The morning call., 1894-05-11

spector Talbot quieted down the incpisnl
row and Ryfkogel put the question
'What opportunity had the third officer OF
knowing where Coopers Point was? You
told him to call you at that point?"
''He had called me at Coopers Point be-
fore"
swer to the question.
well. he received my orders and an-
swered, All right. SIR and that's all the
opportunity know Of"
Ryfkogel-What opportunity had / OF
moving there was any foul ground on the
J Sur?
| "As licensed officer supposed be did
| know. l suppose he consulted the chart"
Inspector Talbot-No, sir; hardly that.
Have you ever Informed him?
mo; never did. SIR"
Inspector Talb0t-Did he ever pass that
| point in the day?
No. sir; we always passed at night"
Talb0t-What was the first change you
were going to make from that course?
ITO nOrth-northwest. We were going
nine miles and half speed by log from
Blancas, where l took my departure"
This ended Captain Leland's testimony,
| and then he sat down and listened
anxiously to the testimony of his third
officer. Ryfkogel. who was called to the
stand He said:
II came on deck about 6:15. We were
steering northwest quarter north by pilot
house COMPASS. We made the Sur light
about 6:45. bearing northwest by north.
distance about twenty or twenty-one
miles.
AZ 1880 the captain was on deck and in
structed me TO keep a sharp lookout and
TO call him If l should see anything un-
usual, which always was his custom to do.
de also ordered me to call him when Coop
ers Point was abeam. He stated that he
was very tired. had been up ever since
early morning and wanted to take little
rest. We lay on this course until $40
P. M. A breeze had sprung up about s
o'clock from the southwest. which was
freshening. The light on Point Sur was
still visible, but through haze, and the
land just barely visible, sometimes it be-
ing more hazy than at Others the night
being very dark. To be sure to make my
course good on account of the southwest
wind, anticipating a little leeway, hauled
the vessel up quarter of point, steer
ing north west to make my course good.
One Of the passengers asked me at this
time how far were we off the land, and l
told him about four miles.
Before l changed the course ran aft
to look at the log. This must have been at
S:15 O'Clock; the log indicated then nine
teen miles from Twin Peaks ard six miles
from Point Sur. Continued on this course
until AS P. NJ, keeping sharp lookout
for the point, which in my mind was
COopers Point. Being nearly abreast of
it. went into the pilot-house to call the
captain. l looked at the compass, took
bearing of the light north by west half
west by compass, and then the vessel
struck. 1t was just before the vessel
struck that l took the bearing by compass
of the light"
What reply did you make to the cap
tain when he told you to call him at
Coopers Point?" asked Inspector Talbot.
Il to him. 1 will. sir; those are the
words l used"
IF you didn't know where Coopers
Point was. why did you make such an
answer?"
81 thonght did. The location of that
point was established in my mind. 1 had
called him the trip before last at the
same place. l only called him once off
that point before. had been on the Los
Angeles since October IL. had passed
the point under similar circumstances
nine times. That was the tenth time"
"How did the light bear when you
saw it?"
"The first time saw 1t it was bearing.
at 7:45 P. NJ, three-auarters OF point off
the starboard bow; when the captain
went below it was bearing two points off
the starboard bow. but, noting that it was
not keeping there. changed it a quarter
of point. The light could at no time be
seen off the port bow"
'Wby did you change the course?" was
asked.
''At about o'clock it began to breeze
up and wanted to make my course"
''Are you in the habit of changing courses
without calling the captains"
Under circumstances of that kind, yes,
sir; that is customary" replied Ryfk0gel
unhesitatingly.
'If you were afraid the wind was set
ting the ship ashore was it not your duty
to call the capita in ?"
mo, don't think so. II ] thought the
ship was setting in ashore / should call
him."
"But your action showed you did
think So"
81 didn't think so," retorted the witness.
Il did it as a precaution simply. 1 would
rather have the captain growl at me for
being too far off shore than for being too
near"
Inspector Phillips asked a few uues-
tiOns here, and the answers developed a
strange state OF affairs "What means"
he asked, ''djd you take to acquaint your
self with the coast on the chartf"
"The chief officer" responded the wit
ness. ''of the ship had chart running
from San Francisco to San Diego. The
first two months / asked him to lend me
the chart and he let me have it. l had it
for over a month to post me up in the
coast. l had to be satisfied with general
chart because l was told there was no sheet
chart. There was no sailing direc tions of
the coast on board the ship. l know of
The Coas: Pilot but it costs 81 and l
cannot afford to buy it, l am only getting
$50 month and have a family TO sup
= D-.-