New-York tribune., 1919-11-30
Japanese Air Hogs
Block Wireless Call
OF Ship i'll Distress
Radio Operator Refuses to
Stop ''Useless Chatter" to
Permit Call for Aid To Be
Sent. Washington Is Told

san FRANCISCO. Nov i3.-Hogs Of
the mir such il the nickname now
fastened upon Japanese vessels in the
Pacific.
American mariners whose wireless
systems are repeatedly muzzled by the
japanese habit of "sea chattering" have
resolved to end the abuse.
Major A. B. Dillon. United States
radio inspector, has wired Washington
complaints OF the latest air hog out
rage. pcrpetrated by the big japanese
liner Siberia Maru
With her great 5-kilowa; wireless.
tho Siberia Nam for ;hree days pre-
vented a frantic : O : sent by the IN
peried American frcightcr Diablo from
reaching shore il is charged
The Diablo had broken down and was
rolling in heavy seas.
The air lines, clogged by $50 personal
messages forwarded for x. Shidehara,
new Japanese Ambassador TO the United
States. were dumb to the Diablo's plea
for help.
When the liner Manoa, which was
towing her. asked for ten minutes OF
clear air. the Japanese operators re-
tortcd Shidchara's message must be
sent first.
Carrying She tichc t-poverrd appa
ratus on tic Pacific. on which thsy
chatter" steadily night after night. the
Japanese ships for years have been de
scribcd a. pests by Pacific mariners.
When a japanese liner is within 1000
miles of land. say our officials, no
other vessel within 100 miles can get a
word in edgewisc
Scores Of complaints telling Of mar
row escapes from disaster have gone to
Washington without avail.
Says Law Is Violated
Either the japanese are ignorant Of
international law. or they willfully dis
regard it," saws Major Dillon:
at looks like high handed indiffer-
cnce to the rights OF vessels in dis
tress. Our government stations at
Seattle and Honolulu are repeatedly
crippled This is an international mat
ter and have urged our authorities
at Washington TO act
The log Of the Moana tells the tale:
a 5:ls p. m. on the 22d INST. We
picked up the disabled steamer Diablo
and took her in tow. We were to tov
the Diablo until the tug Tatoosh. which
had been sent from San Francisco,
picked US up.
AT 7:20 y. n. the wireless operator
on the Siberia Naru was IN successful
communication with San Francisco and
kept this UP until $3.50 .. M.
a. 9:4O p. m. he started with Eu-
rcka and would not stop. diSrcearding
our appeal that we had a rush message
10 transmit. until 5:iO r. m. on the
oath.
"The only reason that he was inter
ruptcd was that we managed 10 get a
service message through 20 Eurkea.
After Eureka stopped work with the
Siberia Morse the japanese operator
would not keep out
CAL our calling for the tug proved
useless.
a. 1886 p. m. OF the oath We man
aged 10 get INTO communication with
The tug Tatoosh. Operator on the s.
bcfia Naru started his interfering by
uselcssly calling tho San Francisco sta
tior.
From s:95 u. m. the Siberia Naru
again continually called the San Fran
cisco station, making any probable
communication with the tug impos-
sible.
"Thc san Francisco station did
everything possible TO keep the Japa-
nose operator quiet by refusing 10 work
with him. bur that did not stop him.
"Tho Japanese operators do not
worry about international rules and
regulations II D., y dog IN the manger'
proposition with them. If they can't
work they viii not allow any one else
TO-" S. Paul News.