Norwich bulletin., 1922-10-14
DETAILS OF BURNING OF
 STEAMER CITY OF HONOLULU

San Francisco, Oct. 1s (By the A. sP9 The United States army transport Thomas Is steaming tonight toward San Francisco with the PSI passengers and members. of the crew of the liner City of Honolulu, which is. drifting burned out hulk on the, sea lanes to the southwest. Army transport service officials here fg- ure the Thomas should arrive Sunday.
 The point where the Thomas took of the
 passengers and crew of the Honolulu
 from the West Pardon, which rescued
 them from the seas about the burning
 Honolulu, is some 620 miles southwest of
 San Francisco, the army transport off
 cials said Word from the transport to The Asso-
 ciated Press today by the wireless ser vice of the Federal Telegraph company
 was to the effect that the passengers were in; good spirits and that they evidently had showed no fear when the fire cre6t around them on the great liner and forced them into the sea in small boats to await what proved to besa kindly fate. The. tons of water poured into the Homo lulu's blazing compartments, caused her to list heavily to port, according to word from the Thomas, swinging the stricken vessels small boats outboard on the port side, greatly increasing the rescue haz- ard. Later the vessel righted herself so ] tbat the boats could. be lowered witt, greater facility.
 i Word from the West Pardon tonight was that the Honolulu was still burning. l Day reports told of the caying in of her superstrncture. this destruction starting 1 first with the collapsing of one of her stacks and an aftermast before the I flames. i.s
 The ocean swelis. sent up clouds of
 steam as they lapped against her blister ing bot sides. but she continued to ride 1 the seas easily and showed no indications l that the flames which rsked her. would
 send her ostile- bottom The hull. was too
 hot to be approached today according to
 2 radio frorfi tlis NSezt Faraion to her agents. Etr1itfers & Barry. here The res cue boat was told to stand By, until 1t Ecpuid be determined whether she should tow # to 3 mainland port or merely wait
 until salvage vessels arrived All mesa ges received here said that | the work of rescue was as effective as though it had been rehearsed. Accord l ing to wireless message from the 1 Thomas, the greatest hardship suffered by l the passengers was their experience of l seven hours on the open sea while the i Thomas the West Pardon and the Mat l soa liner Enterprise were speeding tow ard them.
 < According to a message received from
 Capt. NJ NJ. Walk of the Pardon, the fro had destroyed all of tie Honolulu's
 upper works and her hull was evidently
 so warped and twisted by the flames that
 salvage would be out of the question | 1oday's reports brought words of praise I for the manner in which Capt. Harry R. l Lester of the Honolulu and the crew handled the emergency The passengers wanted to stay with the Honolulu, accord ing to the message from the Thomas, in the belief that the fire would be gotten under control. They were told, however
 that the fight against the fire was proving I a losing one. s,
 The probable cause of the :, fire was given as defective wiring in the second
 cabin, according to the message from tns I Thomas.