Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-06-16
she was 1875 miles north of Manila,
A Static Storm.

she was 1875 miles north Of Manila,
"all O. k"
A Static Storm.
BY this time the Siberia had enter.
ed what is known as a static storm,
an atmospheric condition frequently
met with in tropical countries, which
renders wireless communications diff.
ficult and sometimes impossible. The
Persia vas therefore, unable to inform
the Siberia of the un%accountable mes.
sages she had been receiving from
different quarters. The Persia, how
ever, at 0nce transmitted the message
she had received from the Siberia to
Hongkong, but got no reply, and there.
fore could not tell whether it had
been picked up or not.
Persia Received Messages.
The Persia continued to receive
messages from different sources, one
from the wireless station in Formosa,
urging her to go to the rescue, while
others told her that the Siberia was
safe.
At half past seven the same morn
ing, the Persia reached the position
where the Siberia was described to
be in distress, and here sighted a
Japanese cable ship, which %signalled
that she has seen nothing in the ma
lure of a vessel in want of assistance.
Half an hour later a message was
picked up from the H. NJ. S. Yarmouth
which was now in the immediate vi
cinity, on the lookout for steamer in
distress, requesting any information.
Captain Hill replied that he had seen
the Siberia the previous day, and add
ed: Il expect she is now in Manila.
Think there must be a mistake some
where" ,t&
About the time Of the Persia's ar
rival an important point in the mys-
terry was cleared up when the Nippon
Yusen Kaisha, as the result of an in
vestigation announced that the Siger-
ian distress signal given out by the
company's 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 Uze-
saki land station. The company ex-
plains that the mistake was made by
the Fukikaku wireless station at For
mosa which handed the message
along as a "Bingo Maru' report when,
in fact, it was an OZesak' report. This
so far as is know, leaves the Ozesaki
station the only one hearing the ST.
IBERIA distress signal.
Jap. Letter.
What the Department of .Communl-
cations of Japan thinks about the
question at issue may Zoe seen from
the following official letter which
was sem to the agents of the Pacific
Mail company:
Con May LIST, at $40 a. m. the
SOS WWU" distress Siberia) call
al received suddenly and repeated
ly at the Ozesaki wireless telegraph
office. However, as the Geographic
effect was weak the receiving instru.
?nent was set in order so that a reply
might be given after getting the said
call positively confirmed. In a short
time the call came as above was re-
peated. Immediately a reply was
given repeating "WWU DE Jos OK
YR sos Give Posn" Siberia here
Ozesaki all right your distress give
positiOn). It being ascertained that
the said ships position was 22.4O
north latitude and 12I.1O east longi-
tude a message was repeated saying
what kind and cause of distress"
but as sunrise was approaching the
communications became difficult. AL.
though a clear reply could not be re.
ceived in the approaching dawn it
was considered by the office to be BE-
yond doubt that there was the dis
tress anyhow and necessary measures
were Immediately taken"
"Cou!d Not "Raise" Siberia.
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 Ozesaki and thence to Toxic.
Official bulletins fro mthe Formosan
government and the Japanese navy
reported the Siberia had met with d.
saster. Investigation thus far shows
that all these reports emanated from
the same source, namely, the original
distress signel at Ozesaki. So con,
WINGED vas the Japanese navy of
some serious disaster that it did not
wait for George W. Guthrie, the Amer.
lean ambassador to request the send
ing for help, but quickly ordered two
Warships out from Formosa. One OF
them, the Kanto Maru, was later
sighter by the Persia.
CIs~s-' 1css1- 80 -.- 900
GERS in the Far East are very anxious
that a complete Investigation be made
into the Siberian incident.
They believe it imperative in the in
terest of the future usefulness of wire.
less telegraphy in the saving of life.
Meantime, the Pacific Mail Company
will probably change the call letters
Of the Persia, feeling that the con-
slant repeating of the Persia signal
nv the Siberia was misread for the