Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-20
THREE ARE SAVED
FROM SHIP AbLAzE
Five Coast Guardsmen OF
Schooner Lincoln Are Be-
Iieved TO Have Perished.

lives rather than desert their snip
was revealed here today by terse radio
messages assembled at Coast Guard
Headquarters. telling the tragic details
of the fate of the Coast Guard supply
schooner Lincoln, which plunged III
flames beneath the icy waters seven
miles southwest Of Cape Lookout Light
shin Saturday morning. carrying
y,robah1v FIVE of her crew of eight with
her Among them was Olaf Hanson
chief motor machinist's mate, of 1907
Sixth street northwest.
Messages reIayed by the Coast Guard
cutter Modoc from the British frelShtet
Defender. which saw from atar the
blazing ship and arrived on the scene
inst after she had gone down, indicate
that the crew could have taken to
the lifeboats and made shore, had not
they adhered to the highest TRADITIONS
of the Coast Guard service ana STUCK
20 the ship, fighting hopeless patt'e
against the flames all nlSnt' ulitll Tue
ship listed and sank.
Picks Up Two.
The Defender picked up Gordon D.
Shultz of Chicago and Howard carter
of Pasadena, Md, who were strug-
CLING in the water. and is now on the
high seas bound for Galveston, TEX,
where she is due December "a. CodSt
Guard headquarters here TO-DAY ofuer-
ed the cutter Comanche to meet the
men upon their arrival at S1a!Vestoh'
issue them a new outfit of clothing.
and direct them to proceed direct to
washington. The two seamen, anu
Oluf Lawson, boatswains mate, VINO
was ricked up by the Clyde line
steamer Seminole, will be called upon
to relaAe the story of the disaster,
officialSAstated.
Capt Maycock Of the Defender
stated that ShultZ and Carter had
expressed the hope that Lawson
might have been rescued, although ne
was adrift in a high sea aboard an
almost water-1ogged lifeboat, but that
they were positive the FIVE other mem
bers of the crew had been drowned.
The Lincoln, a reconverted captured
rum ship, small, but fast and sea
worthy, was on the way from More
head City, n. c., to Baltimore, laden
with heavy scrap engine parts from
the abandoned aviation station there,
and was manned by a picked crew
in charge of Boatswain Thoroff A.
Erlingson, characterized by his su-
periors this morning as "a true vi
king of the seas" and zone of the
bravest men in the history Of the
service"
Battle With Flames.
Laboring through q heavy sea the
men of the crew had their hands full
In handling the schooner, the mes
sages stated, when their peril was
heightened by the discovery Of fire
far down in the hold.
All hands, including Erlingson, the
skipper, except the man at the wheel,
rushed to battle with one Of the dread
menaces of life on the deep, fighting
the flames far below deck, as the
ship tossed and listed, buffeted by
waves which cast icy spray and
spume across her decks.
Shortly before daylight, probably
about 4 o'clock, the survivors stated,
the stubborn flames burned their way
through the engine room bulkhead.
driving the desperately fighting sailors
back step by step. A leak in the gaso
line line Is believed to have started
the fire and added fuel to the flames
despite the determined efforts made to
combat it.
Remained at Posts.
Still the crew did not abandon the
ship, even though they might have
taken to the boats with a chance for
safety. officials stated, but remained
at their posts lighting the fury of
wind and waves and flame.
Finally the fire burst the bonds
of the hold and the entire vessel
was enveloped in flame and smoke.
The stout little ship listed and plung-
ed hissingly beneath the waves,
marking the close of another chapter
of heroism in the annals of the Coast
Guard service and leaving three sur
vivors to tell the tale of the futile
struggle.
Had the Defender, her engines
Rtraining to hasten her through the
heavy seas to the rescue of the i'm
periled ship, been able to arrive a few
moments sooner she might have been
in time to save the Coast Guard crew,
officials stated. Even as it was, her
skipper, Capt. Maycock, saw the little
boat go down and directed the work
of rescuing the seamen who were
struggling in the icy waves.
Although the weather was bitter
cold and a high sea was running, and
is still running, according to radio
messages received this morning from
the commander of the Modoc, report
ing that after cruising about the vicin-
ity yesterday and today no wreckage
been sighted, the rescued seamen
were only half clad testifying to des-
perate efforts in the all-night battle
with the fire when the crew discarded
most of their clothing, battling the
flames below decks.
Rough sea: weather, clear; searched
all day, but found nothing" read the
message received this morning from
the Modoc by Lieut.. Comdr. S. S.
Yeandle.
eve of the service are proud of the
crew Of the Lincoln" he stated, for
the disaster represents a pure case Of
heroism They could undoubtedly
have saved themselves had they
chosen to abandon their ship to it's
fate. It is as fine an example of
heroism as I have ever encountered. "
It's commanding officer Boatswain
Erlingson, believed to have gone down
with his ship. has been repeatedly
commended for bravery and seaman
ship. On one occasion, while on
leave, he disguised himself and OBJ
tanned employment with a firm Of
rum runners, operating a fleet of air
planes as a liaison between head
quarters ashore and a rum fleet off
the coast of Massachusetts. Armed
with valuable information. he re-
turned TO duty aboard his coast
guard rum chasing ship, and did ef-
fective work in breaking up the fleet
which lowered off the coast about
18 months ago.
In the little town OF Syesborg. III
Sweden, there's an old mother who
was made glad today by cablegrams
informing her that her son, Oluf. the
third survivor Of the Inflated ship
who was picked up from the Semi
mole, is safe. Oluf. ii deep sea man
by training and tradition. is a nat
uralized American citizen. spending
his days at sea, although he is
registered on the official record as
residing in Washington.
Mea nXQhiln here fnAaA Alr.c IIolar