MYSTERY OF SEA

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 7 May 1928, Page 9

MYSTERY OF SEA

FATE OF MOTOR SHIP LOST IN THE PACIFIC. NO TRACE DISCOVERED. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH—COPYRIGHT.) (UNITED SERVICE.) Received 1.5 p.m. to-day. VANCOUVER, May 5. News from San Francisco states that, the fate of another splendidly equipped motor.ship is a secret kept by the Pacific. On March 24 the Asiatic Prince disappeared and Lloyd’s agents here have finally announced that she is utterly lost. Emit two years ago at Hamburg, she was a well-manned craft of 6700 tons, operated by Furness Wilthy and 'Company. On the date mentioned the Niagara picked up a. stuttering, faint .5.0.5., giving the longitude and code letters understood as 'G.J.V.R. _ The message then ended abruptly. The 'CanadianAustralia liner’s operator was unable to hear another sound. Another liner nearby caught the same message and the same code letters, which belonged to the tanker British Hussar, which was believed to be in trouble southwest of Hawaii. For several days American -warships' searched, when suddcnly it was discovered that the Hussar was safe in port several th'ouand i dles away. Wireless experts were wondering if it was a hoax when a cable came from Yokohama that the Asiatic Prince was five days overdue from Los Angeles. This gave rise to curiosity and the Prince’s code letters were found to be G.J.V.R.. The last letter could easily ho sent by an excited operator to sound like the' Hussar’s signal. Renewed starch was then started by several tenders of the American fleet at Hawaii but without results and the senv i n were forced 1o the conclusion that the vessel sank on March 24 without a trace.