ROTCH RELATES
EXPERIENCES AS
MASTER OF SHIP
In the Seattle Times of recent date
appeared an account of how Frank
(“Skipper”) Rotch* well known in
Alaska, sailed a big tug across the
Atlantic ocean with only one man in
the crew with experience of any kind.
Mr. Rotch was formerly in the employ
of the Alaskan engineering commis
sion as captain of the power boat Mid
night Sun, and was among the first
from the Interior to answer the call
to the colors. The narrative'follows:
“We managed to hit the Azores, but
somehow or other we missed the Ber
mudas and had to go back and look
for them. At that it wasn’t much to
miss. The Bermudas are only some
twenty-eight miles across, and out
there in all that water twenty-eight
miles weren’t such a lot.”
Home from France, Lieutenant
Francis (“Beany”) Rotch of Seattle,
who was awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross and Certificate of Merit,
the decoration of the British Military
Order, the French Medaille de Sau
vete and the French vMrdnn medal,
but who contents himself with wear'll?
a wound stripe, two gold service
stripes and campaign ribbons that
would do credit to the most grizzled
veteran, today told the story of how
he and twenty other soldiers brought
the good ship “O. D.” across the At
lantic. So far as is known, this was
the only vessel navigated and manned
entirely by soldiers to make 0£ under
take such a voyage. Lieutenant Rotch
is the son of the late Francis Rotch,
twice a member of the state legisla
ture, and one of the most widely
known pioneers of Seattle.
Lieutenant Rotch was the skipper,
and his experience with small boats
in the Philippines, on Puget sound and
in Alaska waters, after service in the
navy, constituted his license to under
take the transatlantic voyage. None
of his men, with the exception of a
quartermaster corps soldier who acted
as chief engineer, had done like duty
before. Grit, adaptability and ability
to solve problems as they came up, on
the part of skipper and crew, pulled
them through' without a mishap.
Misses Bermuda Islands
The good ship O. D. was known pre
viously as the Gwalia. and was one
of several large and powerful tugs in
use on the other side by the service
of supply. Lieutenant Rotch, who
went to France with the Fifty-seventh
engineers, was detached and was do
ing duty at St. Nazaire as assistant
marine officer when the plan came up
to send the Gwalia back to America
with a soldier crew. Lieutenant Rotch
was asked to select a crew. Lieut.
Rotch knew that his commanding of
ficer desired to keep him for several
months longer. After the crew had
been selected, the lieutenant’s superior
asked him if he knew of any officer
qualified to command the tug. Accord
ing to the story told by a friend, which
the lieutenant declined either to af
firm or deny, Rotch answered that he
knew of only one officer qualified to
command a transatlantic voyage, and
that, unfortunately, this officer’s su
perior would object to his being de
tailed for such a journey.
“I’ll arrange that all right,” the
higher officer replied. “I’ll fix it with
his superior. Now, who is this officer
of whom you speak?”
“Who?—Me!” Lieutenant Rotch, ac
cording to the story, replied.
There were some exclamations, ad
jectives and remarks, the story goes,
but anyway, Lieutenant Rotch com
manded the Gwalia, which for the pur
poses of the journey was rechristened
the O. D.
The Gwalia went to the Azores then
headed for the Bermudas, and in .a
heavy fog had some little difficulty in
finding the lattj^slands.
And There'‘Was New YorVi
“But we sailed plunk into New
York,” Lieutenant Rotch said. “1
heard something tooting and touting
and made for it, and as it turned* out
it was the lightship, and ther- we
were.”
The story of how Lieutenant Hotch
Avon the Distinguished Service Cross
already has been told. During; the
last German air raid on Paris, in
August, 1918, a low-flying plane
dropped bombs on a river scow load
ed Avith gasoline. The exploding
drums threatened to destroy a bridge
and menaced an ammunition depot in
the vicinity. Lieutenant Rotch leaped
into the Avater, swam through burning
gasoline, attached a rope to the scow,
and by his heroism, made it possible
for the scoav to be pulled into mid
stream and away from points of dan
ger. He Avas severely burned. The
American and allied decorations and
the wound stripe came to him as a
result.
“Some fireworks when those drums
were being hurled into the air and
exploding up there,” was all the lieu
tenant would say about the incident.
Lieutenant Rotch served in the navy
during the Spanish-American war and
was wounded during the China cam
paign. Later he was in the signal
corps of the Washington national
guard, and was the first top sergeant
of the old First company of Washing
ton coast artillery. He has been or
dered to duty at Camp LeAvis, but is
hopeful of obtaining his discharge
Avithin a few days.
We ship by boat or rail fresh
cooked crabs or crab cocktails. Order
from Dave Phillips, P. O. Box 217.
2-tf
NOTICE OF SETTLEMENT OF AD
MINISTRATOR’S ACCOUNT
In the Probate Court for the Territory
of Alaska, Third division Cordova
precinct of Cordova.
In the matter of the estate of C. L.
C. L. Hale, deceased.
Notice is hereby given that Fred
Tracy, administrator with the will an
nexed of the above entitled estate, has
rendered and presented for settlement
and filed in said court his final ac
count of his administration of said
estate, and that Wednesday, the 10th
day of December, 1919, at 10 o’clock
a. m., at the office of said court in Cor
dova, has been duly appointed by the
judge of said court for the settlement
of said final account, at which time all
objections to said final account and
the settlement thereof will be heard
and determined.
Dated at Cordova, Alaska, this 6th
day of October, 1919.
FRED TRACY, Administrator.
First publication, Oct. 7, 1919.
Last publication, Nov. 5, 1919.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
WANTED—Two tie-makers, 35 and
40c; parties to back themselves;
good timber. Apply Harry Christie,
Mile 19. 13-tf
FOUND—Child’s plain band ring,
Owner can secure same at Times
office. 13-tf
FOR RENT—Four unfurnished house
keeping rooms, over The Club. 13-tf
FOR SALE—Salted king salmon, in
large or small quantities, 20 cents a
pound. Apply Fred Frederickson,
phone 215. 9-6
FOR RENT—House-keeping rooms,
partly furnished; also a furnished
cabin. Cordova Abstract & Realty
Co., Adams building. 6-12
FOR SALE—Restaurant furniture
and fixtures; also house plants. Ap
ply phone 138 or Cordova Grill.
30-tf
HUB BOLLINGER has taken charge
of the pressing and cleaning de
partment of T. N. Hubbert’s tailor
ing shop. 27-tf
APARTMENT FOR RENT—Inquire
of Charles J. Goodall. 19-ti
FURNISHED ROOM FOR RENT—
Apply Dr. Council. 18tf
FOR RENT—Furnished cabins. See
Dooley.
OLD PAPERS—Big bundle 25 cents
at Times office.
PAY CASH FOR YOUR PHONO- I
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PATHE
NEWS
I
LAST TIME TONIGHT
Mabel
N< trrnand
In the Six-Act Comedy Drama
“The Flo* >r
Below”
TOMORROW
Dorothy Dalton
In “Tyrant Fear”
Two-Reel Comedy
“Two Rough Tender feet”
“Bevo” Is Here
t ) -i- J i
It’s a drink that surely fills the bill.
Delivered to the trade or families in
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> Jl-."i- JTiJ
FRED HAEF, Distributor
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KENNY HOLDEN’S
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Pool and Billiard Parlors
CIGARS, SOFT DRINKS AND TOBACCO.
FIRST-CLASS BARBER SHOP
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| CRANE SERVICE MINING EQUIPMENT PIPE AND FITTINGS MARINE SUPPLIES
I MANUFACTURERS, JOBBERS AND REBUILDERS GENERAL MACHINERY j
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CORDOVA. ALASKA I
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