Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-01-07

AHaI boat, ne SAID, mad almost
twice as many in her as ours. don't
believe anybody was caught below.
We watched the other boat until it
was speck In the distance, and 1t
seemed to be getting along all right"
Captain Loring A. Gates, Boston
skipper, formerly in command of the
tank steamer Ligonier, and a passen-
ger on the Oklahoma, commanded the
other lifeboat, Kosich said.
From memory Kosieh and his COM
panions gave this list of the names of
those in their boat who persisted:
William r. Dodd, first assistant en-
eineer, who took charge; Walter Han
nan, second assistant engineer; Axel
Andersen, "a seaman; John Sullivan,
second cook; Manuel Gomez, a Spanish
fireman.
The 18th member of the crew was q
sailor whose name was not known.
The five brought in today confirm
the story that the great tank. ship
parted amidships without warning.
The weather was very stormy and
enormous seas were breaking aboard
when, with an agony Of groans and
creaks, the vessel buckled, apparently
and stem.
The engines were racing and could
not be stopped. All the engine room
force and those Of the crew aft who
were able, rushed to the decks
Two boats were got away. One was
crammed full This, presumably, was
the boat in<which the revenue cutter
Seneca found three bodies. The other
boat--the one in which the five were
picked up-contained II when 1t got
away. Six were subsequently drowned
after the craft had repeatedly cap
sized. When the five were finally taken
aboard the Gregory their condition was
pitiable.
Both boats were in extreme peril
from the moment they were lowered
over the sinking ships side. The seas
smothered them; the racing screws.
which they barely missed, threatened
to smash the boats to matchwood.
They drifted away, soon to be sep
arated. They saw Captain Gunter and
others amidships on the Oklahoma.
The five rescued, knew nothing of his
fate until they reached New York and
We're surprised to learn that he and
seven others had been saved by the
Bavaria.
The steamer Bavaria with eight sur
viyors of the tank steamer Oklahoma ex
poets to reach Boston Light at l o'clock
tomorrow morning and will not dock un-
til o'clock, according to message re-
ceived by the steamships agents tonight.
The marine observatory at Highland
Light reported at half past eight tonight
hot ria hnd ~fr ta6 Mt
that hour. 1t was a clear moonlight
night with the wind light from the north
northwest and a moderate sea.
AS to the breaking up of the steam
or Capt. Gunter said:
Il was standing on the bridge with
the storm raging about us, when there
was q slight tearing sound; the sound
increased, the ship seemed to be torn
in two and the fore and after parts
fioated clear of each other"
This was early Sunday morning. La
ter that day, the Spanish steamer
Manuel Calvo came up alongside the
tanker
THAT Spaniard just fooled around"
Capt. Gunter exclaimed. He put over
boat and then fooled around some
more, and finally he picked up his boat
and went away"
Capt. Gunter had high praise for
fruit steamer. believed to be the Tena-
dore of the United Fruit Co. which
stood by while the Bavaria rescued the
eight men left aboard the steamer. For
the work of rescue accomplished by the
boats crew of the Bavaria as result of
which the eight men slid down hawser
to safety in a lifeboat, Capt. Gunter had
words of highest praise.
The boat which received the Okla
homa's men was in command of Third
Officer Richard Knocked, of whom
Capt. Gunter said: THAT man ought
to have a Carnegie medal. His water
manship was perfect and he had the
coolest head | ever saw
Capt. Gunter told of how the little
boat, manned also by Quartermasters
Graft and Frey and Hustedt, Minot
and Wachter of the crew labored up
to the bow of the sinking tanker. The
hawser was stretched between the Ok
lahoma and the Iifeboat and the Okla
homa's survivors slid down the hawser
into the lifeboat.
OF the eight men rescued only two
| showed serious effects of their expe-
rience when the Baveria tied up at
docks this morning. These were, Mates
Iverson and Dahlen, who were suffer-
ing from frozen arms and legs.