The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-14
Four Affdavits Containing the
Captains Record Of
Action.
COULD HAVE SAVED THE SHIP.
Even Now the Grounded Vessel Is in
No Immediate Danger of
Going to Pieces.

PORT TOWNSEND, WASH, Jan. 49,
Since the publication of the story about
the alleged drunkenness of Captain
Thompson of the ilI-fated Janet Cowan.
nearly every member of the crew has come
forward to verify it. Four of them-Peter-
son (the carpenter) and Seamen Heath,
Lowry and Olsen-have filed affidavits
with the British Consul charging that
Thompson was drunk and incapable of
handling the vessel.
Another one, Septimus Cosens, boy 16
years old and the son Of John Cosens, a
wholesale liquor merchant of South
Shields, Eng, who claims to have been in
position to know the amount of liquor
used by Captain Thompson on the voy-
age, says the latter was drinking almost
continually.
Cosens claims that when about seven
weeks out from Cape Town the captain
was not seen for period of fifteen days,
being too drunk to go on deck. On the
voyage to Cape Town SO much liquor had
been used that the captain was obliged to
replenish his stock there. Cosens is cor
roborated by Carpenter Peterson and John
Moran and James Heath, able seamen.
Peterson, who went on a previous voy-
age with Captain Thompson, tells of the
latters general demeanor toward under
officers on every occasion. He saws he
was gruff and crusty, never asking or TAX
ing advice of any one, and spending most
of his time in the cabin drinking brandy
When about eleven weeks from Cape
Town the captain was not seen for twenty
four hours. This was during one of the
r1arin1c Of r. a
gale came on, the ship being struck by a
cyclone that carried away the foresail un-
der circumstances which rendered life
hazardous
The captain knew nothing of this unit
the second day, and refused to listen to,
explanations about the loss OF sail. claim
ing it was due to the negligence of the
officers. Some of the crew criticized Cap
tain Thompson and Second Mate Howell.
both now dead, for their hurried desertion
of the ship on the night of the disaster.
This is more important than might ap-
pear at first thought, because later
developments prove that if the crew had
remained with the vessel they would
have been all right even to the present
time, for she has not gone to pieces and
would have saved them all from the ex-
posure that caused the death of four men
in the snow on shore, as we'll as the drown
ing of three in a manner, the particulars
OF which may never be fully known.
1t seems that when the vessel struck the
rocks she was going at six knots an hour.
and the men were thrown off their feet, so
violent was the shock. There was con-
sternatjon on board, and in the midst of it
Captain Thompson, who had been below,
rushed upon the deck and shouted. "Man
the boats!"
The seamen say that q more capable or
sober man would have quelled the excite
ment, but instead of that Captain Thomp-
sons words filled all with terror, and they
seemed crazed with desire to make the
shore. Had they taken their chances on
board until daylight they would have
found it unnecessary to leave the vessel at
all and no lives would have been lost.
Captain Thompson's home was IN Sea-
combe, near Birkenhead, England, where
he leaves widow and one child.
The matter of the wreck will be fully in
vestigated by Consul Klocker here, and the
result sent to the ship-owners. Chamber
lain, who swan ashore with the lifeline.
is one of those left behind and is expected
here tomorrow morning on the tug Pr
oneer.
This is the second wreck Able Seaman
Heath has experienced in the past eight
months. He was in the Norwegian bark
Cleaner when she went on TO st. Laurs
rocks. on the west coast of Africa, on July
8, 1895. Two months later he joined the
Cowan.