Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-01-14

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Help! Help! For Gods sake help
us!" was all the receiver clicked.
At last it stopped a moment, and
the Mongolian operator managed to
cut in.
Send name and position" he pound
ed fiercely. "Send position. Keep
nerve. Send position"
He stopped, grasping the table and
waiting anxiously.
"M-o-n-g-o-l-i-a-n!" the receiver
clicked wildly.
"The fool" gasped Harling. 1.-The
dirty coward! Sending that way at
such a time!"
He seized the key and drove out
fiercely his command:
Send position"
For reply the receiver clicked back
in the same ratified way:
Yacht Irvessa breaking upon reef.
For Gods sake help US! Will pay any
reward if you will save us at once!
Help us quick, for Gods sake!"
The rage of the operator had risen.
The thought of lives resting on the
work Of the coward was awful.
"The fool" he gasped. IF he's
breaking up, why is he wasting time
that way?" And then his own message
volleyed out into the night:
What reef? Send position. Quick!'
In panicky clicks the answer came
back. 1t was the same idiotic raving
of fear crazed man.
'Tll reward you. I am E. H. Pinck-
ney and rich. Have thirty on board.
Will reward handsomely"
Again Harling drove out the short
demand for the position Of the wreck
ed yacht. Then. as he waited for re-
ply, he seized the captains telephone
a second time.
Its the yacht Irvessa, captain. She
reports going to pieces. There's a
frightened fool at the key-E. Il.
Pinckney. Can't even get mis- position.
I'm doing my best, sir, but Pinckney's
lost his nerve completely. If they had
a man at the key we might get some
thing"
He hung up the phone to listen In
disgust and despair to Pinckney's
rawlings driven out through the storm.
There was no chance for Harling to
send. The man at the Irvessa key
kept pounding, with no sense to his
messages. AS the Mongolian operator
twaited for break to cut In the cap
tain. driven by the force Of the wind,
fairly burst into the little wireless
room.
We'll" he snapped, What is it now ?
Have you got the position Of the 1r-
vessa?"
Harling shook his head in disgust.
Il can hardly make out what he
says, captain. His sending is awful.
He's good operator, too, believe,
only he's lost his nerve completely.
But as nearly as I can make out''-he
listened a moment anxiously-"its a
little better now. He says Irvessa,
| bound for New York from Porto Rico,
struck reef two hours ago. Don't
know where"
| Yes, yes, 1 understand" broke in
the captain impatiently. But can't he
give us any idea of his course?" Can
| dada reef is the only cnarted reef
within 200 miles of our present posi-
ton. Could you send 200 miles to-
night?"
| Harling shook his head.
81 don't think we could, sir. And
200 miles for yacht would be impos-
sible. Wait a minute"
He sprang to the key again and with
firm, emphatic strokes drove an i'm
perative message.
Whats that?" asked the captain.
II asked for his radius of communi-
cation-how far he could send," ex-
planned Harling. He waited moment,
and then the receiver began again it's
nervous, frightened clicking.
The face of the listening operator
frightened.
Sixty miles," he exclaimed, translat-
ing the clicks. why, we must be with
in forty miles to get him at all to-
night. But we are going toward him.
We might now be within thirty miles"
The captain shook his head.
Yes, but where?" he said. 1T may
be in any position. Anywhere within
forty mile reach, ahead or on either
beam, and tonight we can scarcely see
a quarter mile with tine searchlight."
Again the receiver began a wild tat
too. The light went out of Harling's S
face as he listened. Then he turned
almost piteously to the captain.
He says they're breaking up, sir.
For Gods sake
The clicking stopped suddenly. The
two men in the wireless room looked
at each other, and slowly each saw the
horror grow in tine eyes of the other
They waited with blanched faces. The
receiver stayed still.
They're gone" said the captain
!: softly at last, and outside the wireless
, room the wind roared triumphantly
, while the big waves pitched the ship
, about in the teeth of the gale.
Harling dropped back into chair
"Gone." he muttered stupidity
"Gone," And then, to mis- plain imag-
ination, there came the picture of the
!, yacht breaking up and the thirty going
down to death in the sea. Perhaps
they might be closer; they might be
almost on them. Perhaps there was
still time And then the thought, Sup
pose there are women, too, on board,
came to the young operator.
Harling sprang to his feet.
NO, no." he yelled loud above the
storm. "They shan't be gone. We will
save them!"
: He sprang to the key and desperate
, ly. rebelliously, volleyed out into the
night a message of cheer and hope.
We're coming. Well save you yet
Where are you? Hang on"
The captain laid his hand gently or
the young fellows shoulder.
It's no use, l fear, boy" he said
softly. They are gone. That's the
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