THE BURIAL OF A. JOHNSON, SECOND OFFICER OF THE AMERICAN BARK "BELUGA," WHO DIED ON THE "WOLF".
Before shifting all the prisoners from the Hitachi to the Wolf, some arrangement for accommodation had to be made. The Germans cleaned out and fitted up No. 3 hold between decks for the ex-passengers of the Hitachi and also for the Japanese crew, a total of 170 odd persons. Iron berths were taken from the Hitachi along with washstands and other furnishings; and one corner of this "Glory Hole" was set aside for the whites and the fittings installed there. The Japs had wooden bunks built in the opposite corner for them, and rough wooden tables were knocked together for all hands to eat from and to play cards on. Also one of the pianos from the Hitachi was installed there—to the best of my knowledge this piano was never played, and my chief mate, Mr. Buckard, who was quartered there, used the top of the piano to keep his clothes in, while the cover of the keyboard was used as a kind of mantelpiece or shelf by all hands.
The whole place below was lighted by three clusters of electric light, at night, and three fans were installed and the whole given a coating of white paint. The ventilation down below was very poor, and it was tough on the white men being forced to breathe this air as it was full of all kinds of oriental odours, and no doubt also oriental germs. A couple of armed sentinels were on guard below, continually, and also four on deck in the immediate vicinity of the hatch, at such times when the German crew were not at their almost continual gun drill and practice; at which times all hands were chased below, as also on the appearance of any vessel. The greatest hardship these men had to contend with was the lack of drinking water, as there seemed to be an unequal division of it between the Japs and the whites, with the latter getting the worst of it.
Immense quantities of iron piping and pipe fittings were taken from the Hitachi to be used later in fitting the prisoners' quarters under the poop and in No. 3 hatch, with heaters against the cold weather that was to be encountered before they finally reached Germany.
Auction bridge, poker and a German game called "Mussel" were the favourite card games and the stakes were very small; one pfennig ante and five pf. limit. Considering that it takes 100 pfennigs to make 25 cents, nobody won or lost a fortune, although on several occasions diplomatic relations were temporarily severed between some of the players. It was laughable, for instance, to hear an Australian chap named McEnally, who is very well off, owning plantations and big manufacturing concerns, squabbling over who would shy a penny in the pot. Taking it all in all, these men, amongst whom were some splendid fellows, adapted themselves to conditions as only the Britisher and the American can.
PART THREE
BOUND FOR GERMANY—THE RESCUE
On November 7th, the transfer of cargo being complete, and everything movable or floatable on the Hitachi being secured so that it would not float off when she sunk and leave any trace to make a passing steamer suspicious, we steamed out well clear of the Chagos Islands and at 1:30 P.M. the Hitachi Maru was bombed. She sank in 29 minutes.