Norwich bulletin., 1922-10-13

San Francisco. Oct. F 6By the A. PD All the passengers, officers and crew of the, burning steamship City of Homo lulu, which was abandoned at 1a.10 u., today are safe;~ according to wire less advices recerFed by the Federal Ter egrarh company from the Height cam CT West Pardon.
 The West Pardon reached the scene early this afternoon and hal taken most of the people aboad by 3.4l D.. m. The of Honolulu carried 72 passengers ana 145 officers and members pf the crew, q | total of 217.
 Fire broke out aboard tie Cty of Hon | olulu ilrs mornng and spread so rapd- l ly that all those aboard had to take to small boats. The sea was smooth wten the ship was abandoned. | The, ship was homeward bound to San Pedro, Calf, from Honolulu. and was ,405 miles east of Honolulu and 6I0 miles southwest of San Pedro when ti'e fire started.
 l Captain H. R. Lester Of the City of Honolulu reported late in the afternoon that all were aboard the West Faralon The condition of the City of Honolulu
 was reported as gigantic pillar of 1 flame and smoke and was declared by 1 Captain Lester to be critical. The West Pardon lay a mile away.
 Although three other vessels, the Mat
 son liner Enterprise, the army transport
 Thomas. and the private yacht Casiana. of Edward L. Doheney, Los Angeles oii
 magnate heard the distress sigr3is from the City of Honolulu before the West
 Pardon did, the freighter was only 50
 miles away when it started to the rescue shortly before noon.
 } Conditions were favorable both for the small boats of the City of Honolulu to
 ride safely and for the West Pardon tc
 mak erast time, and by 2.45 p. m., the : rescuing steamer had reached the scene s an dwas beginning to take the passea- . gers aboard. All had reached the deck . by 3.40 p. m., messages stated.
 Only brief messages had been received
 here early tonight, so it was not know, . under what circumstances the passcn- q gers and crew escaped from the burning vessel.
 j. As the West Pardon, a shipping F board freishter, mas only limited accom-
 modations it is believed that many oi
 those rescued will have to remain on hci !. decks until larger vessels arrvc>N Th' " West Pardon was bound from SaI
 FTancisco for Yokohama.
 fifty-six of the passengers were II the salon. the other 16 swere travelin- '. third class Thirty-four of the esior ;, passengers were women. One wom-r n was travelling third class with bal, II Elfl, z5 months Oid.
 The City of Honolulu originally wa.
 tho German passenger liner Friedrcl l. Der Crosse. built at Stettin in 1896 an, ir used in transatlantic travel until 1914 i, when she was interned in an America: e harbor When the United States en
 tered the war the liner was renamed tn
 Huron ard used as d transport carryin: ,e troops to France.
 ii The City of Honolulu's registered tor. | 1u h.-- il The tug Sea Lion and the Unite' " States coast guard steamer Shawn.i
 left here late today to go to the seen
 Of the burning City of Honolulu to ren h Ger whatever assistance they could. Id Once again ship radio operator he r. lived up to the traditions of his craft. m At 1.12 D. m. today, Operator ". H
 Bell, on the burning steamer City O
 Honolulu sent the following last mes f. sage from the vessel:
 in Captain and gang leaving now; good O. lye to you all.''
 k Ten minutes previously Bell had ssi
 that everyone aboard but the captat
 chief officer, chief engineer ant himsel of had left the boat. Fire then force " these officials to take to the open sea sn Bell, employed by the Radio CorroraTio h. of America. was making his first trip | S sea. Arthur A. Isbel, general supeIn.
 tcndent of the corporations Pacific ul
 vision said tonight:
 I'd Although this was Bells first trip ' C. our service l am extremely graJded { ne know that he has upheld the fine tradi h. tions of Radio Corporation men p- staying at his post as long as it Wa / humanly possible
 The first S. O. s. cah was receive ce from the City of Honolulu at 7.45 V m, to, the effect that she was on fire 70 D. mil stoff Los Angeles, and tSe rhoma es Immediately started to her rescue. gu A. 9.20 a. m.. further adVices cam
 that the ship was being aband d7nrd a :. she was apt to capsize.
 u Cabins were made ready for the pa s,. sengers and crew of the stricken shi N and hot coffee and food was prepared [ S e be served the minute they were safe o OA the deck of the Thomas.
 Every one from the City of Honolul
 is believed to be safe.
 " Up to 8 o'clock tonight only two brit : messages had been received from tf ha West Pardon, since the rescue, one ths rr rr the transport Thomas, instead of th
 liner Enterprise. would pick up the SUI
 vivors and the other that the City z ,a Honolulu was likely to sink st any mir o ute. Captain Walks messages throus.f ! out the day to the Federal Telegrap n- company were extremely brief Ills r, al ports were merely ,>fhat he was proceed or ing to the rescue. later that he ha
 sighted small boats and that the pa.
 sengers were coming aboard and finali pt that the rescue was complete. Thes m. consisted of hardly dozen words eacl by Captain Lester of the City of Hon, to lulu sent one message that he and a se those Tn his charge were safe aboard tn he freighter Struthers and Barry, orerato,
 Of the vessel. said they only had hear
 one report of few words from Captai |. Walk. to the effect that he had aboar IF. the people who had fled from the burr o, ing ship.
 an ssulhp.on ,, nere was that tl we taking care Of the 2i7 people they Ina n- resciied that there had been no oppo
 ,unity to despatch more complete T
 ports Of the disaster
 sn.