The Washington herald., 1922-10-16
SEA FIRE VICTIMS
DANCE TO JAzzON
RESCUE STEAMER
Ships Machinist Feels He
Lost S1,000,000 When
Vessel Went Down.

O-N bNA MI u % lIAANDE- 4
THOMAS. Oct. 15.-A shipwreck
does not mean much to the men
and women who went through that
thrilling experience on board the
City OF Honolulu. judging from
their light-heartsd performance to-
night. Their performance was
prompted by the appearance of w.
e. King in the women's social hall
after dinner. King clunE to a ban
10. the only musical instrument
saved from the City of Honolulu.
King and his pianist, who was
the leader of the City of Honolulu
orchestra. borrowed the transports
piano and put on an impromptu
jazz concert. The shipwrecked pas
sengers promptly tagged army Of
icers and their wives for the in
evitable dance. and soon the decks
swished an shivered with dancing
couples
The strains Of aloha" inter
rupted Thursday morning when
orders came to take 10 the llfe-
boats Of the Honolulu. were plunked
and played again by King and his
precious banjo. and Caldwell, at the
piano. The happy passengers Of
the Honolulu. safe from a fate
which might have caused a gasp Of
horror. would give King and Cald-
well no rest. and they did not want
any.
Orchestra Is Exhausted.
The impromptu dance concert
lasted until the abbreviated arch.s-
ira was exchanged. and then tho
shipwrecked passengers lived over
again the hours they passed in life
boats until rescue came. While ev-
cry one of the rescued persons is
unduly happy an still excited. there
is one member OF the crew OF the
City Of Honolulu who believes those
on board the doomed ship ribbed
him of s1.OOO.OOo or more.
He is John Nelson. ships machinN
ist. When passengers and crew
took to the life beats Thursday
morning Nelson and his crew Of half
a dozen assistants kept their boats
as close To the burning ship as pos
sible. While Other lifeboats shied
fa- away from thc floating furnace
fo- fear !: would rarsize or the oil
tanks alb a-d should explode. Mel
son and his assistants stopped their
lifeboats within a few hundred feet
Of the blazing ship.
We thought the fire would soon
burn itself cut. and then we intend
ed to be the first to board the Homo
lulu" Nelson said. 1T Is a law of
the sea. you known. that after a
ship is abandoned, the fiet to board
her can claim nearly the entire
value as salvage.
Would Salvage ship.
We had visions Of gathering IN
100000 or more as We hovered
near the burning ship. But when
We saw the superstructure cave In
and the masts and tunnels tumble,
We decided there was no hope. Then.
fearing death or injury from ex.
plosion of the oil tanks. we rowed
away to join those in the other life
boats"
Mai. Gen. w. NJ. Wright. en- route
to San Francisco from the Orient
on the Thomas. today characterized
the destruction of the City Of Homo
lulu as "a shipwreck de luxe"
The wreck OF the Honolulu ap-
lpeared 50 well regulated. ~ such a
thing may he said % a ship wreck
that il appeared to have been re-
hearsed for a movie stunt" Gen.
Wright said. Fire broke out AT
daylight and began to spread. To
the music of a Jazz band the pas
sengers took to the lifeboats. They
rowed around on tho Swel's NhiiA
were picked up by a frefghter and
then transferred tc big passenger
vessel and not one of them even
got his feet wet. AS a matter OF
fact. the ship wrecked folks seemed
less excited than their rescuers"
Gen. Wright Is returning to the
mainland from China and Manila.
where he has heen living since Feb
ruary. when he left the Preside o.
San Francisco.
while the wreck of the City of
Honolulu was a regrettable thing
in many respects, IL saved Sergt.
William Brewster. Of thAOrdnsnce
Department OF the army, being
listed A. w. o. L. Brewster and
his wife were returning home on
the Thomas from the Orient. They
stopped at Honolulu to see the
sights and missed the Thomas when
she pulled out Brewster and his
wife took the City OF Honolulu.
which was the next best thing, and
they were among those picked up
by the Thomas. The rescue put
Brewster back on the Thomas and
thus he escaped the A. w. o. L.