Evening star., 1935-09-05
Captain and So
of Grew Stay
on Board.
RESCUED LAUD
HEROIC ACTION
Calm Aid of Staff
Averted Panic,
They Say.


MIAMI, Fla. September 5.-Swiftly
and uneventfully, the last group OF
passengers was removed today from
the stranded and battered liner Dixie,
their perilous prison since last Mon
Gay night.
In less than three hours the last
Of the LAB marooned passengers was
transferred. The lifeboats shuttled
over placid waters, the bowling hurri-
cane that crippled the Dixie and
ground her against the talons Of
French Reef, death trap Of the Flor
ida Keys, having spent its force.
Aboard the hapless Dixie, still pin
ioned to the reef, remained Capt.
E. w. Sundstrom and a skeleton crew
CT 56. Capt. Sundstrom, who thinks
there has been no decadence among
sea-faring men-that masters of mod
ern vessels are Just as cool and eff
cient as the shippers Of the old-time
sailing ships-stayed with his ship
that the Morgan line might keep pos
session Of her under admiralty law.
He commanded q ship tnat may
never float again, in the opinion of
experienced seafarers. An Associated
Press reporter who few over said the
Dixie listed to starboard-a towering
hulk stuck fast 81 miles from shore.
She Is being forced more deeply into
the sand
Terse Messages Tell Story.
STARTED to load passengers 6 am.
on launch Of Warbler" Capt. Sund-
strom wirelessed ofiices Of the Nor
gan line in New York. "First boat
takes 20 passengers"
Subsequent messages came swiftly.
Second launch left ship with 10
passengers"
Third launch, 18 passengers"
Fourth launch, 10 passengers"
: Thus the story of the transfer went
on. Conditions were almost ideal.
The sea was placid. the sky overcast,
however. And at last came the mes
sage: "All passengers and crew that
were to leave of at $50 am"
When the transferring was resumed
this morning, 220 persons-143 pas
sengers and II members of the crew
were on the Dixie.
Passengers Taken TO Miami.
Divisional headquarters of the
Coast Guard at Jacksonville. Fla, re-
ceived a report from the cutter Saukee
that it had aboard 81 of the Dixie's
passengers-brought to her by two
lnotorboats, the salvage tug Warbler
and Coast Guard boats Nos. 1884 and
1856.
The Saukee wirelessed that some
Of the passengers were transferred
to the Morgan liner FL Occidente
by smaller boats. and that the cutters
Carrabassett and Pandora, which en-
gagged in rescue work last night, were
back on the job this morning. The
Dixie's master wirelessed them, how
ever, it was no longer necessary for
them to stand by. Another Morgan
liner, El Mundo, was also on the
scene. She returned from Miami,
where she discharged passengers last
night.
The first Of the rescue ships to
dock at Miami was the Coast Guard
cutter Carrabassett. She carried "a
passengers. Three other ships, dock
ing soon after her, were: The Nor
gan liner Fl Mundo, with 20 passen-
gers; the Morgan liner Ell Occidente,
with SO passengers and IA of the
crew, and the United Fruit liner San
Benito, with 40 of the crew. The
Coast Guard cutter Saukee came in
late today with 81 passengers and
sailors. The rest were expected to
moor still later.
Two Ships Proceed to Carolinas.
The United Fruit liner Atenas, with
20 passengers from the Dixie aboard,
proceeded up the coast to Charleston
and the oil tanker Reaper, with 10
passengers aboard, continued on to
Wilmington, N. C.
The Morgan line held a special
New York-bound train in readiness
in Miami, The bulk Of the passen-
gers Oh the Dixie were from the New
York metropolitan area, homeward-
bound from vacations.
A board Of steamship inspectors will
be carried by the cutter Carrabasset
tomorrow to the Dixie to investigate
the grounding. The board will be
dropped by the Carrabasset en- route
from Jacksonville to Key West with
the mail.
The heroism Of the rescuers and the
gallantry Of the officers and crew Of
the Dixie, in the long hours Of fear,
were told with great praise by the
passengers.
Even though many passengers were
alarmed, there was no panic. The
crew maintained discipline constantly
and at times inspired the passengers
to levity. Songs rang out in the
(See DIXIE, Page 81