The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-04-25
MOVIES ON VIEW
Of MARU SEA
TRAGEDY,
International NeWsreel Gets
Exclusive Showing of Re-
markabIe Film

Overcoming what appeared like
absolutely unsurmountable obstacles,
exclusive motion pictures OF the
sinking Of the Japanese steamship
Raifuku Maru, with the loss OF
her entire crew, were obtained by
International Newsreel and Will
be shown here at the Columbia and
Rialto Theaters beginning tomor-
row.
All doubt as to whether or not
the members of the stricken
freiRhtOE. were still alive when the
shin went down are removed by this
unexpected and marvellous record
Of the last moments Of the sinking
vessel.
Clinging to the rigging and hud-
died on the bridge, whittier they
had been driven as the liner settled
In its grave, the members Of the
unfortunate crew are shown, pitt
fully helpless and vainly appealing
for the assistance which it, was i'm
possible to render them. The pic
lures are among the most remark
able ever made, and the manner in
which it was possible to give them
to the public is almost as remark
able.
Among the passengers on the
White Star Liner Homeric, which
answered the sos call of the Raj
fuku Maru. was ]. M. Beatty; OF
the Federal Glass Co., Columbus
Ohio. Mr.. Beatty, who is an anna
teur photographer of much ability
was aboard the Homeric. He had
with him a motion picture camera
and started it in motion as sooll
as the Homeric came close to the
sinking Japanese ship.
Captain John NJ. Roberts, OF the
Homeric, as well as passengers, de
scribed how his ship. rocked by the
raging storm, made 1t almost Inn
possible for passengers to remain
on deck. Yet Mr.. Beatty chung tt
a rail and managed to take the pic
lures, which promise to form an i'm
portant part in the records Of thi:
latest sea disaster.
A wireless sent to the HomeriC
by International Newsreel re
vealed the fact that Mr.. Beatty had
taken the motion pictures, and be
fore the ship arrived in New York
an option had been secured on them
But when the Homeric docked, Il
was found that Mr. Beatty had useo
q baby camera, Cine-kodak
which does not use standard size
filIA.
Executives of international News
reel were dismayed when they
learned that in. order to transfer
the motion pictures to standard
stock, it would be necessary to
have the work done In the East
man Laboratory in Rochester. N.
z. First answers over the tele-
-
require were that 1t would be two
weeks. Executives Of the Eastman
Company were appealed to. Fin
ally they announced that they could
do the work in three hours after
Il was in their hands
That presented another problem.
The release time of the Newsreel
was only a few hours off, the film
was in New York and the Eastman
plant in Rochester. Within half
an hour, S. H. MacKean. news
editor Of international. was in an
airplane, enroute for the northern
city. Although he ran into a
storm, and met with a minor acct
dent at Ithaca, when the plane was
forced down, the flight was made
IN four hours. The Eastman Com
pany completed the work by mid
right. AS night flying was out OF
the question. Mr.. MacKean left
York at 9 a. m. A few hours
later prints of the picture were
distributed to New York theaters
and sent throughout the country
Representatives Of the japanese
government and officials Of thu
steamship companies viewed the pic
lures last night in New York.