The Bismarck tribune., 1928-11-13
(By the Associated Press)

\Dy Tue ASSOCI0ISO fISSSy
One man was known to be deau,
woman and child were reported
floating in the rolling waves, and
! other deaths seemed probable as re-
ports from the rescue fleet off the
Virginia capes slowly pieced out the
story of the sinking of the liner
Vestris today.
At noon, almost full day and
night since the 339 passengers and
crew went over the fitting side Of
the stricken vessel into lifeboats and
RATS, only 2O3 had been definitely
accounted for, and most of the life
boats had been picked up.
One man taken from the water by
the steamer Berlin told Of seeing a
woman with p child in her arms
floating near him.y Search was be-
gun for them and lookout was kept
for others who had found no roon,
in the boats or who had been washed
from the RATS.
The dead man, unidentified in first
reports, was found by the battleship
Wyoming, lying on raft, where he
had died Of exposure.
Shortly after noon the Radio
| Marine Corporation received a re-
port, in slightly different form,
which had previously been picked up
| by the Massachusetts, Institute Of
Technology station at South Dart
mouth, Mass. The earlier report was
that a man picked from the water
by the Wyoming had told of seeing
woman and child drifting near
him. The radio marine version was
that he said he had seen q woman
with two children and that the Ber-
I'm had put about to look for them.
According to this later report the
man said that he had been clinging
to a timber and had drifted past q
raft on which the woman and chill.
dren were clinging.
Flares Guide Kescuers
The rescue began before dawn, the
relief ships being guided to the lite
boats by flares sent up by the
chilled persons who all night long
had tossed on angry waves left
from weekend gale. Lifeboat
! after lifeboat was sighted and taken
| aboard with it's shivering compile
ment of men and women. The liner
American Shipper and the Berlin
got some, the tanker Myriam 9TH
ers, and the battleship Wyoming
still more.
But at noon more than 100 others
were apparently still to be account
| ed for and there was growing fear
death would claim many of these
| before they could be saved.
Shortly after noon the navy de-
partment ordered the dirigible Los
Angeles to prepare to leave its
hangar at Lakehurst, N. j., at 6
o'clock to join the rescue fleet. It
could not leave sooner because it had
been undergoing general overhaul
ing and was not ready to take the
| air.
The code Of the sea that calls the
strong to help the weak today had
apparently resulted in the saving Of
nearly ali those who yesterday took
to lifeboats when the Vestris turned
over, 800 miles off the Virginia
capes.
Pick Up Six Boats
Almost a dozen boats, ranging
from battleship to cutter, cruised
the waves through the night in re-
sponse to frantic distress signals,
and early in the morning had picked
up six small boats and raft bear
ing all but few Of the 339 passen-
gers and sailors who had left the
Vestris with it's decks awash.
OF the humanity -burdened craft
that put away from the sinking yes
sci shortly after noon yesterday
when it reported itself lying on its
beamends, only an improvised raft
was believed missing this morning.
Search for it continued. with tho
battleship Wyoming reporting that
she had rescued other persons from
floating wreckage.
In all the messages that flew from
ship to shore telling Of the rescue,
there was no mention Of whether
there was loss Of life. Although Il
was not possible during the early
hours to determine the exact number
of those saved. Il was supposed that
all had either crowded aboard tho
lifeboats and RATS or had clung 70
the wreckage come upon BY ths res-
cue fleet. Some believed that -
cause Of tle 33-degree tilt of tAo
tContiEusd q pass tve)