The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-07
OKLAHOMA DISASTER
BRINGS NEW STORY
OF HEROIC RESCUE
Survivors Reaching New
York Tell of Bravery of
Rescuers-Death List
Now Twenty-Five

New York, January 5.-Thirteen sur
vivors tonight had been accounted for
out of the IS men aboard the tank stamer
Oklahoma when she broke in two Sunday
in a storm off Barnegat. Another story
of heroic rescue was written beside the
tale told by the wireless that brought the
first news of the disaster.
Until the Booth liner Gregory, fresh
from a 2ooo-mile voyage up the Amazon,
arrived today the eight men taken off the
Oklahoma by the steamship Bavaria were
believed to be the only ones saved. But
the Gregory had five more Of the ship
wrecked crew that her officers had
dragged from the boiling sea at the risk
OF their own lives
Eight Stay on Board
So the Oklahoma death list stood at %
Tonight; and there was little hope that
more of the crew would be saved What
little hope remained was based on the
fact that the men brought to port by
the Gregory said another lifeboat besides
theirs had been launched from the sinking
steamer There was little doubt, however
that this was the boat sighted by the
revenue cutter Seneca with three frozen
bodies Under its thwarts. The boat that
carried the five survivors within reach
of the Gregory, contained but one body
when 1t was cast adrift after the rescue.
OF the Oklahoma's crew of SS. II manned
the boat that reached the Gregory, 10 took
to the other boat and eight stayed aboard,
L. H. -. f.p
boatload probably all were lost OF the
ii in the smaller boat. six were drowned
when the boat capslzed barely a hundred
yards away from the side of the Booth
liner.
When the Gregory sighted the Okla
homa's lifeboat the benumbed sailors had
hoisted sail which enabled them to keep
their craft from being overwhelmed by
the gigantic seas. AS the Gregory came
within hailing distance the shipwrecked
men dropped their sail and their boat i'm
mediately lost its steerage way and
turned over.
Then, one after the other, the three
chief officers of the Gregory, without
waiting to throw off clothes plunged over
the side. They were: First Officer r. II.
Buck Second Officer J. S. williams, and
Englishmen.
Buck who has medal given by the
King of Greece for a rescue he made
nine years ago in the Bay of BscaY
knew what it meant to breast a storm
beaten sea and he tied to himself
bow line. The others took no lines,
aud all but paid the penalty with their
lives.
Each officer seized struggling sail
or and brought him to the ships side,
then went back TO where the lifeboat
was floating bottom side up. Three
more were rescued. The first man
hauled aboard died on the deck. The
other five We're kept alive after nard
work by surgeon and crew.
One man was seen swimming near
the ship Captain Aspinwal1 heaved a
life buoy at the end of a line. The
man had it in his grasp when great
wave keeled the ship over and when
Il swung back the man had disap-
peared. The lifeboat righted itself and
as 1t floated past, the Gregory crew
saw a man jammed under the seats.
officer Buck wanted to jump in after
him but his captain held him back.
Promotion Recommended
When the agents of the Booth line
here sent a report Of the rescue TO
the home office in Liverpool tonight
they recommended Buck Williams and
Roberts for promotion.
John Kosich. the Oklahoma's mess
hoy, Norwegian, said he and his 10
shipmates in the lifeboat that reached
the Gregory saw the other boat put Off
from the opposite side of the tank
steamer.
THAT boat" he said "had almost
twice as many in her as ours"
S Capt Loring A Gates, Boston skip
per. formerly in command of the tank
steamer Ligonier and a passenger on
the Oklahoma. commanded the other
lifeboat Kosich said.
From memory. Kosch and his COM
panions gave the list of the names of
those in their boat who perished
William r. Dodd, first assistant enei-
neer, who took charge; Walter Hannah
second assistant engineer; AXel Ander-
son. a seaman; John Sullivan. second
cook; Manuel Gomez, Spanish fire
man.