Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-05-01
Chinese Pirates May be In
volved in Disaster Off
Formosan Coast.
JAPANESE VESSEL
ANSWERS S. o. S. CALL
Ships Wireless Ceases Sending
Out Messages With Aid
Six Hours Away.

San Francisco, May 1.-The Pacific
Mails big steamship Siberia was
wrecked today on Samasuan island, 90
miles off the south coast of Formosa.
The wireless had failed and details
were entirely lacking. 1t was not even
known how the disaster occurred A
terrifying hint was conveyed in mes
sage from Japan that perhaps Chinese
pirates were involved in it. This, how
ever, seemed to be but conjecture.
The Formosan coast is notoriously dan.
gerous for shipping.
News that the Siberia was in dis
tress was flashed by the ships own
wireless early Friday morning, China
coast time, which would have been
early Thursday eveHmg on the Pacific
coast of the United States.
The liner was on us way from Nag
asaki to Hongkong at the time, and
its signal was intended for the Great
Northern steamship Minnesota, north
bound, and presumably somewhere in
the vicinity. The message, however,
was picked up on the Japan coast.
Captain Seeks Help.
Then followed more rs. o. S" calls
in rapid succession. The Siberia was
in great danger its commander, Cap
tain Adrian Feeder stated, and he be-
sought help at once. The ships exact
position-224O north latitude and
121.10, east longitude-was given, but
just what has happened was not ex-
planned.
This summons was caught by sta
tions ON the Japanese and Formosan
coasts and by the British cruiser Min
Otaur in Formosan waters. Gradually
the signals grew more and more indis.
tinct and finally stopped entirely.
Under orders from the Toxic govern
ment the steamship Kanto had left the
FormOsan coast in the meantime, under
full head of steam for the scene of the
disaster. The Kanto got under way at
8 u. m, and it was said at the very
earliest it could not reach the Siberia
in less than six hours.
A Japanese and a British cruiser
the latter presumably the AIinotaur-
also steamed at top speed for Samas
una island
Vessel Only Aground.
The failure of the distressed vessel 8
wireless naturally gave rise to the most
direful forebodings and for some time
it was believed that the Siberia had
gone to the bottom. Later, however,
it was announced from the Pacific
Mail offices that the craft was aground
only, though it was admitted its posi-
ton was very dangerous.
The collapse of the wireless was at
tributed by some to damage to the
apparatus, which did not necessarily
mean that the ship itself was hope
lessly lost. Others said it might be due
to aerial conditions, which frequently
are bad off Formosa for such signal
ling.
The Siberia was commanded by Cap
tain Adrian Feeder, commodore Of the
Pacific Mail s fleet, and considered one
of the ablest navigators on the eastern
ocean.
The ship carried so cabin passeng-
ers, a crowded steerage and crew of
2S2, all, excepting the officers, Chinese.
Among the passengers was Mrs. Fran
els Burton Harrison, wife of the gov
ernor general of the Philippines, who
had been visiting in Japan and joined
the vessel at Nagasaki.
The big liner left San Francisco on
April 7. 1t touched at Honolulu, Yoko-
hama, Kobe and Nagasaki, and left the
latter port for Hongkong and Manila
April 30.
The Siberia was OF trifle more
than $4,000 tons. 1t was luxuriously
fitted and for service and aeeommoda.
tions compared favOrably with all but
the most palatiaf of the transatlantic
liners.