The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-03
TUGS COULD HAVE
AIDED VICTIMS
Pilot of Queen Thought They
Would Rescue Valencia
Passengers.
TELLS WHY BIG VESSEL
DIDN'T GO FURTHER IN
Officers Claim Small Boats
Could Have Been of Ser
vice at Wreck.

SEATTLE. Wash. Feb. 2.-The first
witness to be called today in the Valencia
wreck inquiry was Herbert f Beecher,
a pilot OF tho Pacific Coast Steamship
company, who took the steamer Queen
at Victoria on the day she was dispatched
to aid the Valencia
Saw People in Rigging.
The weather was stormy and the sea
when we arrived the Nalencia's bow was
pointing outward with her stern set in
toward the shore We got within half
q mile OF her We had eight fathoms OF
water We thought that too close for
heavy sea and we got out. With the aid
of glasses we could see the people on the
Valencia lashed to the rigging on the hur-
ricane deck
Capt Cousins communicated with Capt
Langley, Irving. Cox and myself as to
the edvisobtlIty OF lowering a boat. We
that is with the boats we had The sea
would have smashed them before they
could get the oars out The pilot house
and forward deck-housc OF the Valencia
were gone, the forcmast, the mainmast
and afterdeck-house remaining
Tried to Lower Boat.
He said that an unsuccessful attempt
was made to lower n boat. The sea was
heavy.
=, wv We're j,, you there when the City of To,
''Ycs. l don't think the City Of Topeka
saw the wreck We told them where 1t
was"
why did not the Queen stay longer"
From my own knowledge don't know,
but | am given TO the belief that some
one issued orders for her return
Queen Could Do Nothing.
1t was his opinion that the Queen
could do nothing bat he believed that u
smaller vessel could have got In
Capt Wallace Langley fhn
witness He testified that he had twenty
hVe or twenty-slN years experience on
the sen both on the Atlantic and Pacific.
Gould anything have been done by the
captain OF the Queen to save the Va
lencia passcngers?"
Wind Blew Too Hard.
The wind was blowing too hard. The
boats could have gotten in. but ] don't
think they would have gotten out again
A raft might have accomplished IL. but a
raft can live where small boat cannot"
Gould anything have been accom-
pllshed with a small boat2"
Yes. tug could have gotten In there
for tug can be handled better" 4"
DO you think the Queen went in as
close rs was safe p
Thought Tugs Would Go.
mo, but we had n reason for not doing
so. We wished to assist them in the best
way possible and there were tugs there
and we thought they would go in"
close as possible?"
No sir, they did not go in close enough
to ascertain whether there was any life
on her, for they told us that they saw
no one
DO you think a life-boat, that is. ono
of the regular surf boats such as are
used In life-saving stations, could have
gotten out7'
Gould Have Assisted
II think one could have rendered valua-
BILE assistance"
Samuel Hancock, chief cook of the
Valencia was next called. He said he
was in bed when the ship struck.
Il went on deck after she went on" he
said, and l heard the captain order the
lfe-boats swung out There were no or
dcrs given to lower them to the water"
Frank F. Bunker, assistant superintend-
ent of the Seattle schools, who lost his
wife and two children was called to take
the stand shortly before o'clock
After the party OF nine survivors loft tho
beach and struck Inland. Mr.. Bunker said
they encountered snow
Why They Went Inland
The witness declared that his idea OF strik-
ing inland was 10 get assistance and get Into
place of sAfcty. owing TO their demoralized
condition
Il expected" said the witness that we
would coon encounter houses as / believed VIC
were south OF Cnpo Fattery, the Wash
lngton slope, and farmers rcsided near.
Three Alternatives
When wc struck the rude trail that ex-