The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-09
Charges by the San Juan's
Passengers Almost Pass
Belief.
ArF1DAv1Ts TELL THE STORY.
1t All Seems Incredible and Vet the
Proof Is Absolute-The Sur
geon's Side.

received at the hands of the ship company.
The charge is made that the food served
was unit to eat, and that for several days
they were obliged to subsist on corned
beef IN partial state of decomposition.
Dozens OF them bear witness to this state
ment.
DR.. Robertson comes in for good deal
of censure for what the passengers assert
was gross neglect of two sick men-one a
survivor of the Colima and the other a
passenger on the San Juan from San Jose
de Guatemala bound for San Francisco
This man was Thompson, who died soon
after the arrival of the San Juan at this
port.
Gustave Rowan was the other man who
| claims that he was neglected by DR..
Robertson. In confederation of his claim
he has the statements of several passengers
and the affidavit of one-Louis Roetticher
who took care of him on the way up.
DR.. Robertson calls Rowan "crazy
fiddler and says that he was well treated.
Replying to Rowan's statement, pub
lished in the CALL of Saturday, Dr. Robert
son said yesterday:
"In regard to the treatment that Rowan
received after coming aboard the San Juan,
it could not have been better had he been
cabin passenger. just after his rescue he
was brought on board by means of rope,
which was fastened around his body, and I
met him at the gangway with a bottle of
brandy. Immediately offered him drink
of this, which he refused to take, saying
that he had never taken drink in his life,
and didn't propose to start at that time. |
insisted upon it, and he finally drank it.
After that we removed him to the mems
Storage, as the women's steerage was
already completely filed with the rescued.
81 had competent man cut his hair
from his scalp over the location of the
wound on his head, and told him l would
return in few minutes to attend to his
injuries. After sewing up the wounds of
three or four patients l returned to Mr..
Rowan and asked him to sit up. He
placed himself on a bench in the Storage,
which had been used for other patients,
and | made a thorough examination of
his injuries. 1 then stated that he would
have to have this scalp wound attended to.
He asked me if there would be any pain
connected with it. 1 told him that I
thought if he took good drink of brandy
he would suffer no pain worth speaking of.
He answered that if there were any pain
at all of he would not have the opera
ton performed.
81 told him that my time was limited
attend to-not only the shipwrecked men,
but our own passengers and crew, and
that he would have to make up his mind
right away.
''He absolutely refused to have the
operation performed, after lad used every
would be derived from it. then left hin,
and possibly few hours afterward returned
to see if he had changed his mind. He
again refused, and l gave it up.
"ln regard to his asking for milk, can
only say that we carry no milk on board,
and that never made the remark that we
had no milk Tor Storage passengers. The
statement that cabin passengers got milk
is utterly untrue.
"Three or four days after the rescue Mr..
Rowan requested to be fed from the cabin.
l stated to him that other steerage pas
sengers were taking steerage fare, and that
didn't see why he should expect more
than his comrades. He certainly received
every consideration in the world and all
the treatment that | could give him.
1.-The charge that was intoxicated dur
ing any part of the trip is utterly false, and
my statement can be verified, not only by
the officers, but by all of the passengers on
board.
Gustave Rowan, who is one of the sur
vivors of the Colima, went before notary
public yesterday and made an affidavit, as
follows:
GustaVe Rowan being duly sworn deposes
and says:
On the afternoon of May % was picked up
off the Mexican coast by boat from the Pacific
Mail steamer San Juan and taken on board
that vessel. had been twenty-nine hours on
piece OF wreckage from the Colima and was
nearly dead My ribs were injured had q
big cash on top of my head and was bleeding
from many wounds on my body.
was put down in the steerage instead of
the hospital. was so weak that / could not
take q single SteD to life sit
up. After four hours DR.. Robertson came to
see me; ne looked at my head, which was
covered with clotted blood, but did not look at
my other wounds. He went away and sent a
sailor to stitch up my scalp. This man had a
rusty needle SO would not let him operate
on me. The doctor did not offer to do anything
Tor me after this, though / told him that I
needed food that would give me strength, and
bandages for my bruised body.
The next day was worse and they put me in
the hospital, but the doctor did nothing to
make me better. was burned up inside from
, Inc sea h water and begged him for glass OF
milk and gave much to first-class passengers,
VINO were not picked up from the Colima
ana VINO dld not need it. Twas injured inter
doctor to do something for me- but he refused
to make any examination or to take any notice
OF my conai1on. Others were treated in the
not my business. l have only to look out for
myself know that 1 was treated in brutal
way ana that l shall be many months in get
DR.. Robertson was drunk when he came to
see me frst and the man he sent to stitch up
my mead was also drunk. The food that was
given the steerage passengers was rotten. The
meat was not MT to eat, but was allowed only
Storage fare during my illness.
GUsTAvE ROWAN.
subscribed and sworn to before me this 9Th
day OF June, A. D. 1895.
JAMES M. ELLIS, Notary Public,
In ana LOT the City and County of San Fran
cisco, State OF California.
Louis Roetticher made an affidavit in
which there are charges which for cruelty
and lnhuman conduct almost pass be-
lief. He swears to the facts in Rowan's
affidavit, and although his language is
couched in cold legal style it carries
sting. The deposition is as follows:
and says:
was passenger on the San Juan during
her last trip up the coast from Panama, having
taken passage at the latter port for San Fran
cisco Twas one of the volunteers who manned
were all standing on deck when a man was
seen noaung on piece of drift wood off the
Starpoard DOW. Captain Pitts was on the
prloge. man named Long called for yolun-
teers 10 man rescue boat, and with three
others responded. We rowed out and took
Rowan on the wreckage. He was stiff and APP
pareQtly dead a ftad \ into no boat