The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-22
NOT AT SAN JUAN
Report That Col. Jack AstOr and
His Yacht
was Safe in HarbOr Is Denied
by Wireless Operator.
ABANDONED SEARCH
BY Revenue Cutter Yamacraw
Probably Will Be Resumed.
His Secretary Still Confident of
His Safety.
ABANDONED SEARCH

San Domingo, Nov. 22.-Colonel
'ohn Jacob Astor's yacht Nourmahal
saiieu from here November IL, during
tlie hurricane. The captain of an
european steamer arriving here today
iepor.s that he saw the wreck of
e.eainer lying between the islands of
Catalina and Saona. These islands lie
III the path of vessels proceeding east
from here for Porto Rico.
A revenue cutter has been ordered
10 sail Immediately for the scene of
the wreck
her wireless communication will he
sta tapIlshed by the station here with
,E4 Sah Juan during today and it will be
auissoay morning, possibly between
less is at its best that anv positive
eWs can pc received concerning the
Nourmahal. The operator here has
neen on duty constantly for the last
.i.Il hours and sent calls to every station
Mnnln MS zone. Every other service
= MADE secondary to that of gaining
mahal 1>oui
1t was shortly after O'Clock this
morning that the naval wireless onera
tors attempted to communicate With
Fan Juan. There was feeble re-
sponse from San Juan station. and
1a.er Iao mere was such Improvement that
Key West was able to send q consid
| cradle number of messages addressed
70 colonel Astor and his friends The
| wireless communication continued nm
| III shortly before 6 O'Clock when
wireless waves.
II IS anticipated that the inyestiea-
non OF the submerged vessel off the
north coast of Cuba will be made some
Ehi -tHe TO-DAY or early tomorrow morning.
NoSSal On Ih c1,
Elbow Key and should be found easily
eapta1n Schlafker of the German
Fteamer Wotan is positive that he saw
.hree masts and that corresponds with
ne Noufmahal. He declared the masts
were not those of a schooner as thew
were 100 close together and of a
smaller shape.
Still a Mystery.
Key West Fla. Nov. 22-Mystery
stiH surrounds the whereabo,1tS ~
the steam yacht NourmahaI. with the
New York millionaire, John Jacob
Astor, her owner, and a partv of
friends on board.
Failure of confirmation through
key west this morning by means of
the only present intact method of
communication with the West Indian
island. the government wireless sys
tenn, has had the effect of casting
doubt on the correctness of the re-
port received yesterday from the
steamer Caracas at WiIlemstad.
Curacao, which said the Nourmahal
arrived off San Juan, November Ia.
and was safely anchored in tho har-
bor there on the 18th
Reason for doubling the correct
ness of the report is two fold. In
the first place, the operator at the
government wireless station at San
Juan declared early today that he
knew nothing of the presence of the
Nourmahal there, and if she was in
it. At the same time the San Juan
operator volunteered the informa-
ton that there was at present large
steam yacht in San Juan harbor. but
that it belonged to a Cuban. This
vessel might easily have been mis-
taken by the captain of the Caracas
for the missing NourmahaI
Not at San Juan.
Tampa, Fla, Nov. 22.-Direct wire
less from San Juan says Astor's
yacht is not there.
Despite the fact that the wireless
station at Key West was in COM
01unication with San Juan for an hour
early this morning no word was then
received definitely establishing that
the Nourmahal was or was not in
the harbor.
us the Nourmahal, Astors yacht,
there?" asked the operator at Key
West, when after repeated calls, he
raised San Juan.
"I don't know; I believe she is" was
the answer the wireless brought back
I'll investigate, but it will take some
time"
Then take these messages first"
said Key West.
The Key West operator then sent a
long string of communications for Col
onel Astor and members of his party
from friends and relatives. Having
finished sending the Key West opera
tor again asked San Juan to ascertain
if the yacht was there. Then COM
munication failed.
cording to a wireless report for the
spot described by the captain of the
Wotan, when he reported having seen
a wreck that he though might have
been that of the Nourmahal. This
wreck was in shoal water just off Ell
bow Key. If not the Nourmahal, ship
ping interests are wondering what ves-
sci it may have been.
Washington Is Surprised.
Washington, Nov. 22.-The revenue
cutter service officials were much sur
prised to find that the latest advices
from San Juan, Porto Rico, failed to
verify the report that the Astor yacht
Nourmahal was seen in that harbor.
The Yamacrew, which had been
dispatched under hurry orders to ia
maica and thence to follow the prob
! able course of the sNourmahal to
Porto Rican waters, is already return
| ing to Jupiter inlet under the orders
she received following the report of
the presence of the yacht at San Juan.
| Unless the situation is speedily clari-
| fed, the Yamacraw probably will be
| directed by wireless to resume the quest
| cs the missing yacht.
May Have Meant Nothing to Him.
| New York, Nov. 22.-Word from
Tampa, Fla, that the wireless operator
! in his communications early today with
! the San Juan, Porto Rico, wireless sta
| tio- received no confirmation of the
| pro -ce of John Jacob Astor's steam