tried to start the engine again. One
pair followed another on the starting-handle, but all to no purpose.
All four sparking-plugs were examined: the feed-pipe, separator,
and carburetter were taken down. Except for a little water in the
separator, all seemed correct. We refilled the tank with paraffin from
the barrel on deck, but our renewed attempts still met with no success.
Our efforts to turn the crank became more and more feeble, until, by
4.30 P.M., we lay down on deck utterly exhausted.
Just before sunset we decided we would make a final attempt to start
up. Should that be unsuccessful, we would set the sails; but to our
great relief she fired at the second attempt. Our joy was somewhat
tempered by her refusing to run for more than a few minutes at a time.
It was found that this was caused by the feed-pipe from the tank
repeatedly choking, owing, no doubt, to grit in the oil obtained from
the barrel, which, as we had noticed when pouring it in, was very dirty.
After dark, Cochrane did all the steering; while down in the
engine-room were Looney as mechanic, and Old Man and Johnny as
starters. Meantime, Perce sat on deck with his feet through the
hatchway against the clutch-lever below him. By jamming this hard down,
and tapping the clutch with a hammer, it was possible to persuade the
cones to separate when required. For over four hours we spent our
time starting and stopping. Our two best runs lasted for thirty and
thirty-five minutes. Usually a run lasted for five or less. We took
it in turns to tap the feed-pipe with a piece of wood, in the hope of
keeping it from clogging; but it was of little use. Each time the
engines stopped, Looney took down the separator and feed-pipe and blew
through them, getting a mouthful of paraffin for his pains. When all
was ready again, the two starters, though almost dead-beat, managed
somehow to turn the crank.
By 10 P.M. we were becoming desperate. It was only Cochrane's
cheering news that we were within two hours' run of the coast that kept
the engine-room staff going. A run of five minutes meant a mile nearer
home, so we carried on.
An hour later, Cochrane told us all to sit on the starboard side, for
it was on this side that the feed-pipe left the tank. This was sheer
genius on his part. From that very moment the wilful engine behaved
herself, and ran obediently till we meant her to stop. As we neared
the coast, at a distance, perhaps, of three miles from it, Nobby
fired off a Very's light, in case there were any patrol boats in the
neighbourhood; but no answering light appeared. Next day, in Cyprus,
we asked the police if they had seen the light. They had not seen it,
they said, but had heard it. This proves how wonderfully sound travels
over water, for we would not for one second doubt a policeman's story.
But, as is hardly necessary to point out, a Very's signal, like little
children, should be seen and not heard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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