McCRARY, Fred
Source: Kokomo Tribune Sat 27 March 1937 p 1
Fred McCrary, 34, a Kokomo man is a member of the crew of the steam freighter Volunteer which is in a sinking condition in the Pacific Ocean at a point approximately 550 miles southeat from Yokohama, Japan. Radio messages from the disabled freighter state that it is taking water rapidly through a hole in its hold; that the vessel is hove to and out of control and that the crew is preparing to take to lifeboats…(very long article) Fred of Kokomo is a member of a crew of 36 manning the Volunteer. He sailed with the ship from New Orleans, Feb 7 his first voyage. The vessel was bound for Kobe, Japan where it was due March 10 and planned to return to American waters – by way of the Phillippine Islands. McCrary has three sisters and a brother residing in Kokomo. The sisters are Mrs. William Hicks, 1049 South Bbuckey; Miss Margaret McCrary, same address employed at the Howell Grill, Washington and Markland Avenue and Mrs. Henry Beckley, Walnut Manor, Walnut & Phillips. The brother is Rex McCrary, 409 West Markland Avenue, an employee of the Continental Steel Corporation. The parents formerly resided in Kokomo but are now living in Kingman, Ind in Fountain County where the father operates a store. The family lived in Kingman before coming to Kokomo. Fred McCrary is a machinist and while in Kokomo was employed at Haynes Automobile company’s plant. He resided at the time at the home of his sister, Mrs. Hicks. He left Kokomo three or four years ago going to New Orleans. He had been employed there for some time by the firm of Lykes Bros. engaged in ocean shipping. A wish to see more of the world led McCrary to sign as a member of the crew of the freighter Volunteer, a step which evidently has led him into the peril of shipwreck and likely to becoming adrift with other members of the crew far out on the Pacific ocean. McCrary’s brother and sisters received cards from him this week, mailed for Honolulu, Hawaii where the Volunteer had made a stop on its voyage toward Japa. They had received word from him earlier that he had signed for the trip. About 10 o’clock Saturday morning Mrs. Hicks, the sister with whom McCrary had lived here, heard a radio broadcast relating that the freighter Volunteer was in serious trouble on the Pacific. Knowing her brother was aboard the vessel she hastened to give the news to other local relatives. The Tribune received word of the situation from James Howell, restaurant owner at Wash. And Markland, who had just been told of it b Margaret McCreary in his employ. In the meantime, The Trib had been receiving messages from the UPA telling of the Volunteer’s plight. These, however, gave no names of the crew, consequently contained no hint of the Kokomo connection with the incident. Fred McCrary is well known to a large number of Kokomo people, particularly among those who were employees of the Haynes Automobile concern where he was employed for some time. All these will follow the news from the vessel he is aboard and which seems to be in imminent danger of sinking far out at sea with intense interest,. The last UP message the Tribune rec’d regarding the disabled vessel and efforts being made to reach it before it sinks is as follows: Seattle, March 27 – The Lykes Brothers’ freighter Volunteer sent out repeated calls for help today, reporting it was taking water rapidly through a hole in its No 1 hold. The position was given as 550 miles southeast of Yokohama. The British freighter Fresno City was 240 miles away and speeding to the rescue. The Volunteer’s pumps had clogged and were useless, according to the message. The SOS messages were intercepted by the Globe Wireless and MacKay Radio in San Francisco and in Honolulu and Seattle by the US Coast Guard. The Volunteer carried a crew of 36 under command of Capt MW Geidert of NO, from where the ship operates. It was bound for Kobe, Japan and due there March 10… crew preparing to take to lifeboats if necessary. - kz
Source: Kokomo Tribune Sat 1 May 1937 p 1
Fred McCrary, the former Kokomo man who was a member of the crew of the American freighter, Volunteer, which just five weeks ago was reported in a sinking condition far out on the Pacific Ocean but which finally after a wild experience with wind and wave, finally reached Kobe, Japan whither she was bound from New Orleans has been heard from. On Sat March 27 the Tribune in common with all other newspapers in the country, carried the story of the peril the vessel was in being disabled and floundering, the result of a leak in her hold at a point approximately 850 miles off the coast of Japan. Along with the story, the Tribune told of the connection of Fred McCrary, age 34, a member of the ship’s crew with Kokomo. He was formerly a machinist in a local factory. A number of his relatives are residents here. His voyage as a member of the crew of the Volunteer was the first he ever made. His relatives have received a letter from him in which he describes his experience. When the Flash Came – o the Saturday morning mentioned, Mrs. WI Hicks, one of McCrary’s sisters, who resides at 104P South Buckeye street, happened to hear a radio broadcast from San Francisco telling of the Volunteer’s peril, the report at that time being that the ship might sink before assistance would arrive. When Mrs. Hicks heard the name “Volunteer,” she knew that was the vessel her brother was aboard. Naturally the report filled her with alarm and she immediately telephoned the information she had picked up to other members of the family here. One of those notified was Miss Margaret McCrary, a sister, employed at the Howell Grill, Washington Street and Markland Avenue and from that source the Tribune received its first information that a former Kokomo man was aboard the apparently sinking ship. Several press dispatches were received later in the day telling at the distress the vessel was in, and of efforts being made by other ships in that quarter of the Pacific to reach her. One of these dispatches stated that the Volunteer carried a crew of 30 and two passengers and that she was laden with a cargo of cotton and general merchandise. Dispatches on Sunday indicated the vessel was still afloat, but still in danger of sinking, but revealed that aid was drawing near. On Monday came word that the Volunteer’s pumps had been repaired and restored to action and that she was slowly proceeding toward Kobe, under convoy of a Japanese vessel. A day or two later came word that the Volunteer had finally limped into port. No further word, regarding the ship’s thrilling adventure was received here until McCrary’s letter to his relatives arrived. The letter was directed to his parents at Kingman, Ind and was forwarded by them to his sisters here. Ships – Plight – The letter, written at sea Friday April 2 when the Volunteer was withing 200 miles of her destination and seeming sure of making port, tells tersely and graphically how extremely perilous the vessel’s plight was for several hours with her hold rapidly filling, her pumps disabled and high winds and mountainous waves tossing her about like a playing. The ship began leaking, the letter states on Thursday March 25 and it was not until Monday March 29 that the pumps, which had broken down earlier had become able to make any headway against the water which was entering the hold. At one time, the letter says, the water was 20’ deep in one section of the ship. Rady to Abandon – At one time, McCrary says the situation was so perilous that the captain ordered all aboard to get their clothing and other personal effects ready to abandon the ship. The chief engineer and his crew opposed the idea of leaving the ship, contending that the wiser course was to stay aboard, make repairs as fast as possible and try to save her. Their counsels prevailed, the pumps were gotten to work and enough water was kept out of the hold to prevent the vessel sinking. It took the ship until the next Friday, however to get to Kobe. McCrary says the situation was exciting, but remarked he did not get scared at any time and didn’t lose any sleep, except when he was working overtime to help save the ship He says he had enjoyed the voyage very much and had liked it better every day. He expected at the time of writing that the ship would be laid up in dry dock in Japan for repairs for a month and that it then would return to Honolulu, pick up a cargo of sugar and pineapples for New York and Boston and then head toward the Panama Canal. International Date Line – The following statement from his letter relative to crossing and recrossing the international date line will be interesting to Kokomo people generally, who seldom think about imaginary lines which play hob with the calendar for those who cross it. “When we crossed the international date line, we lost a day. We crossed it on Friday so we did not have any Saturday. We jumped from Friday to Sunday. W hen we return, we will have on week with eight days in it.” Sounds rather screwy, doesn’t it? That, however, is the way the international date line mixes things up for those who cross it. Here is how McCrary closes his letter to the home-folks. “Just as soon as I find out more about what we are going to do, will write again and let you know where to address me. If anything serious happens, will send a radiogram, but otherwise you don’t need to worry!”
Source: Kokomo Tribune Thu 20 April 1939 p 1
Requesting permission to perform an autopsy, authorities of the US Marine Hospital in Key West, Fla informed the Kokomo relatives of Fred McCrary, age 37 of his death late Wednesday. The family had know McCrary had been a patient at the hospital since March 8, and it was reported he had suffered numerous hemorrhages, but the actual cause of his death was said to be undetermined. Among McCrary’s survivors are two sisters and a brother living in this city:” Mrs. HC Beckly, Walnut Manor apartments; Mrs. WT Hicks, 1049 South Buckeye Street and Lex McCrary, 409 East Mulberry Street. Others surviving are his parents, Mr. and Mrs. WE McCrary, Kingman, former Kokomo residents and two sisters, Mrs. HE Day, Gary and Mrs. CA Colbert, Indianapolis. McCrary had been working on an oil company with headquarters in Port Arthur, Texas. He formerly was employed at the Haynes Automobile factory here and his Sister said Thursday that he resided in the city for a period of about 18 months about 15 years ago. It is thought the body will be removed to Kingman either Friday or Saturday. Funeral services will be held there and burial will follow in the family lot at the Kingman cemetery. Local residents’ probably remember McCrary more because of the fact he was a member of the crew of the British freighter Volunteer, which figured in the international news on March 27, 1937. McCrary was serving in the capacity of a mechanic when the boat was reported in a sinking condition at a point approximately 550 miles southeast from Yokohama, Japan. McCrary had sailed on the freighter from NO, La to Kobe, Japan about 50 days before the ship had to send out its SOS while in the Pacific Ocean. A day later, however, news wire dispatches revealed that repairs had been made on the crippled vessel and it was resuming its course under its own power to its destination. Since McCrary was one of the mechanics on the boat is is assumed that he assisted in fixing the pumps and saving the ship and crew from shipwreck. Returning to the states, McCrary became connected with an oil company at Port Arthur, Texas. The Kokomo relatives said Thursday that they did not know his connection with the company but stated that they knew that he had been affiliated with the oil concern before entering the hospital.