SINKING OF VESTRIS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 51, 23 November 1928, Page 11

SINKING OF VESTRIS

THREE AMERICAN INQUIRIES QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED EVIDENCE OF CONDITION OF LINER AND BOATS At the inquiries held by the American authorities into the loss of the Vestris, evidence was adduced as to the condition of the liner and the boats. (United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Australian Press Association.) New York, November 21. When the Vestris inquiry, conducted by Mr. Tuttle, was resumed, a delinite course of action was decided upon, at the suggestion of the British naval expert, Captain Joseph McConkey, namely: (1) That a former captain of the Vestris be called. (2) That Commissioner O'Neill and two naval experts inspect the steamship Vauban, which was a sister ship of the Vestris. (3) That the three main points to be answered were: (a) To determine the actual cause of the sinking. (b) To determine the actual cause of the loss of life. (c) To determine the cause of the delay in sending out the SOS. The hearing then proceeded along these lines. Crew Refuse Orders. The first officer of the Vestris, Mr. Johnston, recalled, said that members of the crew refused some of his orders just prior to the disaster, and that some were not at /.heir posts of duty when the lifeboat order was given, but he added: “I was still able to control my men, however.” Mr. Johnston stated that he gave one officer the command to enter a lifeboat, but the officer walked away, ignoring the command. He also stated that he heard water running into the coal bunkers, but was unable to get to it because of the coal. “I reported it to the captain and he came down on Sunday morning and inspected it.” They were unable, however, to find where the water was coming from. “I got away the lifeboats 1,3, 5, and 7,” said the witness. ‘‘They were not properly filled, because there was not sufficient time.” In the meantime, at the resumed investigation before the inspection, officials of the ship, the reporters who interviewed Frederick Sorenson upon his arrival in New York, took the stand and denied that the latter had been misquoted. [Sorenson on the previous day had denied that he ever referred to Captain Carey as negligent, or said ‘‘they are murderers.” as quoted in the newspapers. He declared that he was misquoted.! Leak Through Cracked Port. After this a passenger, J. B. Duvalle, testified that the port window of his first cabin was cracked and the packing missing, allowing water to enter every time the waves slapped the Vestris. Duvalle said that he entered the last lifeboat, which was safely launched. “There was no officer or member of the crew in our boat,” he added, “which carried twenty-two persons. Four of us had to bail water all the time. I did not believe the boat had been greatly damaged by pounding against the side of the Vestris.” Hole In Boat. A first-class passenger, Edward Margin, said: “I was standing near Boat 8 and saw a large hole near the water line. A sailor tacked a piece of tin over It, but I told the officer, Mr. Johnston, that I was not going in that boat. I got into number 10 boat, which leaked all the time. The lantern was defective, and nine out of twelve flares were defective. Finally, we had to transfer twenty out of fifty-one people in the boat, because we feared it might founder. I wish to take this opportunity to state that at no time did I see evidence of cowardice on the part of the ship’s officers.” Officers of the American Shipper, which went to the rescue, namely, the chief officer, Mr. Eric Nelson, and the third officer. Mr. Conrad Oswald, both said that they believed the lifeboats were in good condition, after which Captain Cummings, of the American Shipper, testified that none of the five lifeboats his ship rescued were overcrowded. “All could have taken on other passengers,” he said. Edward Walcott, agent for the thirdclass passengers, said that boat 9, in which he was rescued, leaked badly. Before the Commerce Department’s hearing. Edward Oilman, second officer of the American Shipper. stated that the lifeboats of the Vestris were in good shape. “Only lifeboat No. 5 contained any water, and there wore only a few inches in it.” he said. Surveyor’s Examination. James Short, surveyor of hulls, for Lloyd’s, said that he examined the V estris’s cargo hold and ballast tauks on October 31, and found the vessel in very good condition. Mr. Short said that the Vestris’s second officer told him that half of the door, which figured so prominently in the investigation, was often left open to provide fresh air for the stewards and other seamen. Asked if he had got the impression that the door was occasionally left open without an officer’s permission, he replied. “I did.” Mr. Short testified that the lifeboats were in splendid shape when he made the last inspection. He stated that he believed that the boats were built with the Vestris. which would make them 16 years old. “FINEST SHIP I EVER HAD” (Rec. November 22, 7.25 p.m.) New York, November 21. Before the Commerce hearing Captain William Bramba. who was master of the Vestris while Captain Carey was on a recent vacation, testified : “It is a mystery to me. 1 wish I could unravel it. That was one of the finest ships I ever had in my life.” Mr. Davies has been supoenaed to appear before Air. Tuttle, probably on Monday, since he has been asked to

stay in bed until that day by the doctor. APPOINTMENT OF EXPERTS CHANGED ATMOSPHERE OF INQUIRY (Rec. November 22, 7.25 p.m.) New York, November 21. The appointment of marine experts in the Vestris inquiry apparently has changed tlie entire atmosphere of the investigations. Over-emphatic questioning and lack of complete familiarity witli nautical terminology on the part of questioners has previously tended to distort the perspective of the hearings. Captain McConkey’s milder manner and familiarity with terminology has elicited readier replies.

The newspaper tendency to daily interpret witnesses’s testimony and draw conclusions for headline purposes and long articles by so-called marine experts charging that shipowners are in greater part responsible for marine disasters, and expressions of opinion from all sorts of sources, us notably a resolution introduced at the American federation of Labour Convention, asking the Department of Justice for an inquiry into rumours that salvage consideration left the Vestris to her doom, have seemingly emphasised the inclination to condemn the British steamship, and attribute negligence to men who are unable to defend themselves.