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Sergeant Recalls Stealing Locomotive From Japs BY GILL SMITH Staff Writer Shortly after the atomic bomb olastshook Nagasaki, survivors in the razed Japanese city had an other shock as a Nipponese train, loaded with Jr,is, and engineered by six American GI’s, roared through the city with whistles blowing, and machine guns brist ling from the engine. At the throttle, in the best Casey Jones tradition, was Sgt. Creston H. Rowland, Jr., just liberated after 42 months in a Jap prison camp, heading hell-bent for Ameri can lines in Konoy. Sgt. Rowland, his fling over, to day sits quietly behind a desk in the Wilmington postoffice, recruit ing young men into the army, and never tells them of the time he stole a Tojo locomotive. The story begins Feb. 15, 1941, when Rowland, a native of Raleigh, enlisted in Uncle Sam’s khaki forces, took his trainig at Fort Bragg, and left Angel Island, Cal ifornia, with no thoughts of be coming an angel at all. He came close. A private first class in the 60th Coast artillary, Rowland was sta tioned on Corregidor, when Ameri cans first heard of the Pearl Har bor attack. Rowland learned of the war a day early, because of the international date line in the South Pacific. For four months his company fought the invader, mostly by sea and air, and then came one month of hand-to-hand battling, which was followed by the Yanks surren der May 6, which Rowland per sonally viewed. For two weeks the American forces were held in Malinta tunnel hospital, which was in a valley, with the grinning Japs perched on the surrounding peaks, where they could take pot shots at the prison ers whenever they were in the 11 ..... Miss Lenore Hilburn, Winter Park, takes dictation from Sgt. Creston H. Rowland, Jr., in the Wilmington United States Army Recruiting office. Rowland, a member of the recruiting staff, spent nearly four years in a Jap prison camp. (STAFF PHOTO) mood. Conditions were poor, with no food, water or medicine, and a few men died of starvation, Sgt. Rowland said. But, that was only the beginning, and death became a close companion in later months. After a ship journey to Cavita, an old U. S. Naval base, the prison ers were taken to Cabantuan, in boxcars, and were imprisoned in Jap jail No. 3. ‘‘The boxcars had about a 50 man capacity, and were loaded with over 150 of us,” the sergeant related. Rowland became a cook, while at the camp, although he had never cooked before. ‘‘There wasn’s much to cook any way,” he said, ‘‘and men were dying who didn’t work, because they didn’t have anything to occu py their minds. I cooked rice . . . and more rice.” Today the ser ORDER CUSTOM BUILT, BEAUTIFUL VENETIAN BLINDS BY MAIL! SAVE UP TO 50% Look at these Low Prices.. Quick Delivery Beautiful off-white Ivory and White Venetian blinds made of Bonderized and Galvanized steel slat blinds. Sizes To Fit the Average Size Window 23" x 61"____—-$5.50 27" x 61"-$5.90 30" x 61"- $6.85 33" x 61"-$7.45. 36" x 61"_$7.95 39" x 6l"_,- $8.90 We also cut to your specific sizes, wood or metal blinds at 55c per square foot. Painted aluminum slat blinds, 60c per square foot. 12 square feet minimum per blind. All prices F. O. B. Washington, D. C. 25% Deposit required on all jobs. SOUTHERN VENETIAN BLIND CO. Manufacturers 2251A 9th Street, N. W. Washington 1, D. C. geant would just as soon not sit down to a meal of rice. }Vhile at Camp No. 3, two men were shot by the guards for escape attempts, and hundreds suffered from lack of proper food and medi cal attention. Transferred to prison camp No. 1, Rowland farmed with the idea that the harvest would be used to feed the American, Dutch and British prisoners, but he said most of the fruits of his labor went to the Japs. “Men were dying at the rate of 90 a day, from beri-beri, dysentery, and malaria,” he declared, adding that he suffered from all three maladies, and had malaria steadi ly for 30 months. Some idea of the food situation can be realized, when it is known the sergeant enlisted weighing 170 pounds, and tipped the scales at 110 pounds when freed. Or rather he didn’t even tip the weighing macmne. nis nrst montn on Amer ican food, gained him 52 pounds, proving the Japs eat, but it ain’t worth it. Today inanimate scales shudder when Howland moves his massive 203 pound frame towards them. As life proceeded at Can-,i No. 1, the Japs called for 500 healthy men to work in the coal mines in Japan proper. “A fat man was a healthy man,” Sgt. Rowland explained, “and I hadn’t slimmed down too much then, so I was picked.” Aboard the ship to Japan, the sergeant continued to follow his chef’s career, while most of the men gasped for air in the ship’s hole. On the journey, Capt. E. H. Hewlett, of the medical corps, performed two operations with a dull razor and no anisthetics. “That man took out an appendix and performed a successful throat operation on two of the prisoners, and the men lived. I never saw any doctor at work, that ‘I’ll re member as long as I do Capt. Hewlett”, Rowland declared. After being sprayed with lysol, on arrival in Japan, the Allied prisoners went to Camp No. 17, where they were given drill, be fore entering the modern coal mine, constructed with American equip ment, which they were to work in. The treatment was rough in the mine. Men were given three 15 minute smoking periods $25 FOR YOU! A NEW YEAR-A NEW NAME ' Open to all! Win $25.00! Enter this contest. We want a new name for our store. Stop in before Saturday, Jan. 11 and leave your suggestion with us. The decision of the judges will be final. In the event of duplicate entries the first submitted will be the only one considered. JONES FURNITURE CO. 17 Years Under The Ownership Of Joe Abel 18 South Front Street Dial 5751 a day, and beatings result ed from any viol ation A few American were given “s u n treatment” there which is the delightful Jap torture con sisting of hanging in the sun by the thumbs for a few days. While at the mine, Rowland said three men were starved to death deliberately, and another bayonet ed. The starved trio were caught swapping some food for cigarettes, and the prisoner who died by the bayonet, had brought some data on the war’s progress to other inmates. Finally on Aug. 15, 1945 American planes strafed the mine entrance, and five days later C-47 transport plane arrived with a note, telling the prisoners the war was over, and the Japs had finally admitted Uncle Sam was the better man. The planes dropped food, and the guarded men broke out of camp to get at the American menu. “We enjoyed our freedom,” Sgt. Rowland will tell you, with a twinkle in his eye, that means more than words can tell. “Some of the boys took advantage of the situation, after three and half years under Nipponese control, and “mingled with the popula tion,” he added. The locomotive enters the tale here. No Yanks came to liberate the freed prisoners and the nearest American camp was 137 miles southwest at Konoy. Rowland and five of his moye jubilant buddies took over a motorcycle and rode to the train station, where their ambitions ex panded and they decided to take over the train going to Konoy. “Well, we had to,” Sgt. Row land apologized, “There wasn’t any room in the cars.” So with a little persuasion, that the sergeant would rather not de scribe, the six Americans settled in the engine of the train and employed a scared Jap to shovel coal for them. Rowland was tbe engineer, al though it was the first time he had ever been in a engine. Disregarding scheduled, the train began to move. According to Row land, a Jap trainman had showed the terrible six how to start the darned thing, but forgot to point out the method used to halt the machine. But that was unimport ant. They boys didn’t care, they were heading toward American food, and ultimately, home. Somewhere, along with the motor cycle and train, Rowland’s friends had managed to pick up a few machine guns, the Japs evidently figured wouldn’t be used anymore, and no one made any attempt to stop the wild Americans. “We blew the whistle all the 137 miles, because we at least knew how to do that.” Rowland smiled, “There were a lot of rough places on several trestles that had been shaken up by Yank bombs, but we didn’t decrease o'ur speed a bit.” Of course the truth of the matter is, the good sergeant didn’t know how, and the Jap passengers were getting a good old American joyride, and were all in meditation over the advisability of hari-kari. Somehow the amateur trainmen got the locomotive stopped at Konoy, but they weren’t done yet. They then proceeded to move in on an American beer train, to do some fancy, and long neglected tippling. The GI guard made no attempt to stop the escapading, and Row land learned later Gen. Douglas MacArthur had ordered liberated prisoners to be given anything they wanted. Of course, Rowland didn’t know that, when he pilfered the train. “Then we had our first American food, and slept in our first bed for 47 months,” Rowland sighed, as he greeted a young man in his office who had unformed plans of joining the army. The ex-prisoners climbed aboard a C-47, and circled Japan before leaving for Okinawa. They waved bye-bye to the Japs with a few well aimed American pineapples, not grown in Hawaii, Rowland re lated. Next stop was the Phillipines, as Rowland continued to gain weight, and then to British Colum bia, by ship, where Canadian war prisoners were taken off. Today Rowland, a husky, blond buck sergeant lives in Wilmington, with his wife, and five-month old daughter, Cynthia. He was married Nov. 7, 1945, and has settled down to forget a little about the ordeal in the Orient. But he vows he’s in the army for life. “I like it,” he said. Rowland was wounded five times in the Batan and Corregidor cam paigns, and wears, besides the Purple Heart, the combat infantry badge, American defense ribbon, with two stars, the Phillipine Liberation ribbon, South Pacific theatre of operation banner, with two stars, the Phillipine Defense ribbon, also with a pair of stars, and several other decorations. Rowland’s official title now is recruiting sergeant at the Wilming ton postoffice headquarters of the Army ground forces, but he’s still a train thief to Nagasaki citizens, who won’t forget the Omuta-to Konoy train arrived ahead of sche dule, and didn’t even slow down in Nagasaki, late Aug., 1945. There are 45 different kinds of steel used in 1he manufacture of one medium-priced brand of auto mobile. Could Henry VIII Have Had Stomach Ulcer Pains? fi story tells how Henry VIII would gorge bimself with food and suffer afterward. Don’t ignore your sufferings. Try Udga for relief of ulcer and stomach pains, indigestion, gas pains, for heartburn, burning sensation, bloat and other con ditions caused by excess acid. Get a 25c box of Udga Tablets from your druggist. First dose must convince or return box to us and get DOUBLE YOUR MONEY BACK. SAUNDERS DRUG STORE and Drag Stores Everywhere ! HIERS TO ATTEND PORTCONFERENCE Group Will Discuss Effects Of Recent Freight Rate Increases J. T. Hiers, executive agent of the Wilmington Port Commission, will attend a meeting of the South At lantic and Southern Ports Confer ence in Jacksonville, Fla., tomor row. Hiers, who is chairman of the Southern Traffic League, and a member of the conference, said last night that he woulj represent Wil mington at the meeting. Also expected to attend the meet ing called by J. F. Surdivans, of Miami, are members from the ports of Morehead City, Char leston, Georgetown and Port Royal, S. C., Savannah and Bruns wick, Ga., Jacksonville, Fort Pierce, Port Everglades, Miami Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sanford and Pensacola, Fla. Scheduled for discussion by the membership are proposed federal barge line service on the Atlantic and Gulf intracoastal waterways; release of rivers and harbors funds frozen by directive of President Truman; continuance of reciprocal trade treaties and reductions in tariff duties; and the effects of recent freight rate increases on the existing relationship between all ports of the country. HE HAS MUSTACHE CUPS NEWTON, Mass., — (U.PJ — Wil liam Guild was surprised when he read in a national magazine that there were only three left-handed mustache cups in existence. His collection includes 14 — one of them a demi-tasse mustache cup. The Hiroshima atomic bomb de molished four square miles of buildings and left another three square miles uninhabitable. Deafened Now Hear With Tiny Single Unit Science has now made it possible for the deafened to hear faint sounds. It is a hearing device so small that it fits in the hand and enables thousands to enjoy ser mons, music, and friendly compan ionship. Accepted by the Council on Physical Medicine of the Ameri can Medical Association. This de vice does not require separate bat tery pack, battery wire, case or garment to bulge or weight you down. The tone is clear and power ful. So made that you can adjust it yourself to suit your hearing as your hearing changes. The makers of Beltone, Dept. 7618, 1450 W. 19th St., Chicago 8, 111., are so proud of their achievement that they will gladly send free descriptive book let and explain how you may get a full demonstration of this re-‘ markable hearing device in your own home without risking a penny. Write Beltone today. He’s Anti-Genius Don’t quote the bright say ings of your little Junior when Dr. Harlow Shapley. above, di rector of Harvard Observatory, is around. Declaring that of the five worst enemies of man kind, the “genius maniac” is the most potent killer, he sug gested genius could be con trolled by killing off. In in fancy, “all primates that show any evidence of promise of genius, or even talent.” His drastic “remedy” was made in speech to American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, Mass. Members elected him president for 1947. Dial 2-3311 For Newspaper Service C. W. DAVIS CO. WHOLESALE GROCERS Catering to the re tail grocer, hotels, institutions, cafete rias and outgoing vessels and ships. We carry a full line of' No. 10 canned vegetables and No. 10 canned fruits. Just Arrived: 100 cases, six 10’s, Syrup to take the place of scarce sugar in many ways. Ask your favorite grocer to furnish you with oqe or more gallons. It’s delicious. If he doesn’t have it he can get it from us. Distributors of Quality Foods 210-212 N. WATER ST. Dial 6587 ANOTHER BOY FOR ROONEYS BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 4— (fP)—It’s another boy for the Mickey Rooneys. Timothy, weighing seven pounds and 14 ounces, was born this morning in the same hos pital where Mickey, Jr., ar rived 17 months ago. Mrs. Rooney, who won a Miss Birmingham contest as Betty Jane Rase before meeting the movie actor, talked with her husband following Timothy’s arrival, and expects him here before the end of the week. FM Work Under Way By Highway Patrol RALEIGH, Jan. 4 — (/P) — Xh* Sali.cl-ury highway patrol radio sta tion has been changed over to frequency modulation, which al ready has been installed in Eliza bethtown and Raleigh, Captain Charles Farmer said today. Stations at Williamston and Ashe ville will be switched over from ampitude modulation as soon as weather clears and materials ar rive. Captain Farmer said FM was working fine and that his cars were getting a longer range on “talk backs” from the patrol cars. PLUMBING AND HEATING FIXTURES AND ACCESSORIES We have on hand for immediate sale a large supply of plumbing and heating fixtures and accessories. Below is a par tial list of items included: Cast Iron Enameled Bath Tubs, Lava tories and Sinks complete with chrom ium plated trim. Close coupled water closets complete double and single compartment stain less steel sinks. Medicine cabinets with plate glass win dows, gas, oil and electric water heat ers. “Insinkerator” garbage disposal units to attach to your present or new sink. Double cement laundry tubs. IDEAL PLUMBING CO. 126-128 South Front St. Dial 7292 OUR FIRST Comprising All New Winter Mer chandise From Stock—This Is A Real Opportunity For You To Buy DRESSES SUITS at Choice ^ Reductions 5 0% Now 60% up to. 'V Cut to. /V/ COATS DRASTIC MARKDOWNS In Many Garments B^ B B *“yy^ As Much / (J As. mm—mmmmmmmmmmmm ———i i — ■»»*» MATS $3 $5 1 GROUP BLOUSES *3 «• .
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Jan. 5, 1947, edition 1
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