2 So NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



Many acts of bravery were put on record, and none 

 were more valiant than those which were chronicled in 

 connection with the Crane. Hers was a pitiful tragedy, 

 yet the gloom was relieved by the courage and resource 

 of her own survivors and the fishermen who boarded her 

 when she was foundering. Amongst those who escaped 

 injury was the skipper's son, Joseph Alfred Smith, whose 

 arm was grazed by one of the Russian shots. The boy 

 had gone to sea for the first time. Few North Sea men 

 have had a sterner baptism than his. 



One of the very first stories of the outrage was told 

 by the mate of the Crane, when he was still on the 

 Dogger, and speaking to Skipper J. W. White, of the 

 Mission steamer Joseph and Sarah Miles, to which the 

 wounded were taken. "We had just hauled and shot 

 away again," he said, "and were in the fish-pound clean- 

 ing the fish and passing jokes about the war vessels, 

 which we could see quite plain, and heard their firing, 

 when suddenly something hit us. The third hand said, 

 * Skipper, our fish-boxes are on fire; I'm going below 

 out of this,' and walked forward, the skipper, who was 

 on the bridge, laughing at him for being frightened. 

 We were hit again forward, and some one called out and 

 said, ' The bosun is shot.' I went forward to look, and 

 found the boatswain bleeding and a hole through our 

 bulwarks, and the fore companionway knocked away. I 

 went to tell the skipper. Before I got aft a shot went 

 through the engine-casing, and I began to feel frightened. 

 I could see that the skipper was not on the bridge. I 

 went aft, passed the chief, who was bleeding, gave him 

 my neckcloth to stop the blood, went right aft and saw 

 the skipper lying on the grating. I said, * Oh, my God, 



