The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-09-08
SAVES MANY
Wireless Operator Sacrifices His
Life to
SAVE PASSENGERS
Sticks to His Post TIL the Pacific
Liner Went Down-Hts Call
Brought Two Ships-"Goodbye,
My God, I'm Was His Final

Brought Two Ships-"Goodbye,
My God, I'm Was His Final
Message to the Land
The coast liner Ohio. Of the Alas
ka Steamship Company. whose loss
was reported IN our '-st Issue, struck
a submerged rock IN the Pacific OF
Steep Point while pushing noTth1ard
In a fog from Seattle to Valdez with
i2S passengers aboard All the pas
sengers were rescued by other YES
sells which rushed to the sinking
steamers aid on the call OF the wire
less &C. Q. D.
Purse- F. J. Stephens. OF Seattle.
sank with the ship as he was sttll
lowering passengers over the side in
to the boats. Wireless Operator
George c. Eccles went down sitting
at his machine and s:iH sending
the story OF the wreck 70 the ope1-
ato. q, Ke.chikan. The quarter
master and two seanen also were
drowned.
At ! o'clock Saturday morning
United Wireless Operator Booth. o;
the Ketchikan station. was sitting
in bis cranped little Office fronting
the sea. on the South Alaskan archi-
oelago. when the receivers. began
ticking frant;caily the wireless dan
ger call for help. &c. Q. D.! c. @.
D."
Booth hurried back his answer,
What ship" ne demanded. where
are you?"
Steamship Ohio" came the quick
reply. We've struck rock OF Steep
Point. Ship sinking. One hundred
and tventy-e!ght passengers aboard.
Get help at once or everybody will
be lost
Booth knew the Steep Point Rocks
are q hundred miles OF tie nal.-
land. opposite Ke.chikan-and he
knew tha, the Ohio must have souied
her course IL fog.
Also be knew the steamship Hum
| boldt and Rupert City. Of the same
line. must be threading the tortuors
| channels not far from where tie
-ock-wrecked boat was going down.
Five minutes afterward he had turn
ed his machine to their wireless ap-
paratus. had s!snalled both OF them.
though they were a league apart
at sea. and had sen: them full! speed
to the rescue,
Then came another desperate mes
sage from the Ohio.
''ShIp sinking fast" It ticked in
frantic speed. Cannot hold oct
ano.he. hour. Passengers being tax
en- OF In small boats. Captain and
crew will stick to the last.
(Signed) "Eccles.
Booth. in his little cage at Ket-
chikan. could do not more than fash
| word to Eccles that help was On
the way. Then he picked mp The
Humboldt and Rupert City again.
''9oth headed for Ohio" they re-
sponded. Reach her in half an
| hour"
Booth was ticking this out 70 &c
c,es aboard the sinking ship when
the latter broke IN with his snal
message. It said:
Passengers al! OF and adritt in
small boats. Captain and crew so
ing OF IN last boat. waiting for me
now. Goodby. Ny God. 1'm"-
Booth at the land end OF the
wireless dispatch knew that Eccles.
Of tie Ohio. had gone down in tho
| final plunge o: the wrecked ship still
flashing out his message.
Details OF the disaster came IN
later from the steamship Humboldt.
which had rescued the surviving pas
sengers. and crew from open boa:s.
league from the s:-'.- Of the week
and an stu after Inc Ohio vent
down.
The big liner. edgtng slowly north
ward. had verred ten miles from her
course A great hole was stove q
her bow and she was far down by
tae head with Eve feet OF water In
her hold before the crew could even
arouse all the sleeping passensrs.
The panic that followed was ouelled
By officers and crew. who stood at
the berth doors and kept all the men
and women passing out il line and
across the deck to the ships boats.
which waited at the davits.
Three seamen went down with
Purser Stephens and Eccles. because
there was not time between the ssTik-
Ing o, the ship and he. sinking to
get all into the boats.
Among the passengers was Clar-
ence Cunningham. the Alaska coal
land operator. who lays claims to
mines valued at an enormous su1
and whose title has been ordered
investigated By President Taft He
Joined with NJ J. Eeney. another
rescued passenger. IN sending this
wireless from the Humboldt to Ket-
chikan:
Stephens and Ecc!es went down
saving the lives Of passengers. In
stead Of looking to their OWE safety.
They are heroes
The Ohio was worth 100000 and
carried rich cargo. She lies sunk
In twenty tathoms OF water.