Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-01-08
u S. TROOPSH|P
WITH 2,48 YANKS
sGOES ON GROUND
Heavy Gale and Thick Fog Bars
Rescue.
MANY WOUNDED ON BOARD
Surf Swamps lIfeboats, as the Sea
5atters the Big Transport North
ern Pacific Off Fire Island and
Point of Woods.

FotHt Ot "oouo.
New York, Jan. 2-In a thick mist
which envel0ped the sea and blotted
out the shore lights, the United
States transport Northern Pacific,
having ON board 2.4S1 American
troops, 1871 of them i'll and wound
ed, went aground about a mile of
shore on a sand bar midway between
Point of Woods and Fire Island.
The Northern Pacific's position IL
directly opposite the naval radio sta
ton. Embarkation officials at Hobo
ken expressed the opinion that the
heavy fog was entirely responsible
for the transports plight.
Trapped In Graveyard"
The weather at the time the North
ern Pacific went off her course was
thick off Fire island, which is known
among mariners as the graveyard OF
the Atlantic coast" A chilly south
wind was blowing and rain fell at
times.
She is still held fast, with heavy
seas running and brisk southwest
wind blowing, making it impossible
for livesavers from the coast guard
station and fiotilla of naval vessels
to effect rescue of the troops Oh
board.
The transport pounded her nose
on the treacherous sand bar as she
was cropping her way in the heavy
fog shortly after three O'Clock in the
morning bound from Brest, France, to
New York.
She was due at Quarantine at eight
o'clock and expected to dock at her
pier in HobOken an hour later, In time
to land the soldiers so they could
celebrate New Years day ashore.
Instead. however, she is held hard
and fast off Fire island, with weather
conditions so unfavorable that there
is little, If any likelihood, of her get
ting off before today.
Rescue Made Impossible.
With the surf dashed into a fury
by stiff wind from the southwest,
coast guardsmen from the life-saving
stations along the Long Island coast
and the f1otilla of naval vessels
standing by have found 1t impossible
to attempt to rescue the 1000 odd
men marooned on the stranded trans
port.
Rolling in the trough of the heavy
seas sweeping over her, the vessel
buried herself deeper in the sands,
and although wireless messages
flashed ashore made 1t known that
she was In no immediate danger. it
looked as If she might be pounded to
pieces unless the storm abated.
No apprehension for the safety of
the well and wounded troops on board
was entertained by the navy officials,
who sped to the scene with a fiotilla
of vessels dispatched from New York
ito go to the aid of the stranded ves-
sci.
All efforts to take the men off were
unavailing, for the lifeboats launched
by the coast guardsmen were
swamped in the surf Immediately
they left the beach, and the navy
craft. standing by to the windward,
could not care venture in because Of
the rising seas.
Fail to Reach Out Lines.
From the moment the coast guards
men, answering the distress calls that
were flashed to every life-saving sta
ton along the south coast of Long
Island. reached Fire island. they shot
lines out to the stranded ship, but
every one either snapped or fell short
until the keeper of the Point Of Woods
station sent one whizzing through the
air that fell across the transports
bows.
BY that time, nine hours after the
Northern Pacific poked her nose onto
the sand bar, every preparation had
been perfected to send the troops
the wounded first, of course, ashore
in the life buoys.
Units Aboard Ship.
Washington. Jan. Troops aboard
the Northern Pacific are:
Fifth American Base Cemetery Sec
tor, II officers, 470 men: 81 per cent
Portland, Me-; IA per cent Jefferson
Barracks, Mo-; remainder scattering.
Eighth trench mortar battery, five OH
GERS, 1856 men; 100 per cent Vancouvel.
Barracks, Washington.
Casual officers, -4S sick and wounded,
269 men. Others not requiring spe-
ciai attention, IS officers, 1,402 men.
The units to which they belong are
not given by the war department.