Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1922-10-13
III SAVED At
SEA BY RADIO
Aided by Freighter Which
Answered Distress Calls of
Burning Ship
RADIO MAN REAL HERO
All Passengers and Crew Are
Saved From Burning Ship
in Mid Ocean

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 13 (By
The Associated Press) The pas
sengers of the City of Honolulu,
which burned at sea, were trans
ferred to the U. S. Army transport
Thomas from the rescue ship West
Faralon at dawn today, according to
an official message received by the
Federal Telegraph Company. The
Thomas is due here tomorrow but
it is expected that she will be at
least day late.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 13 (By
The Associated Perss) ):-The radio
mans bride on space, and that
hardly less potent thing, the fellow
ship of those who go down to the
sea in ships. stand responsible to-
day for the safety of PIT persons.-
the ships company of the steamer
City of Honolulu which burned yes
terday.
The readiness with which mari
ners of half a dozen crafts from
pleasure yachts to dreadnaughts of
the Pacific offered themselves for
the rescue of their distressed fellow
travellers afloat was but an echo of
a story first told SO long ago that
men have forgotten the time of the
telling, but the tale, of the radios
part belongs to a more modern gen.
Grafton. They mingled. this old
thing and this new one, to save life.
Early yesterday while she was
$40 miles off San Pedro, California,
fire broke out in the second class
cabins of the steamer, one time
pride of the North German Lloyd
lines and more recently leader of
the Los Angeles Steamship Com
pany's new Honolulu service. I'm
accountably the flames gained such
headway on the fighting crew that
two hours later it was necessary to
abandon the ship.
But before that time the radio
had cried far and wide the S. o. S.
what means disaster. distress and
human extremity on the high seas.
Two ships. the Enterprise of the
Matson line and the Thomas, an
army transport, eastbound from Ha-
waii, caught the signal ard turned
toward the position the operator
had given. A pleasure yacht. the
Casiana, cruising to Honolulu with
a party including Crompton Ander-
son, brother-in-law of the owner, E.
L. Doheny, caught the appeal and
turned her bow that way. Los An
geles caught the signal and navy
vessels stood by to race with death
to the scene of the fire.
San Francisco caught the signals
and waited awhile until the radio
operator of a distant ship had turn
ed that vessel also towards the
scene.
1t was said that ship. the West
Faralon, M. M. Walk, master that
swept down the sea lane to the City
of Honolulu and affected the rescue.
But she did not get there until
more than four hours after the
flames had forced the captain, first
officer, chief engineer and the radio
operator who had stayed behind to
serve to the utmos the passengers
confined to their chairs to leave the
blazing hulk. The officers stayed to
advise, suggest and confer. The ra-
dio officers stayed to keep the Fara-
lon advised lest she miss the boat
loads of passengers floating nearby
and the rescue work be delayed.
The fire broke out between and
6 o'clock in the morning. The pas
sengers were put over the side at 8
O'Clock. The captain left the steam
er shortly after.
BY a quarter to four the last boat
load had been hauled aboard the
West Faralon and the ship, her every
corner crowded, laid to mile from
the f1re-swept vessel and all hands
watched her burn All hands. that is, |
all but the radio operator. He was
busy sending messages saying that
the steamers company was safe. and
other messages that kept the Tho |
mas steaming westward. to provide |
for the rescued.
The Thomas's officers planned to-
transfer the City of Honolulu's pas
sengers early today rather than risk
accidents in the early morning |
hours. The Thomas will bring them
to San Francisco. They had been
bound for Los Angeles.
CONTINUED on page S.)