The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-31
BRAVE WIRELESS OPERATOR SAVES
 SINKING SHIP Wonderful Courage of Boy Scheetz Brings Rescue
 to Lexington CHARLESTON TAKES ON NORMAL ASPECT Passengers On Incoming Ships Tell Tales of Terrible Suffering. Revenue Cutters Securing
 the Atlantic Coast


 ton, which was beached7 on Edisto island during the hurricane Monday aft ernoon, lived ten years in the space of q hours with the ship almost en- tirely submerged time and again while driven before the gale.
 This was the statement made by some of those taken from the ship by the revenue cutter Yamacraw and who are stopping here in care of Chief Steward Berlinger awaiting orders from head quarters. This afternoon the passengers were given the privilege of proceeding to Sas snnah by rail and there take pas sag& dd. Philadelphia, but with the hor- TOTS of their recent experience fresh in mind they promptly declined the of fer.
 Lack of power to resist the gale caused the Lexington to be beached. With five feel of water in the engine room every pound of steam that d0uld be raised was used to man the pumps and keep the ship a1oat With the boat under water Stewrrd Berlinger managed to cook food for the passen gers. and, creeping on hands and feet, served it to them in the cabin, where they were unable to move through fear of being washed overheard.
 Mrs. w. ]. Mansfield of Philadelphia, wife of clerk to the chief of police of Philadelphia, was warm in her praise for Captain connally. Flat not it been for the superior seainanship of the captain she said, we would all Ne dead today In the hour of trial, which came between 30 and 2:30 Monday aft ernoon, Captain Connally displayed the sreatest heroism and inspired all of Us with hope. Chief Steward Berlinger and Wireless Operator Scheetz also per formed heroically and aided in our final rescue.
 To the courage of Wireless Operator Echettz, a 16-yenr-old lad, the liner Lex ingtons F passengers and crew of Al owe their lives. storm raked for 24 hours, her nose driven deep in the quick sandsl koff Hunting island. with seas ashi oysr her, the Issiast0n fs ton isr'at, sa1 at cargo to death i. the seethina, N aters
 It is said that the LexingtoY will be a total loss, but Scheetz, thf latest hero of the wireless. did nof despair Persistently he licked out his call for help and kept the terror stricken pas eengers from abandoning hope Finally a terrific wave swept the ship and wrecked the wireless station on board.
 For moment 1t seemed that hope was dashed, but Scheetz climbed into the rigging and hastily fixed up a sta tion. In imminent danger of his life from the high wind which threatened to tear him from his insecure seat. and blinded by the spray. Scheetz sent out his plea for aid Suddenly, through the storm, he was answered. The revenue cutter Yamacraw had heard his call and In a little while was on the way to save the lives of the Lexington's crew and passengers.
 The 12 passengers, a steward and three colored employees of the Lexng- ton, were brought here early today by the Yamacraw. which left the captain and crew of 43 men on board
 Two firemen are reported to have been burned to death and a third terri ply scalded when she grounded. First Officer Chamberlain suffered a fracture of his right shoulder
 The Lexington, Merchants and Miners liner, was bound from Savannah to Phil adelph1a with 12 passengers Three times she was covered with water, the pumps expelling enough to clear the upper DOT tions and float the storm
 Passengers necessarily prayed for abatement of the storm and when the government steamer hove into sight. a mighty cry of relief went up from the sorely stricken people. When the captain realized the danger of the liners breaking up at any minute he had life preservers strapped on every passenger.
 Transportation by rail will be furnished the passengers and they will be con ducted to Philadelphia.
 Eight first cabin passengers were taken from the Lexington yesterday afternoon These were Mir. -nd Mrs. W. J. Mans field of Philadelphia, Dr. R. W. Reidel, Mrs. Donald Reidel, Gordon Reidel, all of Philadelphia, Mrs J. Reid of Phia- delphfa, K. Stanton of Philadelphia and Mrs. Joseph Berlinger and Miss Pfeiffer. steward and stewardess respectively of the Lexington
 R. c. Newman, staff correspondent of the Savannah Press. who was on board, told story unrivalled probably by that Of any recent experiences along the At 1antic coast. Held for IS hours in the grip of the hurricane of Sunday night and Monday morning, with Captain Con nally almost naked and half frozen standing at the wheel. with the pilot house glasses turned in every direction, with the stokers working desperately while standing to their arm pits in water trying to increase the small pressure of % pounds of steam to sufficient power to enable the Lexington to steer away from the treacherous shore toward which they finally were blown and grounded the veteran passenger and freight steam. CT Lexington formerly the Ocean steam ship liner City of Macon. was unequal to the great battle against the odds of wind and water.
 At about 1923 o'clock Monday afternoon. after two anchor cables had parted, the Lexington went hard ashore of Hunting ton island. She is lying today in about 1S feet of water listed almost 40 degrees to port with her bow pointing up the coast.
 Captain Connaly, a veteran of the serv- Zee of the Merchants and Miners, de- elared that the hurricane was the worst of his experience of sea going.
 He claims. and his statement Is attested by the first mate and steward, that the wind came in guests at times, making about l30 miles an hour. The roll of the sea was terrible.
 Three times in one hour the entire hull of tle Lexington was completely lost to view With the craft at the mercy of the clements because it was impossible to make the least headway, great seas would sweep down on the boat covering her from stem to stern. All passengers were huddled in the social hall, equipped with life preservers and not a few fer vent prayers were offered that they might rec shore again.
 When urged yesterday by the officers Of the Yamacrow that he abandon his 1, boat, Captain Connally declared he would -4 ]. ~ .