Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-08
Northern Pacific
Afre at Cape May
Continued from Page Ono

Continued from Page Ono
lee side of the Northern Pacific and the
rescue ships.
Besides the Wylie and the Transpor.
| tation. the steamship Lake Fabian
stood by. with the United States
coast guard cutter Kickapoo. The cut
| ter put out from Cape May in the teeth
of the gale early this morning. The
| Kickapoo carried all the doctors whr
/ could be hurriedly gathered at Cap'
/ May, both navy men and civilians.
| All the coast guard stations along the
| South Jersey coast were notified to
! hold themselves in readiness 10 give
whatever additional aid might be
needed.
The wireless calls for help sent out BY
: the ship were first answered by
the Wylie and the Transportation
which reported at 3 O'Clock that they
had picked up boats containing members
of the Northern Pacifcs crew. The
Transportation at that hour said she
"had all but nine men, who possibly
were adrift.'
| A few minutes later the Wylie sent
a radio saying she had picked up q
boat containing five men.
The second mate of the Northern Pa
cific, when picked up by the Wylie,
asked that the Transportation be asked
If all men employed in the steward &
department of the burning ship were
safe, adding They were virtually
trapped by the fire.
1t was about 3 O'Clock this morn =
ing that the operator Oh watch In
the radio station at Cape May heard
the first faint call for help.
s. O. S. Flashed Through Air
The storm was raging outside the
wireless room with q fury of wind and
snow. The "broadcasted' wireless calls
of the early evening had ceased fol
the night. and as the operator sat witt
his headpiece strapped to his ears HI
| heard but few and casual message!
cracking over the sea.
Then suddenly. though family. came
the call from the Northern Pacific.
Northern Pacific atire and helpless
off Northeast End Lightship,' was the
message. "Scnd help
The wireless room and the navy sta
tion jumped into sudden activity. The
Coast Guard at Cold Point Station
was reused by telephone, turning out
with trained speed. ready to face death
in the storm to rescue the men at sea
The crew of the Kickapoo and of the
little navy tug Aropho We're hustled
from their hunks, banked fires roaret
with greasy waste and forced draft.
and the two vessels made ready to put
out through the blackness Of night and
the gale.
Rescue Work Started
Cold Point and the Cape May NavaI
Station functi0ned swiftly and smoothly
The navy doctors on duty at the sta
tion hurried aboard the coast guard
cutter. and as fast as they could be
rushed by automobile to the harbor tho
civilian doctors of the coast resort
Joined the rescue party. 1t was less
than a half hour after the call was
received that the Kickapoo with search =
lights cutting through the driving snow,
nOsed it's way out Of Cape May harbol
and stood out to sea. The ArapahC
was ordered at the last moment to re.
main in port, as the seas would have
beaten her under quickly.
1t was one of the widest nights OF
the winter, with shifting wind, blow
ing in gusty flaws and cross sea
which battered the KickapoO and made
it almost impossible to keep a straight
course.
Before the Northern Pacific's wire.
| less died out the heroic operator had
, given Il fairly accurate description OF
the burning ships position. AS the
KickupOo steamed toward the spot H.
the ocean where the Northern Pacific
blazed, the lookouts soon picked up tho
glare in the low lying clouds. 1t tolt
better than any latitude and longitur'
where the ship and its crew were facing
destruction by fire.
Ship d Fiery Furnace
! 1t was not until the Kickapoo hat
battled with wind and high waves foi
more than an hour that the men on the
bridge were able to discern the bulk o.
/ the ship on the blood red horizon. !,
stood out like @ great blazing bank o.
I fire, trimmed with clouds and the blacl
Of the sea.
! As the navy boat came close the crew
/ could see, in the reflected light, the
darker outlines of the ships which were
standing by. What could be done tC
save the crew of the Northern Pacii,
already had been done. In spite o.
Wind and waves, the whalebOats Of th'
steamships. with volunteer crews, hat
made many perilOus trips to the burning
vessel and taken off all who could bt
found. The sea had been secured fol
small boats, several of which had becl
launched from the burning ship.
The navy craft steamed as close n
it dared. In the heavy sea nearc
approach would have resulted lnevita
lly in fatal collision. The heat from
tie vessel was too great by that tint
for shin Or small boat to come close
II any were still aboard it seemed in
cvitabc that they had pcrished. TIN
KicknpoU has reported to Cape Ma!
that ehc is helpless to render furthe
aid in the heavy sea.
Has Had Many Mishaps
Disaster followed the life of tn
Northern Pacific.
On January 1, 1919, she went nshor
of Fire Island when mistake in tn
lights shown along the southern shor
of Long Island confused her pilot. A
this time she had aboard 5000 America
soldiers being brought back to Americ
J from the battlefelds Of France, tn