[Sidenote: Rafts tied together to prevent drifting.]
Immediately after the ship sank the boats pulled among the rafts and
were loaded with men to their full capacity and the work of collecting
the rafts and tying them together to prevent drifting apart and being
lost was begun.
[Sidenote: The submarine takes an officer prisoner.]
While this work was under way and about half an hour after the ship
sank, a large German submarine emerged and came among the boats and
rafts, searching for the commanding officer and some of the senior
officers whom they desired to take prisoners. The submarine commander
was able to identify only one officer, Lieutenant E.V.M. Isaacs, whom he
took on board and carried away. The submarine remained in the vicinity
of the boats for about two hours and returned again in the afternoon,
hoping apparently for an opportunity of attacking some of the other
ships which had been in company with the _President Lincoln_ but which
had, in accordance with standard instructions, steamed as rapidly as
possible from the scene of attack.
[Sidenote: After dark signal lights.]
By dark the boats and rafts had been collected and secured together,
there being about 500 men in the boats and about 200 on the rafts.
Lighted lanterns were hoisted in the boats and flare-up lights and
Coston signal lights were burned every few minutes, the necessary detail
of men being made to carry out this work during the night.
[Sidenote: Water and food limited.
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