The herald., 1894-04-24

anv boat coming from any direction, and
ae our strength had been exhausted in
hanging on to the rigging, had about
concluded that our doom was sealed.
FINALLY the boats had landed their
passengers st Point Sur. and one OF them
returned with Captain Maginnis IN
charge, We then rescued Second Officer
Ward and went ashore. The second
officer and two OF the passengers were
unconscious. One died without recov-
ering consciousness."
In reply to Juror Luce. Captain Le-
land stated that Third Oticsr Ryfkogel
had been with him for six months, and
he reposed the greatest confidence in
him.
Juror Ingram wished to know what
excuse Ryfkogel had to answer for the
disaster, and Captain Leland said kyf-
kosel told him be thought that Cooper's
point had not yet been reached. The
captain stated that the third officer had
been on duty many times in the same
stretch OF country.
Juror Doud asked: "Was it not his
negligence that lost that vessel?"
Leland replied: mot exactly. Al
though, had he obeyed my orders and
called me SO that could have been on
deck l would have steered different.
But then there may have been currents
we never had encountered before. The
third officer sailed on the course laid
out for him by me. Had been on deck
might have done different. We gen
orally pass about hall to mile from
Point Sur. For some cRuse or another
we had evidently drifted in shore on
this occasion. The man at the wheel
out was my son Leland. Had nay ordere
been obeyed no accident would have
occurred. But they wore disregarded
and here we Are."
Captain Leland stated in reply to
queries from several members OF the
Jury that the light ut Point Sur could
be seen plainly that evening; that the
reef which sunk the Los Angeles is
about two miles from shore, and that it
ie shown on the charts OF the coast.
The third officer, Roger Ryfkogel was
called. He attributed the disaster TO a
strong current which carried the vessel
in shore, and testified that the weather
at the time the steamer struck was so
very hszy that Point Sur light was
barely visible.
Ryikogel was all but overcome with
emotion when he said in answer lu a
sharp question from one of the jurors:
Il obeyed my orders to the best of
my ability. l was just about to
20 and call the captain when
the chip struck the rocks. l thought
we had not yet made Cooper's
point. l did not know there was sny
danger to be apprehended there. Had
] known Gnytbing about that rock moth
ing would have happened. The course
was changed by me on my own account.
1 admit ought to shsve called the cap
tain before doing so, bat in my best
Judgment changed the course to make
sure of everything. l did my part in
saving as many lives as possibly could,
and then saved myself by swimming to
catch a boat that was already loaded |
with people,"
Charles Gray, first officer of the Los
Angeles, testified that the wreck could |
be attrib only to criminal negl-
gence or gross ignorance on the part of
the third officer in charge ut the time.
No officer, he said, could change the
course of ship without first consulting
the captain. He said the ship was fully
q mile off her regular course at the time
Of the wreck. The witness also inti-
mated that Rylkogel came very near
running the Los Angeles ashore near
Ventura two or three -ssaoNthe 'Ass, ,-aE.d
that he was then reported to Captain
Leland.
Captain Leland was recalled and asked |
whether he thought the man at the
wheel could have plainly seen Coopsr's
point on the night OF the accident. He
replied:
''Yes. air; he certainly could have
seen it if he bad wanted to or had been
attending to his business"
Several of the passengers were ex-
amined and the matter vas then left
with the jury.