The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-16
The Lessons Of the Valencia.

Two facts are emphasized in the re-
port Of the special commission that, at
the order of the President, investigated
the wreck Of the Pacific Coast company's
steamship Valencia on the southwest
coast Of Vancouver Island at midnight
of January %. The first is that Captain
OSCAR NJ. JOHNSON, by reckless and
u~nscientifc navigation, was responsible
for the loss of the ship. The second is
that the primary and greatest cause of
the loss Of life"-out of the ships COM
pany of l73 persons l36 were lost-was
"the defective state of the aids to naviga-
ton and preservation of life in the shape
Of lighthouses, fog signals, lifesavlng
equipment and means of communication
in the vicinity of the wreck"
The evidence against Captain JOHN
son, as brought out at the public hear
ings held by the commission, was con-
elusive. He was a brave man, sober and
industrious, but he failed to take the
precautions that would have suggested
themselves to a careful master, and he
did not avail himself of the means he
had at hand for learning his position.
OF the fatal faults in his bad navigation
the commission says:
" II seems very clear from the evidence, as well
as from the experience OF expert masters, that
C.pts,n JOHNSON was navigating the vessel in an
unsclentlNc and crude fashion, not avalling him
self OF accurate means OF Information, but depend
Ing apparently more on his general belief that the
$1,000, ,.,,,I1 .rd,, =, the mouth NJ tho straits AT
a certain time. based probably on his previous
experience on this run. This harhazard method
OF navigation seems almost Incredible upon a mod
ern passenger vessel. but It certainly took place
In this case. and tho commission has reason to
believe that other masters are occasionally guilty
OF simlrsr methods-in navigating. as one master
testified. by horse sense which is not a salts
factory substitute for accurate Information when
human lives are concerned"
After the vessel struck, some serious
blunders were made by the men sent to
errelief, but the efforts at rescue were on
the whole intelligent and satisfactory
and the commission the physical
conditions of the coast andthe lack of aids
to navigation to explain the long death
list. While the Valencia was cropping in
mist and fog for the Cape Flattery light
the weather at the light itself was clear
and the fog signals were not sounding
This is the most important light that lay
on the vessels course; yet, the commits.
sion says, 1T is not placed in the zone
where, by reason of the fog and the thick
weather, the greatest danger lies" The
United States life saving station neares
the scene of the wreck is on the south side
of Grays Harbor, ITO miles away. Tele'
graphic communication between Cape
Flattery and Neahbay, where the ocean
going tugs lie, is over wires strung or
trees. These wires are frequently down
and communication was interrupted
when the Valencia struck. The com
mission says:
IN order to satisfy the Just desire OF the publI
in regard TO all details OF this disaster the commits
sion has. as above Indicated stated its belief as 1
ANY points where lack OF human effort or errors II
Judgment on tho part OF private individuals con
tributed to loss OF life; but when all that Is posSlhl
has been said In this direction II must be franEl
admitted that by far the greater part OF the re
snons,billty for such loss Of HE lies upon the tunda
mental natural conditions Inherent In this locality
and that the extent OF this disaster WAS in lHrg
measure due 10 the permanent and unavoldabl
ncrls Of the sea. that tho question is by far NOR
one Of navigation and tho safeguarding Of the coas
and the waterways than OF anything else. and tina
the only source from which any substantial cor
rse,lon of such evils can come is the Fedora
Government"
This substantial correction must b
made by providing more and bette
lights, fog signals of high power, al
adequate and well protected wireless
telegraph system, q sufficient life savIn
service, and by a scientific and compre
, hensive study of the currents along tn
? coast. In all these matters the Govern
: ment has been neglectful and derelic'
, For sixty years there has been at e on
: shipwreck a year in the vicinity OF Cap
Fattery, causing tho loss OF from 81
. to 700 lives and the destruction OF PROF
erty worth many millions OF doliar'
The commission says:
II such q terrible disaster must occur II mu