The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-23

Captain Dalton of the Luckenbach,s
on his arrival at Quarantine today
said it was reported in San Juan that
the Nourmahal was waiting for a
friend of Colonel Astor, who was on
his way from New York as passen-
ger on a steamer of the New York
and Porto Rico company.
The news makes it positive that no
harm came to the yacht in the storm
earlier in the month. The Nourma-
hal has by this time probably pro-
ceeded to Ponce, where she would
have been reported had cable COM
munication been re-esta blished to that
point.
Wireless Won't Work.
Tampa, Fla, Nov. 23.-Efforts dur
ing the night to communicate by
wireless telegraph with San Juan,
Porto Rico, to obtain absolute con-
hrmation of the presence there of
John Jacob AStor and his friends on
board the yacht Nourmahal, were
without avail owing to disturbed at
moSpheric conditions but at quarter
of O'Clock this morning the wireless
operator here secured responses to his
calls for the San Juan station. Twen-
ty-four hours of ceaSeleSS endeavor on
the part of wireless men have brought
no confirmation of the reported safety
of Mr.. Astor and his yacht Nourmaha1
at San Juan. The commercial wireless
station at this point and the naval
wireless station at Key West have
called continuously since a. m. yes
terday, when the San Juan station was
lost but up to shortly before
O'Clock this morning had not been able
to raise the Porto Rico station. This
was evidently due to the heavy atmos-
pheric conditions which prevail over
the gulf and Caribbean sea.
Manager Hance of the local wireless
station. stated this nnrnir1C ut
o'clock that he had never seen such
static pressure as existed during the
night. 1t was almost impossible even
to speak to Key West,the nearest wire
less station to Tampa, he declared.
Conditions Improve.
At midnight atmospheric conditions
were such that both Key West and
Tampa stations discontinued all efforts
to raise either Guantanamo or San
Juan. Early this morning, however,
conditions were cleared to such an ex-
tent that both Tampa and Key West
again began calling at intervals for
San Juan. Answer was made, brok-
emily, supposedly from Guantanamo at
Sis a. M, indicating that conditions
were rapidly growing better and
message through might be expected at
any time.
report of Colonel Astor's presence in
the harbor at San Juan has not been
obtained so far is due to the ignorance
Of the operator at San Juan of the
anxiety that exists in the United States,
especially in New York city, as to
Colonel Astor and his friends.
The operator at Key West in asking
the San Juan operator as to the pres
ence of Mr.. Astor expected an answer
within few minutes or at least within
an hour. The San Juan man after
acknowledging the messages sent him
went out to Investigate and before he
returned communication was broken.
All efforts to re-establish it since have
failed.
1t is stated here that the wireless
tation at San Juan is on an isolated
point and naturally the operator hears
but little of the local gossip and would
I OF likely have known Of the presence
The Wreck on Cuban Coast
Captain Schlaikier of the German
steamer Wotan, who discovered the
subm erged wreck on the north coast
of Cuba is among those converted to
| the idea that the wreck he saw was
| that of Mr.. Astor's yacht.
! = No report has been received at Key
West from tugs which went opt to in
vestigate the submerged wreck.
| The runor that Mr.. Astor had land u
at some obscure port and gone to his
| big game preserves at Astor. Lake
| county in the interior of Florida, coSIId
not be verified. At 6 O'Clock this morn
| ing the Guantanamo wireless station
| was raised but reported that no COM
nlunieation had been established witt
! San Juan within the last "a hours