Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1914-01-07
Members of 0kIahoma's Crew Rescued by Three
First Officers of British Steamer
DRAGGED FROM SEA AFTER BEING CAPsIzED
Small Boat Contained Eleven Survivors of Tank Steamer
Six Saved by Heroic Tars Who Plunged IN After Them
But One Died After His Rescue-Nineteen Occupants
of Another Lifeboat Believed to Have Been Lost.

New York, Jan. 6.-Thirteen surviv-
ors were accounted for tonight out of
the thirty eight men aboard the tank
steamer Oklahoma when she broke in
two last Sunday in a storm off Barne-
gat. 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 voyage 1000
miles up the Amazon, steamed into
port 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 shtpwrecked crew that her Of
fcers had dragged out of the tumbling
sea at the risk OF their own lives.
Death List Now at 25.
So the Oklahoma's death list stood
at twenty-five tonight; and although
her owners swept the sea with wire
less messages imploring all vessels to
look out for one of the Steamers boats
that might still be adrift, 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 life
boat besides theirs thad been launched
from the sinking steamers
BoatIoad of 10 Lost.
There was little doubt, however. that
this was the boat sighted by the reve-
nue. cutter Seneca with three frozen
bodies under its thwarts. The other
boat, which carried the five survivors
within reach of the Gregory, contained
out one body when 1t was cast adrift
after the rescue. OF the OkIahoma's
crew of thirty eight, eleven manned
the boat that reached the Gregory,
nineteen took to the other boat and
eight stayed aboard, saved by the Ba-
varia- OF the larger boats load, prob
ably all are lost. OF the eleven in the
smaller boat, six were drowned when
the boat capsized barely a hundred
yards away from the side Of the Booth
liner
Heroic Act of Officers.
The Gregory sighted the Oklahoma's s
lifeboat at 1-20 p m. Sunday. The
benumbed sailors had hoisted a sail
which enabled them to keep their craft
from being overwhelmed by the gigan-
tic seas. Keep that sail upi" beloved
Captain Aspinwall as soon as he came
within hailing distance; but the ship
wrecked men failed to obey. They
dropped their sail and their BOAT i'm
mediately lost its steerageway and
turned over.
Then, one after the other. the three
chief officers of the Gregory, without
waiting to throw off peajackets or
boots, plunged over the side. They
Were First Officer r. II. Buck. Second
officer ]. S. Williams and Third officer
F. D. Roberts, all young Englishmen.
Buck. who has a medal given him by
the king of Greece for a rescue he
made nine years ago in the Bay of
Biscay, knew what 1t meant to breast
a stormbeaten sea. and he tied himself
to bowline. The others took no lines
and all but paid the penalty with their
lives.
Died After Being Rescued.
Each officer seized a struggling sail
or and brought him to the ships side
to be hauled aboard, then went back
to where the lifeboat was floating bot
tom side up and rescued three more.
The first man hauled aboard from the
arms Of Williams died on the deck.
The other five were kept alive after
hard work by surgeon and crew.
One man was seen swimming near
the ship. Captain Aspinwal heaved