The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-10-12
800 TOURISTSON
. SHIP Believed TO
HAVE BEEN SAVED
Two S. 0. 5. Calls Sent out.by5
Vessel on Fire Early
This Morning.
THREE SHIPS NEARBY
City of Honolulu, Destroyed
by Fire, a Reconyerted
German Liner.
THREE SHIPS NEARBY.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calf. oct.
l2-Lifeboats were being lowered
at S:47 o'clock this morning by
the passenger steamer, The City
of Honolulu, which was atlre in
the Pacific Ocean, accor0g tosa
wireless message received today.j
The message was addressed 20
the steamer Enterprise which was
in latitude S2.12 north and ioag,.
tude 1876, 12 wet. The message said,
the Honolulu was lowering boats
now" and asked the Enterprise iiits
she was coming"
Radio calls to the City Of Honos
lulu from 0 o'clock to $3.50 wero
not answered, the Federal Teles
graph Company reported. II waS
thought that all persons aboard tho
vessel had taken to the boats.
Twelve minutes before the Hon
olulu sent word that she was lows
erlng boats, she put out her Sec
ond S o s call. This message ra4
peated the previous position OF tho
burning steamer as latitude 31.0Ts
north and longitude 1S1. 40 west.
In addition to the s o S call the
Honolulu said a very bad fire Wa
raging on the vessel and immediS
ate assistance was asked.
The Matson Navigation Co, own.
er Of the steamer Enterprise.
which Is bound for Hawaii to the
mainland, said that their vessel
was rushing TO the assistance aot
the burning liner and should reach
her between noon and O'Clock.
Returning From Hawaii
The passenger steamer Honolulu
carrying 800 or more tourists, ne.
turning from the Hawaiian Islands,
was afire today in the Pacific
Ocean, and her passengers were
being lowered into life boats.
The Honolulu sent two s. o. Isl.
calls before $3.50 this morning
which were picked up by the Mat;
son line steamer Enterprise which
Immediately put about In the hope
OF reaching the steamer in four or
five hours. At 8 o'clock the Fedet.
al Telegraph Company here re
ceived a wireless message saying
that passengers were leaving the
ship.
A message relayed to the Matson
offices at the same time by the
steamer Enterprise gave the Hon.
olulu's position as "1,406 miles
east OF Honolulu"
Thirteen minutes before the ~
sengers began to leave the burn
Ing vessel the boats were lowered
the Federal Telegraph's message
stated. The Federal company did
not erpect to receive further mes.
sages unless the radio operators re:
manned on the vessel
The City OF Hon":ulu is Ethe re.
converted German liner, Frederick
Der Crosse. During the war she
was known as the Huron and when
the shipping board allocated her
to the Los Angeles steamship ca,
for passenger and freight carrying
between Los Angeles and Hawai-
ian Islands, she was renamed the
City Of Honolulu.
The vessel is 500 feet long and
has twin screw propellors.
Capt. H. R. Lester is master OF
ths City of Honolulu. Other OH.
GERS include William B. Brust, first
officer; Temple Murphy, purser,
Austin ]. Mummert, surgeon,
The fire was beyond control AZ
1910 a. m. and the ship was be.
ing abandoned by the captain, chief
engineer, first officer and radio OPP
orator, the last four aboard the veg
sci, a radio despatch received here
later said.