The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-12-04
.LIGHTSHIP WAS
TORN LOOSE
-----------.----,
Nantucket Shoals Vessels
Disappearance Caused
Apprehension
UNTIL SHE PUT IN
AT NEW BEDFORD
Confusion Caused to Ship
ping Skirting Danger
Gus Shoals

Boston. Dee. 4.-The Nantucket
Shoals lightship. leading mark for al
trans Atlantic shipping making port
at New York, was torn away from it:
lonely and important station in n
storm on Thursday night, causing con
fusion among vessels that skirted the
dangerous shoals. After inquiry from
several ships that missed the floating
beacon and most anxious search by
wireless combing the seas, the mystery
of the lightship's disappearance was
solved when she put in at New Bed
ford to-day All was well with those
aboard. but new moorings and -other
apparatus were needed before she
could take up her ocean outpost duty
again.
The lightship had been 80 hours
making port on the run of 100 miles
from her station. The storm which blew
her away and snapped the moorings
Thursday night reached a velocity of
30 miles an hour, Mate l.. o. johnson,
her keeper, said, and it was as much as
he and his Is men could do to hold
their own against the gale. The steel
ship stood up to her task and her com
pound engines whirled the single screw
slowly but effectively to bring her to
port. Light vessels are not built for
speed and their emergency equipment
is not often called on but this time it
stood Mate johnson and his men in
good stead. -Four years ago a ship
which preceded them on the Nantucket
shoals station was washed out to sea
with ice and never came back This
disaster was in the minds of those who
sought for word of the missing ship
last night and to-day
The ocean freighter Glenetive first
reported that she had passed close TO
the lightship's position on the souther-
ly end of the shoals, that make that
spot the most dangerous on the coast
and saw no sign of the light vessel.
Signals were sent mp through the murk
of the night to see if the ship might
possibly be nearby with lights out. No
answer came Radio inquiry brought
word from naval stations that the light
vessel had not been spoken by wire
less for several days but this had hap
pened before, due TO minor troubles
with motor units.
The Glenetive reported the beacon
missing and within few hours several
other ships plying the trans Atlantic
lane that bends off the lightship's sta
tion toward New York or Philadelphia
ON the east or on the long course to
Europe TO the west sent word also that
they could not see the Nantucket
shoals lightship and asked where she
was. 1t was a matter of concern to
these men of the sea that the light
they relied on TO set them right Ell
ther for landfali on this coast or to
start the trans Atlantic trip was not
where it should be. Under ordinary
the lantern of the light yes
sci can be seen II to 20 miles.
Formal report was made to coast |
guard and lighthouse inspection Off
'ials, and cutters and tenders were or
iered prepared for search, while light !
fessel. No. So, the regular ship on the |
onely station, now under repairs at /
iew Bedfard, was ordered made ready |
% resume her post at once. Within a
ew hours, however. the missing ship |
iad put in at New Bedford, reporting |
lrriyal, loss Of moorings in 90-mile
sale, and that she would be ready TO
'eturn as soon as she had taken coal
md a new set of moorings