New Britain herald., 1922-02-08
5 0 s. Snaps Out Warn- ing Early This Morning And Rescue Ships Save All On Board
Is Same Ship Which Went
 Aground Off Fire Island In 1919 With 5000 Re- turning Soldiers on Board

transport Northern Pacifc-which last claimed head lines in 1919 when sAe crashed on to a sand bar of Fire 1s- land with 5000 American soldiers she was bringing back from France-to- day was destroyed by fire 40 miles off Cape May. N. J.
 A crackle of the radio early this morning brought word that fire had broken out aboard the swift steamer and that she was a mass of flames.
 Later messages reported that she had been abandoned by Captain Will liam Lusti and her skeleton crew of 75 who were taking her to dry dock in Chester, Pa.
 Rescue of all her crew by steam. ships which had rushed to the scene next was recorded.
 The latest message stated that the vessel, blazing fercely and listing hard to starboard was drifting southeast ward.
 All Believed Safe.
 For time there was some alarm over the fate of four employees of the Sun Shipbuilding Corp. of Chester, Penn., who were on board but the dispatch stated they had been picked up by a steamer standing by. The entire personnel of the burning ves- sel was believed to be safe.
 The position of the burning vessel wal reported to be 20 miles north- eaA py east of the five fathom bank lightship or about 40 miles due east of Cape May. Survivors Picked Up.
 The wireless calls for aid sent out by the flaming steamer were first an- swered by the Herbert G. Wylie and the Transportation, which reported at o'clock that they had picked up boats containing members of the Northern Pacifics crew. The Trans portation at that hour said she had all the crew but nine men who pos sibIy are adrift.," few minutes later the Wylie sent radio saying she had picked up a boat containing the sec ond mate, the second engineer. two sailors and one oiler and fireman. A made. however for later it was said four men had not been found. Men Were Trapped. The second mate of the Northern Pacific when picked up by the Wylie asked that the Transportation be asked if all men employed in the stew ards department of the burning ship were safe adding:
 They were virtually trapped by tho 6re.'
 The Transportation replied that all the men under the supervision of the Northern Pacif1c's steward were safe and on board the. rescuing vessel.
 It was after o'clock when the Northern Pacific was reported to have been sunk. At 4:34 a dispatch stated she was completely gone"
 Built in 1915.
 , The Northern Pacific was built in 1915 by the William Cramp and Sons shiphuilding company of Philadelphia for the Great Northern Steamship Go. When the United States entered the war the vessel was taken over by the American government as a transport and was in operation during virtually the entire period of the subsequent struggle.
 Wrecked With Soldiers.
 On January 1, t91 she went ashore off Fire Island when mistake in the lights shown along the southern shore of Long Island confused her pilot. At this time she had aboard 5000 Am erican soldiers being brought back to America from the battlefelds of France. The soldiers were removed and the vessel was at last foated on January IS.
 Almost exactly year later on Jan uary 20, 1920 she played heroic role in rushing to the aid of the steamer Powhatan now the Hudson which was drifting helplessly off the Nova Scotian coast. She took on the passengers of the Powhatan and landed them in New York,
 Another Mishap. During the early summer of 1920 the Northern Pacific carried General Pershng on his trip through the Antilles and the Caribbean but she came to grief at San Juan, Porto Rico. where she went ashore at the harbor lt time. Upon her release she returned to the United States. t' The Northern Pacific was 5oa feet long, 63 feet wide and had depth of a1 feet He registered gross tom mage was S,25t.
 The fire was still eating it's way through the ship at S:So a. m. radio advices said, and at that time it op- parently was only a matter of few hours before she would burn to the waters edge. The Herbert G. Wylie and the Transportation, which picked up all the survivors planned to leave for Philadelphia this forenoon the ad- vices added. 4s
 The Admiral line of this city, which purchased the Northern Pacific from the government recently said she had crew of about 75". Advices to the line said that all had been saved. Tbere wore no passengerS