The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-12-11
Nantucket South Shoal Re-
lief Reports That the
Water is Gaining and the
Grew is Helpless.
U. s.1ElDER TO the RESCUE
COMMUNICATION CEASED YES
TERDAY. BUT IT IS HOPED THE
AzALEA NAY BE IN TIME-sIX-
TEEN MEN IN DANGER.

BOSTON. Dec. II. 1905.-The Nam
tucket South shoal relief light vessel No.
IS will be towed into Hysnnis. Mass, TO-
day if the United States lighthouse ten-
der Azalea reaches her III time. The
Hghtship's crew spent thrilling Sunday
far out in the Atlantic, With great waves
battering open a leak that threatened TO
send the ship and all hands to the bot
tom. There are sixteen men aboard.
The Azalea sailed from New Bedford
Mass. at 7.s0 O'Clock last night under
orders from Boston, and was expected
to reach the houndering lightship early
to-day.
Five watertight compartments will be
the salvation of the lightship, if she lives
until rescued by the Azalea. These conn
partments were designed solely to meet
Inc present emergency.
The leak was discovered m the fire.
room early yesterday morning while the
lightsfip was being tossed by the worst
storm of the season. At o'clock the
naval wireless station at Newport caught
message saying that the pumps had
been worked steadily but that the water
was gaining. The leak was somewhere
around the freroom plates. although its
exact location could not be ascertained.
At noon the lightship asked for immedi-
ate assistance. Three hours more pass
ed aud then the crew sent word that they
had lost the aid of machinery. The FIRE
room had been flooded, Astinguishing the
fires. Thirty minutes later wireless
communication ceased with this message:
water gaining. We are helpless"
About that time the glle backed into
the northwest. stirring up a dangerous
cross sea. The cessatio of tlE wireless
apparatus meant one of two thinss. the
vessel had sunk, or the dynamos had Civ
en- out. Naval telegraph operators and
lighthouse officers took the more opti-
mistic view
Admiral Thomas, at the Newport
training station. ordered that the gum
boat Hist hurry out to sea. She start
ed in charge of Boatswain Cooper, but
her steering gear was disabled, and she
put back. Then the tender Azalea was
sent from New Bedford, while the Hist
made repairs 50 as to be in readiness if
needed.
Capt. Jorgenson, of Dennis, Mass Is
in command of the lightship. George
Acorn, of Boston. is first officer; Stephen
Davis, of Failhaven, Mass, is fist engi-
neer; John Lubby, of Newport. is second
engineer. The crew Of nine men hail
mainly Barnstable county, Mass. There
are also on board in charge q tho s
less apparatus three naval operators,
Russell Furbanks, CharIes bit4lAensA-l, /,
and William E. Snyder.
Lightship No. IS went on the Nam
tucket shoals only six day sago. She
was anchored in $50 feet Of watar. go
two miles south by east from Tom
Nevers Head On Nantucket Island, wlrn-
in few miles Of the Gulf saeam.
Steamers bound between Liverpool and
New York have for many years turned
at this point. She shows two fixed white
lights, with a twelve-second flash and a
three-seeond eclipse. -Four lanterns en-
circle each masthead. Her fog signal is
ive-seeond blast with silent intervals
of twenty -fye seconds.