The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-02-08
ALL ON BOARD
WERE PICKED UP
g.s BY STEAMSHIPS
Flames Spread With Great
Rapidity and the Small
Number of Men Soon
Abandoned the Great
Vessel, Which Drifted
Away a Blazing Mass

New York, Feb. s.-The former
transport Northern Pacific, which last
claimed headlines in 1919 when she
crashed onto the sand bar off Fire IS
land with 5000 American soldiers she
was bringing back from France, to-day
was destroyed by fire forty miles Oh
Cape May. n. j.
A crackle of the radio early TINS
morning brought word that fire had
broken out aboard the swift steamer
and that she was mass Of flames.
Later messages reported that she
had been abandoned by Captain VIII
liam Lusti and her skeleton crew who
we're taking her to drydock in Chester
Pa.
Rescue of all her crew by steamships
which had rushed TO the scene, next
was recorded.
The latest message stated that The
vessel. blazing fierccly and listing hard
to starboard was drifting southeast
ward.
Officials Of the Admiral line, operat'
inc the Northern Pacific, said they
were unable to state how many per,
sons were on board the steamer.
Radio messages from the steamer
Transportation and the tanker Herbert
q. Wv,ie indicated, however, that there
we're 81 members of the crew and fouI
employees OF the Sun Shipbuilding as
sociation.
The Northern Pacific was built II
1915 by the William Cramp and Som
Shipbuilding company of Philadeiphif
for tie Great Northern Steamship
company. When the United States
3 entered the war the vessel was taker
over by the American government al
a transport and was in operation dur
ing virtually the entire period OF thu
subsequent struggle.
On Jan. 4, 1919, she went ashore OF
Fire island when a mistake in tn
lights shown along the southern shor'
OF Long island confused her pilot. A
this time she had aboard 5000 Ameri
can soldiers being brought back q
America from the battiehelds o
France. The soldiers were removed
and the vessel was at last foated oI
Jan. is.
Almost exactly year later, on Jan
20. 1920, she played a heroic role il
rushing to the aid of the steame
Powhatan. now the Hudson, which wa
drifting helplessly off the Nova Scotl
coast. She took off the passenger
of the. steamer Of the Pohatan, am
landed them in New York. The North
ern Pacific had the distinction thi
trip of carrying the last regular con
tingent of returning soldiers.
During the carly summer OF 1921
the Northern Pacific carried Genera
Pershing on his trip through the An
titles and the Caribbean, but she cam
10 grief at San Juan, Porto Ric'
where she went ashore at the harbo
entrance. closing the port for som
time. Upon her release she returne
10 the United States.
The contract for reconditi0ning tll
Northern Pacific had been awarded tn
Sun Shipbuiiding corporation OF Shes
ter. Pa. il was announced here. H.
Alexander, president of the compan,
said the vessel was TO be completed
outfitted in ninety days at an approx
innate cost of $4,000.
She was then TO have been rename
the II. +. Alexander and placed ]
service by the Admiral line betwee
Seattle, San Francisco and points o
the southern California coast. II wa
intended the ship would leave for III
= Pacific coast ON May ?.
The Northern Pacific was 500 fee
long; 63 feet wide and had a dept
Of 2l feet. Her registered gross tor
mage was s.225.