The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-28
COWARDICE OF
SHIPS CAPTAIN
Many Of the Unfortunates on the Va
lencia Might Have Been Res
cued by the Queen.
MAN WENT MAD ON RAFT
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT WILL
INVESTIGATE.

I&&A@&%A&%%%G&
Victoria, Jan. 27.-An Ottawa =
= special says that the Canadian =
= government has ordered an inves- =
= tigatien into the wreck Of the :
y Valencia.
+++<+<%+++%%%<<<<<+<
San Francisco, Cal, Jan. N.-The
steamer Queen, Captain James Cou-
sins, arrived today from Puget sound
ports and the scene of the wreck OF
the Valencia. Directly conflicting sto-
ries are told by those on board re-
garding the failure of the Queen to
rescue any of the people who were
seen clinging to the rigging Or huddled
on the afterdeck of the rapidly-sinking
vessel.
Scores Queens Officers.
Chief Boatswain's Mate G. P. Jor-
gensen of the cruiser Philadelphia, who
with twenty sailors belonging to that
verely scores the officers of that YES
sci. He says:
II was standing on the forward deck
and could plainly see the men and wo-
men on the Valencia I volunteered
to man a lifeboat with my men and
attempt to rescue some of the imper-
lied ones. It was a life and death
chance, but we all were willing to take
it. The captain would not consent, and
so we had to stand by and watch the
signals of distress. After two hours,
during which no attempt was made to
launch a boat, the Queen put back to
Victoria
Chief BOatswains Mate D. S. Sulli-
van corroborated JOrgenSOn'S state
ment that the Philadelphia's men were
willing to undertake to save all the
lives possible, but they were prevented
from doing so by Captain Cousins. Sui
Ivan also charges that the officers of
the Gar and Salvor were too timid
to take the risks necessary to rescue
those on the Valencia.
Denied by the Captain.
Captain Cousins denies the state
ments of the bluejackets, saying:
It's a lie that these fellows were
ready to go out in a small boat. Not
one Of them said a word. If they had,
would not have allowed them to go
to certain death in the heavy sea that
was then running
Captain Cousins then told Of his hur-
ried departure from Victoria on hear
ing of the wreck; of his failure to
make progress against the sea, and of
shelter for the night at Cape Flattery.
The next morning the wreck was To-.
Gated by means of signals from Cara
manah lighthouse.
when we sighted the Valencia" said
the captain, gums were fired. That
probably was when the life raft was
launched. I put my ship within three
quarters of a mile of the shore, but
1t was too rough to do anything. The
channel is unsuTveyed and filled with
dangerous bOulders. I could not take
any more chances.
Six Pilots Aboard.
1.-THE tug Car and the steamer Sal
vor then arrived, went in close to
the wreck and returned, reporting that
the Valencia was submerged and that
no one was in sight. 1 had six Cana
dian pilots on board the Queen and
they all told me I had gone too near
the shore"
Captain Cousins added that the cap
tain of the Gear refused his request to
try and get a line to the Valencia.
saying that he had to seek shelter him
self. He also asserted that he did not
leave the scene until relieved by the
City Of Topeka and ordered to proceed
by the assistant manager Of the steam
ship company.