Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-05-04
43 SURVIVORS
FROM BURNED
ship ARE ILL
Eight Deaths Result Of
Burning Of Ship OF Coast
Of Oregon.
Seattle. Wash

Seattle, WASH, May Forty
three of the sixty-five survivors Of
the Iapanese freighter Tokuyo Maru,
which burned to the waters edge yes
loss OF eight lives, were in Seattle hos
pitals today, suffering from shock and
exposure. ef d u l''A.3;'
The remaining % survivors reported
themselves already recovered from
their experiences Only one body Of
the eight dead has been recovered. =
The survivors reached here late last
night aboard the United States army
transport Buford, known as the
Soviet Ark" which transported Alex
ander Berkman, Emma Goldman and
other deported persons to Russia
/. Officers Of the Buford and survivors
told many dramatic stories today OF
the fire and their escape from the
vessel.
The twenty-five survivors who re-
ported themselves recovered were the
only ones Of the sixty-five who were
able to get into the Tokuyo Maru's
lifeboats. according to Buford officers.
The others were rescued from the sea
! by officers and seamen of the Auford
in the Transports small boats.
The Buford's crew first noticed the
freighter about. 4:l5 p. m. Monday,
according to the stories told today.
The transport was approximately
miles south of the Japanese vessel. As
the. pail of smoke arising from the
fire grew larger, the Buford, which
had not received "a wireless S. o: s.
! shifted her course and approached
what proved" to be the burning vessel.
!. AS the Buford's course brought her
i nearer, the Tokuyo Maru against the
/ horizon became q flaming mass sur
mounted by heavy clouds of dark
smoke, the transport officers said.
Many in Water.
When the transport reached the
scene, passing within sy2o o. yards Of the
Tokuyo Maru, two lifeboats filled with
survivors were sighted and scores o1
! other persons were seen struggling
! in the icy waters. A few persons still
were aboard the vessel each group
was cut off from the other by a solid
! wall of fire. The intense heat Of the
decks finally forced them all to jump
overheard.
| The two BufOrd boats were lower.
ed and the work of picking vi, the
survivors from the sea and the To-
kuyo Maru's lifeboats began. A heavy
swell was running, making the res
cue work difficult and dangerous.
j Kerr Tells Story.
Captain L. r. M. Kerr, master 01
i the Buford, declared his ship had no.
received the S. o. S. from the Tokuyt
Maru but was attracted to the strick'
en- vessel by sighting the column o.
smoke.
we had just. been having boa:
drill said Captain Kerr, when saw
the smoke in the distance but though
it was cloud. I went down to m!
room and started playing solitaire
when my first officer came and tolt
me ] had best come up deck again
that the smoke seemed to be getting
worse. When L got back on deck
saw it was a ship on fire. We re
ceived no S. o. S. call. We were i:
miles distant when we sighted tn,
the scene. BY that time many of th'
members of the crew of the nokuyt
Maru were in the water.
There were constant explosion
and with every explosion the fame
shot a hundred feet into the air ant
bales of cotton were hurled 200 fee
high
Captain Susuki, master of the To
kuyo Maru. was the last to leave tn,
vessel. He was almost unconsctou
when picked up by the Buford's life
boat.
The rescue of the 2s passenger
who had jumped into the sea. wa!
carried on in the midst of. rain o
burning debris from the ship, will
terrific explosions sending fresl
showers Of fire-lade cotton and lum
ber into the air. Shrieks and cries o
the struggling victims were heard OF
all sides and many of the survivor
were delirious when rescued.
All the casualties were among thos
of the Tokuyo Marus sailors who ha4
jumped into the sea before the arriva
of the Buford. a 4si
The fire started in the coal bunker
and was due to spontaneous combus
tiOn ~ tt t;f-.a'a. =