Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-23

Il y Il 4 -
arm Point" Half an hour later
! message was received from the Sibe'
liza herself. saying that she was 12'
| miles north of Manila. all o. X.
| BY this time the Siberia had entered
| what is known as static storm, an
atmospheric condition frequently met
with in tropical countries, which rem
ders wireless communications difficult
and sometimes impossible. The Persia
was therefore unable to inform the ST.
IBERIA of the unaccountable messages
! she had been receiving from different
/ quarters. The Persia, however, at once
| transmitted the message she had re-
| ceived from the Siberia to Hongkong,
| but got no reply. and therefore could
not tell whether 1t had been picked up
| or not.
At half past seven the same morning,
| the Persia reached the position where
| the Siberia was described to be in dis
tress. and here sighted Japanese ca
Bile ship, which signalled that she had
seen nothing in the nature of YES
sci in want of assistance. Half an
from the II. NJ S. Yarmouth. which
was now in the immediate vicinity,
on the lookout for steamer in distress,
requesting any information. Captain
Hill replied that he had seen the ST.
IBERIA the previous day, and added: Il
expect she Is now in Manila. Think
there must be a mistake somewhere.
About the time of the Persia's arriv-
al an important point in the mystery
was carried up when the Nippon Yu-
sen Kaisha, as the result of an inves-
LEGATION announced that the siberian
distress signal given out by the COM
panys steamer "Bingo Maru and
transmitted to the Formosan govern
ment and thence to the Japanese navy
had not been received directly from the
Siberia but from the Ozesaki land sta
ton. The company explains that the
mistake was made by the Fukikaku
wireless station at Formosa which
handed the message along as "Bingo
Maru' report when, in fact, it was
an Ozesaki report. This, so far as is
known leaves the Ozesal1i station the
only one hearing the Siberia distress
signal.
What the Department of Communi-
cations of Japan thinks about the
question at issue may be seen from the
following official letter which was sent
to the agents of the Pacific Mail COM
pany:
"On May 1st, at $40 A. NJ. the sos
WWU' Distress Siberial call was re-
ceived suddenly and repeatedly at the
Ozesaki wireless telegraph office. How
ever, as the Geographic effect was
weak the receiving instrument was
set in order so that a reply might be
given after getting the said call posi-
lively confirmed. in a short time the
call same as above was repeated. I'M
mediateiy a reply was given repeating
'WWU DE Jos OK YR sos Give Posn'
tSiberia here Ozesaki all right your
distress give position). 1t being ascer-
tanned that the said ships position was
2240 north latitude and 121.10 east
longitude a message was repeated say
ing What kind and cause of distress
but as sunrise was approaching the
communications became difficult. AL
though a clear reply could not be re-
considered by the Office to be beyond
doubt that there was the distress any
how and necessary measures were i'm
mediately taken
Inability TO raise" the Siberia sub
sequently led to the report that the
ship was sinking and messages to that
effect were sent to Nagasaki from
fbepoa m Toxic Official
bulletins from the Formosan govern
ment and the japanese navy reported
the Siberia had met with disaster. In
vestigation thus far shows that all
these reports emanated from the same
source, namely, the original distress
signal at Ozesaki. So convinced was
the Japanese navy of some serious dis
aster that it did not wait for George
w. Guthrie, the American ambassador.
to request the sending of help, but
quickly ordered two warships out from
Forraosa. One of them. the Kanto
Maru, was later sighted by the Persia.
Shipping officials and naval officers
in tho Far East are very anxious that
a complete investigation be made in
to the Siberian incident. They believe
ii imperative in the interest OF the fu-
ture usefulness of wireless telegraphy
In the saving Of life. Meantime, the
Pacific Mail company will probably
change the call letters of the Persia,
feeling that the constant repeating of
the Persia signal by the Siberia was
misread for the distress call by the
operator at Ozesaki.