The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-03-28
Ships Name Untold
By United Press

~ tNlJcd FFc88
ASBURY PARK, N. j., March g..
An unidentified ship carrying fiji
teen passengers in addition to her
crew was believed to have gone
down in a choppy sea of the lower
New Jersey coast today.
An operator who had sent out
distress signals for two hours sum-
moning aid for the sinking vessel
reported just before signing off at
POS a m today that the passen-
gers and crew had lowered lifeboats
in the darkness and were deserving
the ship
The coast guard vessels which
sped to the scene on receipts of the
S O S, reported at go a. m. that
they we're searching for the life
boats.
No Trace of Boats
No trace of the passengers, crew
or ship was Immediately apparent,
the coast guard officers said.
Persistent appeals were made to
the operator Of the ship to report
its name, but to no avail among the
SOS calls.
Although he was in conmunica-
ton with land stations along the
coast and in New York for almost
two hours and was asked repeatedly
what ship needed aid, he would re-
veal only the location of the vessel,
frequently adding the plea to
hurry aid
As he signed of he reported that
water had crept up into his cabin,
and it was believed the ship had
gone down after his radio trans
mitter became silent.
Shortly before sending his last
message at 2:05 a. m, the radio
operator aboard the mystery ship
SAID water was rising in his cabin.
His final words were: leaving now:
goodby."
Perplexed by Messages
Commercial operators in land
stations were perplexed by the
strange nature of the messages, and
the apparent unwillingness of the
operator to send the name of the
sinking vessel.
The first S. o. S. came from the
ship at 1925 a. m, followed by a
steady succession of distress signals
We are off Barnegat light" the
operator messaged.
AT 1926 the naval station in New
York asked, What ship is of Bar
negat?"
There was no reply. After several
minutes the distress signals were
resumed, slowly and falteringly. as
though the operator was confused
and very nervous.
Water in Radio Room
In his next message the operator
said his ship was thirty miles of
Barnegat. Again the naval station
inquired the name, and no desponse
came.
AT 1856 the operator wirelessed:
water in radio room. We have
fifteen passengers aboard. We are
thirty miles of Barnegat."
Further inquiries about the ships
name brought only the reply:
Hurry! Water rising"
The land operators persisted in
their effort to learn the ships name.
but the distressed ship was silent.
Finally it was asked, Are you still
with us?"
The reply was: Taking to boats"
Steamship to Rescue
The New York naval station
wireleSsed q request to send dashes
if possible" but there was no reply.
To send dashes means for the
operator to hold the key down for
long periods. SO compass bearings
can be taken.
AT this time the steamship Lion
came IN and informed the naval
station it was sixty miles from
BaTnegat and headed for Rio De
Janeiro. Asked If it was going to
the aid OF the unknown ship. the
Lions operator replied in the af-
flrmative.
Are you still with us?" the dis
tressed ship again was asked
Yes, old man." replied the op-
orator. Radio room is filing with
water, but set clear"
The ship was advised that aid
was being rushed to the scene.
Hourly Ter1nerafures