Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1922-03-09 | Page 7 | Sea Tragedy Told in Jest

I SEA TRAGEDY TOLD IN JEST Radio Operator on Sinking Vessel Laughs at Death NEW YORK, March 5 The grim humor of a wlrclesa npnrator who - ,j ijphorl nt rlr.ni li nnrt flashed Btrikln;? ffm bits of wit Into iho ether aa his ship, the Norwegian n'amer Grontoft. wallowed wal-lowed and slowly sank during a mlrt-Atlantic mlrt-Atlantic hurricane last Thursday, was I received on the radio log" of the Danish Dan-ish steamer Estonia, arriving WecJ-OSSd?. WecJ-OSSd?. Each detail of th ships plight. IB i'V th- Jesting comment of tha radio H man, whose identity is still unknown. H He talked as if he were going on a lark In port, Instead of to the bot- torn of the sea. His Ust message, a I disjointed one, was a series of wlt- with death the butt of 1 the 1 Thf Estonia, herself hard hit In 1 the 110-mlle gule. made a valiant ' but unsuccessful effort to reach the Grontoft, which first sent out call' for aid nt 10 o'clock Thursday morn- U reporting her position as about tiio mllea easl of Cape Race Th 1 IS tonla al thai time was -is miles w west of tho disabled Norwegian and H steaming In nn opposite direction, I ' ''Ptnln Hans Jor'-nson ordered his I tlt" blp about and she steamed slowly tu I ward thp Grontoft. ! DISTRESS HFTTORTKD. Meanwhile Radio Operator Hansen H pngaged the operator of th Grontoft In conversation The latter sent out first the following. "Tiod pity the poor sailors on ,n night like this." Then followed a se-lj se-lj tiea of h.i, h n " "8ay," he continued, fl I "the old man thinks this calm will ho (.v-r by nlcrhtfiill io sure nnd m I --oiie breesc." An hour ii ter an ur- Wm JTnt call for aid was sent out by the II Grontoft, and her operator Jested again. Well, the steward is making aand-y aand-y wlche3 for the llfehoats. Looks like UL we were goirur on :i picnic." ft Again a half hour later he sept Bl The old wagon has a list like a run down heel. This Is no weather r f "for a fellow to be out in without an I F umbrella." I ' Hold on." returned the Etonla s I wireless, "we'll be alongside soon. ' I The Grontoft did not reply until 40 I minutes lator. Then: I si We aro sinking elern first. The I boats are smashed. Can't hold out ay longer. Lf "The oklppr dictated that he ! -J ought to know where did I put my I J hat sorry we can't wait for yuu, jj jl pressing business elsewhere I AILS TO REP1 Y. im The Estonia' nnrrntor .iiinmrl In 3 .I reply these lines. MS I "What dam of lances brought thee a. forth, to Jest at dawn with death ' W l!iil Mi.ro w .is no.insucr M S Six hour.i after plotting up h. first S3 f call from the Grontoft the Estor.la Sl J reached her reported posiMon and ft though she cruised about for four Bfl hours, failed to find even a trace of HJ the wreck. The Grontaft. from Galveston, Xev. u leans and New York, was en route for Esbjerg. She had a crew of CO.