The San Francisco call., 1896-04-18

Second Officer Henry Matson of the We're
jean was sworn, and stated that his YES
sci was about half mile from the Blair
more. He thought she was cranky and in
dangerous position for ship with such
little ballast.
sfWere YOU alarmed about herr" asked
Vice Consul Moore.
Eyes. did not care for the looks of the
ship during the time she came to lay out
there"
By his peculiar phraseology he probably
meant to say that he was alarmed about
the vessel all the time she was at anchor
there.
II watched the ship all the time she was
there at anchor and noticed that with the
least wind she went over"
"If your ship had acted in the way she
did," asked Mr.. Moore" would you have
been afraid of herr"
"I would. do not consider the weather
of April severe enough to have capsized
a vessel properly ballasted. If had been
in command of the Blairmore I would not
have allowed the men to work in the hold
that morning, considering the weather
and her crankin ess."
''Did you notice the Blairmore that
morning?"
eyes sir. watched her from o'clock
till the time she went down that m morning,
and 1 thought 1 would not care to be
aboard of her."
Did you expect her to capsize from the
way she acted?"
''Yes did. She did not lie in any more
exposed place in the bay than any other
ship"
GLOW did your ship beh ave that morn
ing?"
"Stiff. No danger whatever. She was
about half a mile from the Blairmore. A
vessel properly stiffened would not have
been in any danger"
First Mate d. J. Browne of the British
ship Yeoman swore that from the deck OF
his vessel he noticed the Blairmore lean
ing over pretty well. He did not then
think she would capsize, but stated that if
his vessel would careen that far he would
not have been satisfied.
"Under the circumstances that she did
capsize," said he, 81 consider that the
weather that morning was such that any
vessel, even If properly suiffened, may be
in danger. The squalls were heavy and
sudden and the floodtide making. l no.
ticed the Blairmore's chain slack before
the squall came, and when the wind struck
her she backed on her chain and it tight
ened. Then she heaved more around
broadside on to the tide and the wind
seemed to strike her either right ahead or
on the port bow. She careened, and
think something must have have shifted,
for she hung little and then went over.
I could not Judge accurately of her dam
gerous condition, not being aboard of her,
but she rolled too much and was too ten
der. The Blairmore was about three ships
lengths from us"
First Mate Gordon Wilkinson of the
Ellesand stated on the witness-stand that
the Blairmore was about quarter of a
mile away. He noticed that she seemed
to be little tender and lay over more
than his own ship in the squalls. He was
watching the other ship all the while, he
said. When she went over she hung a
little, as though she were trying to re-
cover; then she suddenly went over as
though something had shifted
''lf | had been in command of her," he
said, II would have allowed the men to
work in the hold at that time"
Rev. James Fell of the Seamen's Insti-
tute testified that the mate and the bows
had spoken to him about the condition of
the ship. The former had said that he
did not think the ship was very safe. az
she heeled over in way that made it un-
pleasant to be in her. On another occa-
sion MIR. Fell had sat with four of the ap-
prentices in one OF their boats and they
said during conversation that they had
got out of bed that morning, fearing
the ship would capsize. He had men.
toned these reports to Mr.. Foreman and
Mr Of RoI Gnf 2y ~
Sunday before the accident.
"Do you consider it judicious, asked
Vice-Consul Moore, Ito spread any such
reports around unless you could vouch for
the truth of the same from your own ex-
perienceY
~ never gave the matter thought"
Here Captain Caw slowed around on to the
Mate Mcdonald the ship was cranky be-
fore or after the disaster.
~ talked TO him in the hospital after the
accident, telling him / heard that the ship
was in that condition." answered the wit
ness.
sWhen were the boys speaking to you
about the stability of my ship?"
II think about ten or twelve days be-
fore April g."
"Did they speak voluntarily, or did you
put the question to them so they would an
swer in the affirmative?"
81 think only answered that your ship
was heeling over good deal. On the day
of the boat race there was strong wind
and tide running, and she went over con-
siderable"
'Do you not think it was your duty,
seeing that you took so much interest in
the boys, officers and crew, to warn me of
any impending disaster2"
mo; if they thought they were in dam
ger they ought to have spoken to the cap
tain themselves. 1t was no business of
mine.n
First Mate Thomas Smith of the British
ship 1nverisk testified that he had spoken
several times to the dead mate of the
Blairmore, and that officer had often ex-
pressed himself very positively that the
vessel was safe and acted in port just as
she acted at sea in ballast, and he did not
think the ship lacked in stability.
He was not asked how they happened to
be talking of the Blairmore and her
chances. In fact, number of the seamen
witnesses gave testimony which looked as