THE ANTINOE RESCUE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19748, 26 March 1926, Page 10

THE ANTINOE RESCUE.

CAPTAIN TOSE’S STORY. TRIBUTE TO BRAVE MEN. FIGHT AGAINST TERRIBLE ODDS. (From Oob Own Correspondent.) LONDON, February 9. Listeners of the British Broadcasting Company had the opportunity a few nights ago of hearing Captain Tose, of the illfated Antinoe, describe how he and his crew were rescued in mid-Atlantic by the captain, officers, and crew of the President Roosevelt. It was a very touching story, and the tough, sturdy sailor almost broke down when he read the letter he had written to Mr Mil.or, the chief officer of the President Roosevelt. The letter to Mr Miller is as follows: “Dear Sir, —As master of the steamship Antinoe, 1 wish, on behalf of my officers and men, to thank you with all my heart for the part you took in rescuing us from our sinking ship. Your intrepid bearing, modest disposition, and remarkable skill in connection with your brave act in commanding the three lifeboat crews calls forth our admiration and gratitude. Fearless of extreme danger, you have accomplished for us all that a man can do for his fellow-men. You have indeed given us back our lives. Words are lacking to express our gratitude to you and your brave men, so all we can say is that we thank you from the depths of our hearts. May God bless you.” TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN FRIED. Captain Tose also read the following letter addressed to Captain Fried, of the President Roosevelt:— “Sir, —It is impossible for me to find words to express to you on behalf of myself, officers, and crew of the s.s. Antinoe, our heartfelt gratitude for your heroic rescue of all on board our ill-fated ship. Ypur splendid determination to save us at all costs, even to the extent of the loss of your brave men, fills our hearts with deepest thankfulness. We shall never forget your noble spirit of sacrifice and your devotion to the highest instincts of humanity. Your superb handling of your ship under extreme difficulty merits- our. lasting praise as seamen. We deplore with you the loss of your two brave men, and wish to convey to their families our groat sympathy. We wish heartily wo could do more to show our sense of thankfulness, but know you will understand.”

It was emphasised that Captain Tose was receiving no remuneration for broadcasting. His only object was to gain practical sympathy for the dependants of the two American seamen who lost their lives. _As a sailor. I could do nothing less than this, ' he said, “and if 1 hadn’t done it my name would have been mud ” THE CAPTAIN’S STQRY. The details of this epic of heroism in the Atlantic are given in the official statement of Captain Tose to his owners, it is practically the same statement that he made to the millions of listeners all over Great Britain. At 12.10 p.m., January 24, the Roosevelt hove in sight. The Roosevelt wirelessed. “Do you want to abandon?” To which we replied: “Not at present moment, but please stand by me." This was agreed upon, and the Roosevelt hove to in the vicinity. All the crew worked during the night battening down hatches as the seas tore them adrift, in order to keep the ship afloat. Mon making hatch wedges continuously to replace wedges as they were being washed over the side. Towards darkness the list increased from 15 to 20 degrees. and during the night, owing to snow storms, the Roosevelt lost sight of us. . . . At 3.30 of the 26th the Roosevelt hove in sight, and we hoisted up signals “A.J.” (Wish to abandon but have not the means.) The Roosevelt stopped on the weatherside, pouring out oil, which greatly reduced the pounding of the :ea She then lowered a lifeboat, when a sudden violent squall struck us. Shortly after the boat drifted past our bow. about 100 ft away, and we saw one man clinging to the lifeline. All efforts were made by us to reach him by lines, but the distance was too great, and as our engines were out of commission then, in fact they had gone out at 1 a m., we were unable to reach him. OIL ON THE WATER. At this, darkness was setting in, and we signalled with a hand Morse lamp to inform the Roosevelt that a boat had passed across our bows with one man clinging to it. The Roosevelt made a sweep round our stern to leeward in the direction of the drifting boat. Darkness then set in, and the Roosevelt hove to on our weatherside. In the early morning of Tuesday, the 26th. we Morsed the Roosevelt to pour oil on the water as our list was now 30 degrees. This was done and proved of great assistance. At 10 a.m. the Roosevelt commenced attempting shooting lines over to us, but no success. The starboard bunker hatch had been broken in from about 1 a.m. on Monday morning, and flooded the bunker, stokehold, and engine-room, and there was great difficulty to keep it battened down on account of the heavy seas. In the afternoon of the same day the Roosevelt tried to drift a lifeboat towards us. This went past our stern, and we were unable to get hold of itIn the evening the Roosevelt blinked: “We must wait until weather moderates.” To which we replied: “We will wait until weather moderates, thank you.” The Roosevelt blinked: “Will you be able to show light to-night?” We replied: “We unable show any nautical lights to-night.” Roosevelt blinked: “Can you keep afloat until weather moderates?” We replied: “Captain says it is doubtful.” Then the Roosevelt blinked: “We are doing everything we can, but impossible to send a boat in this sea.” We replied: “Yes, we know that, and are very grateful to you.” DESPERATE SITUATION. Later we Morsed: “Listing more heavily and shipping more water.” A.t midnight the Roosevelt blinked: “Will float you a boat; be on look-out your stern.” At five minutes after midnight we blinked: “W’hen are you going to do it?” Roosevelt blinked: “Have heaving lines ready; we are going to launch a boat soon.” We replied: “Shall we row towards you, or away to leeward?” At 1 a.m. Roosevelt started to trail boat around us in an endeavour to manoeuvre it within our reach. It proved unsuccessful. The condition of the Antinoe at 3 a.m. was 30 to 35 degrees listed starboard, starboard bunkers flooded, and about B£t of water in the stokehole and engine room. The crew were now exhausted, due to loss of sleep and nourishment and exposure to the snow. Our stores had all been ruined by salt water for the last four days, and the situation was becoming more desperate. The Roosevelt then blinked: ‘‘Have lost three boats, and must now await daylight and moderating seas.” At daylight the Roosevelt commenced trailing another boat. It reached very close, but we were unable to catch it. About 1 p.m. she succeeded in getting a line across our stern, which we picked up. The line was attached to the painter of the boat, but it broke, and the boat drifted away from us. MARRIED MEN FIRST. About 5 o’clock the weather moderated considerably, but the steamer started to list more. The lee bridge deck rail was level with the water, the sea washing over continuously, and to all appearances she would be , unable to float much longer. We informed the Roosevelt of this by blinker. The Roosevelt then blinked: “When we sound whistle have men on forecastle with heaving lines to get our manned boat alongside.” Later: “Where is the best place to abandon?” We replied: “Our starboard side, abreast No. 1 hold.” Roosevelt blinked: “We are getting boat ready now. When boat comes get in quickly.” I then gave orders to the men to keep cool, and arranged the order in which the men were to leave; married men first. We assembled on the fore-deck and assisted the boat with ropes when she came alongside, about 7.30 p.m. Eleven men and second officer jumped in. but. owing to the lifeboat pounding, dangerously, I thought it prudent to get away and not overload it, as it might capsize. THE LAST BOAT. Wo blinked the Roosevelt, . “Boat left with 12 men. 13 remaining.” Roosevelt replied: “Twelve men safe on board; will return when weather moderates.” At midnight we blinked: “We have 40 degrees list.” To which the Roosevelt replied: “We are sending boat now. Be ready to jump quickly.” Antinoe was now dead in the water, and we doubted her ability to flout much longer. She might either go down or capsize at any minute, and to our great relief the Roosevelt morsed that the boat was on her way.

The boat passed round our stern, and .1 directed her where to board from the ship’s poop, and then I returned to the foredeck, where the men were mustered. Owing tc the ship’s list and indraft, great difficulty was experienced in approaching the position abreast of No. 1 hatch, but the boat came alongside, and the remainder of the crew were taken off, several men sustaining minor injuries while getting into the boat. About 1.20 p.m. we were safely alongside the Roosevelt, and at 1.35 were all aboard, and the Roosevelt proceeded on her voyage. THE LOST SEAMEN. Evans, the wireless operator of the Antinoe, crystallised the feelings of the whole crew of the lost vessel when be said: “We never supposed for a moment that a first-class passenger boat like this would come to the rescue of a poor little freighter and give four whole days to the job.’’ This feeling of astonishment was a b’g element in the survivors’ gratitude—that and their consciousness that their safety cost the lives of two of the crew of the befriending American vessel. An A.B. from the Antinoe said he believed that Keitman. who was on? of the two men drowned, and was a German, was the very first man to volunteer for the rescue service, and that he said to his companions: “Well, boys, they may be Britishers, but they’re brothers.” The other man who lost his life was Master-at-Arms Wirtamen, who was of Finnish birth. Captain Fried has paid high tribute to his outstanding heroism. He lost his life in the first lifeboat lowered, and his gallant efforts to save other members of the capsized boat won th° admiration of all. Wirtamen was drowned in full sight of both wrecked and rescuers on board the two vessels. Able Seaman Shipley, of the Antinoe, tried to cast a rope to him from the boom of his own ship, but it fell a few feet short. Captain Tose and others in the Antinoe saw him clinging to a lifeline when the lifeboat capsized, and made all efforts to reach him by lines, but failed. A PASSENGER’S STORY. Here is the story of one of the passengets, together with some extracts from her diary. , , , A few of the passengers got bored and cross at the delay, and one man who protested in a note to Captain Fried was nearlv thrown overboard. One man, knocked senseless, disappears. (This was Keitman.) Another drifts away, waving his arm. and passes within 10 feet ot the Antinoe. too exhausted to respond to their efforts. This boy was to have been married on landing. Took Communion on deck. Sent a radio message to his girl, and 12 dollars of his wages. None are without supplicating hearts to-night. Nothing matters but the deliverance ot those 25 marooned men.” The Roosevelt’s passengers, however, with the continued bad weather, began to grow squeamish about risking any more men, but appeal after appeal came from the Antinoe, and among the liner s officers and crew there was never a thought of desisting. A whole day was spent in fruitless efforts to get a line across. The passengers sent a message _ to Captain Fried registering their admiration of his heroic persistency and resourcefulness. On Wednesday evening the final rescue took place under bright moonlight in a calm sea, but with a heavy swell still running. “ Captain Tose was carried on deck,” the passenger wrote in h?r diary, “ end taken up to the bridge, the Englishman, as ever, showing the courtesy of the gentleman at sea, to thank opr commander. Then he fainted, utterly spent. Captain Frieds words in answer to the cheers of the passengers and their demand for a speech were simply: ‘lt has taken a long time, but it is worth it.’ ” THE KING'S AWARDS. His Majesty the King has been pleased, upon the recommendation of the President of the Board of Trade, to award the Gold Medal for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea (Foreign Service) to Robert B Miller (chief officer). Thomas Sloan (third officer), Frank M. Upton (fourth officer of the President Roosevelt), and 16 of the crew of the ship. In the case of two men, Uno Wirtamen and Ernest Keitman, the award is posthumous, aa they lost their lives in rendering the services. Captain Fried particularly comments upon the heroism of Uno Wirtamen, who lost his life in the first attempt. When the crew of this boat was thrown into the water he gave great help in saving several of the other members in such a manner as to compel the admiration of all,