The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-01

| y
Lakes. moving eastward. Will be at
| tended by southerly winds this after
noon and tonight, shifting to westerly
| Thursday"
Coast Guard Ready.
f, On shore the coast guard crew made
| ready for any emergency. There are
| no hospitals in the vicinity. Capt. AL
| bert Mahonic of the life savers sent
appeals to families to be prepared to;
case they were landed on the beach
A small comfort station with food sup
plies was set up by the life savers.
A message received at Hoboken at
IL a. NJ. from the captain of the
Northern Pacific reported everybody
transport was so enshrouded in the
fog that she was not discernible by
! observers on shore. Additional lines
were made fast to her but these
snapped. Weather conditions were
not favorable for the immediate trans
ferring of the troops. A cruiser and a
| submarine, chaser were standing by
| fore and aft, but the heavy seas made
it impossible for small boats to at
tempt to make fast to the transport,
which was lying broadside to the
| beach with the waves pounding
against her but not breaking over her
decks. - =.
Position Not Dangerous.
At a. M, nearly six hours after
the Northern Pacific grounded a half
mile off shore it was stated officially
| that she was not in dangerous po-
| sition and that it was hoped to float
| her at high tide this afternoon Mean
while the work of removing all those
on board except the ships crew pro-
ceeded.
Rescue craft included the United
States cruisers Columbia and Des
1 A1@sv IL H.
hospital ship Solace. six destroyers
and five tugs. The tugs along
side the Northern Pacific took aboard
| the troops and transported the sick
to the Solace and the Mallory and the
well ones to the cruisers and de-
| stroyers.
On the Northern Pacific which is a
navy transport of $3.50 tons gross,
were 1879 troops who are wounded
or sick, 625 troops who are well, IT
| navy nurses, 10 sailors, army casual
officers and eleven navy casual Of
ficers-in all. 2,480 men ans women.
The fog was SO thick when the
| Northern Pacific grounded that the
Fire Island light was shouded from
view.
In answer to her wireless calls for
help, destroyers and navy tugs dashed
to her assistance. They are standing
by.
4 It is believed there is no danger of
any loss of life.
Repeated attempts have been made
and are still being made to float the
hospital ship. it was stated at the
port of embarkation offices in Ho-
boken.
1 Rescue vessels have been sent to
Fire Island with instructions to re-
move the troops who are wounded.
The weather at the time the Northern
| Pacific went off her course was thick
| off Fire Island. which is known among
ma ri ms f1Y.a rd nf ha =
lantic coast" A chilly south wind was
| blowing and rain fell at times. The
exact location of the vessels ground
ing was between Fire Island and
Point of Woods-about two miles east
of of the former place.
Ship Due in Today.
The Northern Pacific was due in
New York today from Brest. with her
cargo of wounded American soldiers
and a few passengers. Most of the
men aboard are teo badly hurt to
walk.
Since shortly after the United States
entered the war, the Northern Pacific
has been in use as a hospital trans
| port She was formerly in passenger
service on the Pacific Coast. operatin~
between San Francisco and Astos
Ore She also made several trips -
the Hawaiian Islands. The vessel was
| built at Cramps Shipyards, Philadel-
/ ph.a.
The place where she struck on Fire
Island is considered one OF the most
dangerous on the coast 1t is about
forty miles from New York harbor,
off Long Island and is near the spot
where the cruiser San Diego, formerly
the California of the Pacific feet, was
sunk by German torpedo or mine
during the war.
Wounded Not Chased.
Washington, Jan. 1.-The steamer
Northern Pacific. sister ship of the
Great Northern, is one of the swiftest
and largest-transports in the service.
1t was on this boat that Secretary of
| War Baker made his last trip from
| France.
The sick and casuals aboard her are
not definitely classified or designated
as to the section Of the country from
L which than