The New York herald., 1922-01-30
rs ON THREE SHIPS
FACE DEATH At SEA
Navy Tanker Arethusa With
20 Aboard Is Helpless Off
Carolina Coast.

Special Dispatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD
NORFOLK, Va. Jan. 29.-Seventy men
on board the navy tanker Arethusa are
In peril tonight. their ship. with her tail
shaft broken, being adrift off the Caro-
lima coast in northeast gale with the
vessel absolutely helpless
Four men on the barge S. r. Mcdonald
and four others on the barge Cations
vile also are in peril. All three of these
ships are drifting at sea. according to
radio advices received here tonight.
The Are.husa. which broke down last
Monday Off Cape Fear. was picked up
yesterday during a terrific gale when the
coast guard cutter Pamlico, aided by a
sixty mile gale. managed to shoot line
across the helpless vessel A second line
was sent to the vessel from the cutter
Yamacraw on the same cable the Pam
lico sent.
With the Arethusa in tow, the Pam
lico and Yamacraw started up the coast,
and the two powerful towing cables were
parted.
The Pamlico's line went first, but the
Yamacraw continued to hold. The Pam
lico made numerous vain attempts to
get a second line to the Arethusa. The
Yamacraw's line was parted about Q
o'clock this morning, and the Arethusa
was cast adrift, at the mercy Of the
worst storm that has swept the Atlantic
coast In ten years.
Send Appeals for Help.
Wireless appeals for help were sent
broadcast all over the Atlantic Ocean by
the cutters and the Arethusa. At
last reports the tanker was still adrift
The Pamlico was obliged to abandon
all attempts to rescue the Arethusa
because her supply of drinking water
gave out. The mine sweeper Sandpiper
was sent to assist the two cutters and
she is trying to pick up the Arethusa.
The gale is still raging. The Are
thusa was last reported In latitude "a :23
north, latitude 741s west She is abso-
lutely without means of helping herself
Naval authorities here said at was
probable that the Arethusa, after she
found herself helpless, dropped her
anchors and may ride out the storm.
Wireless messages for help were sent
broadcast from the naval operating base
tonight.
Grave fears were felt for the safety
of the barge Mcdonald to-day when the
steamship Manabro. which sighted the
barge five miles east Of Cape Charles
last night, reported that the helpless
craft had disappeared Naval authori-
ties sent out the tug kewaydin to help
search for the Mcdonald.
The two barges broke away from the
tug Peerless Friday night. The Peerless
was bound from New York to Norfolk
with three barges in tow and arrived
safely with only one of them.
Furniture Used for Fuel.
The British steamship Dennis arrived
here to-day from New York and reported
she was three days in making the trip.
She ran short Of fuel and was obliged
to burn some Of the ships furniture.
Her captain reported that the storm
was the worst ne had experienced In
several years. 4aetr.
Seacoast wires TO Hatteras. OcracolSe
Island and other points along tf,e Caro-
lima coast are down and no reports from
these places have been received. Some
anxiety Is felt for the safety of the
residents of Ocracoke. Eight hundred
live on the island and nothing has been
heard from them since Thursday.
The Arethusa Is one of the navy's best
oil carriers and she was bound from
Charleston to Fall River when her tail
shaft broke while the vessel was off
Cape Fear. Seve,. rescue ships were
sent to assist her. but three of these
became disabled or ran out of fuel or
water and were Obliged to return to
port. The mine sweeper Redwing. while
on her way to assist the Arethusa, broke
down off Cape Henry and rescue ship
was sent to her assistance. The Coast
Guard cutter Manning ran short of fuel
and was obliged to return to port and
the Seminole ran out Of drinking water
for her crew and were obliged to aban-