LINER SINKS.

Grey River Argus, 14 November 1928, Page 5

LINER SINKS.

IN ROUGH SEA. ( 360 Lives Believed Lost. \\ SHIFTING CARGO CAUSES HEAVY LIST. ’■ STEAMERS RACE TO RESCUE. ] (Australian & N.Z. Cable Assn). ' * NEW YORK, November 12. The Lamport Holt liner Vestris is ’ sinking 300 miles off Hampton Roads. The passengers, numbering 150 and the crew, 210, abandoned the .ship at 1.25 p.m. on Monday. The first assistance is expected at 5 p.m. The sea is rough. Among the passengers is W. W. Davies, formerly American corre pondent for the Australian Press A sociation, now representative on “Lanacion” Buenos Aires. Within a few minutes after the first distress call was received, there began a dramatic race to reach the stricken ••'hip. Seven vessels were speeding towards the spot within an hour, including the United States warship, Wyoming. The coastguard destroyer Davis was nearest to the scene, but was almost a hundred miles away at one O’clock, and with fires under forced draught could npt arrive for three hours at the earliest, and probably later. No other vesel could possibly feuch the spot before five Or indicating that the passengers and crew must occupy the ship in what the messages describe as a ‘moderately rough sea.” several hours before hope of rescue. Later advices indicate that the anese steamship Ohio Main is nearer than the destroyer Davis, and is likely to reach the vicinity by four o ’clock. It also transpires that the Vestris gradually settled over to starboard until the angle wa ? so great it was only with difficulty that the passengers mustered on deck and in cabins, wear ing life preservers, could maintain a footing. TAKING TO LIFE BOATS. VESSEL LIKELY TO SINK ANY MINUTE. NEW YORK, November 12. The wireless operator on the Vestris sent an S.O.S. shortly after ten o’clock this morning, and continued frantic appeals for help for over three hours. The last message received was at 1.35 bearing Captain Carey’s signature, and read: “We are now abandoning the ship. We are taking to the lifeboats. Further word stated that the passengers were first sent to the lifeboats, V iiilc the captain and a skeleton crew » inained aboard the vessel until all fiope was abandoned. A series of messages throughout the morning intimated that the wireless operator was holding to his post, despite the fact that towards the end the 1 vessel was likely to sink at any minute, but no word has been received as to the cause of the disastei. The vessel is bound from Buenos Aires to New York. Information received at the coastguard headquarters, indicates that the /accident to the Vestris was probably aused by the cargo shifting. Major Inouye, Japanese Consul at Buenos Xires, was among the passengers. 1 VESTRIS ABANDONED. * NEW YORK, November 12. > • ’ The last message received from the 1 Vestris was at 1.25 p.m., when the operator announced - he was joining the passengers and crew who were already in the boats. Previous messages told of tlie great danger. The ship . was lying ou its side, with the decks < awash as the passengers left. Nothing < was . said indicating the cause of the < disaster. Apparently, inere has been <• Mo collision. The theory that the i trouble is due to shifting cargo is sup- 1 ported by the fact that the week-end 1 storm would cause considerable toss- •' The abandonment of the vessel began at 12.50, and lasted, thirty-five minutes, with, seas, running high as the small boats put Out. The captain notified thd destroyer Daws that just prior to leaving, the seas were washing over the decks. Reports.iindif’ate that the conditions ( are serious. ‘Rescue steamers, arc delayed by rough water. The Weather ( Bureau reports that ft is not stormy • to-day but it is believed the waves . I are running high from the severe blow ‘ 6n, Sunday. It is feared that small btats will be scattered by the time ; the rescue steamers arrive, with ( darkness approaching, the outlook is not pleasant. A dozen steamers and ( numerous Government craft are rac- | ing to the scene. NEW YORK, November 12. There wa>> no trac'- o fthe passeng- ! ers or drew of the Vestris whCri the 1 first of several rescue ships arrived at thio point of the sinking. HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE FEARED. (Received November 13 at 5.5 p.m.) NEW YORK,, November 12. The New York headquarters has reported having revived a< radio ' advising that. • ttye . Ohio Mai n hud arrived at the position where' the steam- 1 i er Vestris sank, but . found no trace of ( k the Vestris or of ‘ survivors. The I | steamship Porto Rico reported ,to the ■ Radio Marine Corporation that it arK rived at the position where the Vos- ■ tria foundered, but could locate neither ■the hulk nor any lifeboats. ■ Soon after the Canipbrf Holt ComRiavv announced an unconfirmed messtating the Ohio Maru had re:the passengers and cyew, but this ’ was received with reserve, to the extreme difficulty of respassengers in a rough sea. was also reported that the school)Hook has foundered oast of ||M Hatteras, with the loss of eighten. ■|BLn AUSTRALIAN VICTIM. November 13 at 7.20 p.m.) NEW YORK. November 12. ~f messages- received directly e Ohio Maru and the Porto that these vessels had vainly for some time, trace of in heavy The ships haw advised w jH continue the search, but reports are now given co. to note that the passenger, Mr Davies, vessel .-ailed on Saturday. f Mr Hoover’s trip to South

America on November 19th (as cabled), Mr Davies was on the point of cancelling his Vestris passage, Hn order to accompany the President-elect as a journalist, but, due to the pressing nature of office business, it is understood tne proprietors of the ‘ 1 La n acion ' ? suggested Mr* Davies should sail forthwith. Rescue Prevented. BY BAD WEATHER. NEW YORK, November 1.3. "The fears that those in the lifeboats Lave perished in the heavy weather off th." Virginia. Capes, as they tried to make their way to sh'ore have been increased late, tonight. The weather deports indicate Tliatj rescue oats, «s--ptecially a coastguard destroyer are having trouble with the heavy seas, rain and fog in the vicinity of the disaster ,and. this made it doubtful if any effective work could be done until daylight in searching for lifeboats, It is understood that, fifteen children and twcuty-iaight women were included amofug the passengers. The steamship Collajer is the latest arrival at the scene. STILL NO TRACE. (Australian & N.Z. Cable Assn). NEW YORK, November 12. Late In-night several vessels reported that they had reached the point of the foundering of the Vestris, but were unable to find any ti ac» of wreckage or of lifeboats. The visibility was poo:-, and it was raining. 339 Missing. FEARS INCREASE. .NEW YORK, November 13., Fears for the Vesfris passengers :ud crew are increasing with continued failure of the vessels to find any survivors. The ship’s owners refuse to give up hope, believing a miitor boat which, was aboard may be towing the lifeboat ashore., unseen by the searchers. It ~is now!, reported there was a total <<f 339 passengers and crew Nearly half of them are women. It is als<)_ reported, from. Cape Charles, Virginia, that a second small boat was swamped, and eight r men lost.