Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-29

VALENCIA WRECK
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
COMMENCES INQUIRY
Marine Inspectors Begin Taking Tes-
timony Of survivors-captain
johnson compIimented
by Witness
BY Assoelated Press.

BY Associated Press.
SEATTLE, Jan. 2S.-Investigation OF
the Valencia disaster has commenced
by the United States government. Sat.
urday afternoon Marine Inspector Tur-
ner and Inspector Whitney began their
hearing, two witnesses, First Assistant
Engineer r. Il. Carrick and Boatswain
Tim J. Mccarthy, being examined. on
account of previous engagements the
inspectors were obliged to postpone the
hearing until Monday morning
Carrick, the first witness called, said
he was in the engine room when the
vessel struck the rocks. He declared
that nothing went wrong in the en-
gine room while he remained there and
ii was not until the second shock that
the water began to pour into the fire
room.
"I think 1t was about ten minutes
until we were driven from the fire
room to the main deck" he said. "I
managed to prevent an explosion"
Carrick said that heavy weather did
not set in until early in the morning.
The witness said that Capt. Johnson
was very cool throughout and when
the vessel first struck remained on the
bridge supervising affairs.
Carrick was in charge of boat No.
z, the second one launched. Five MEM
bers of the crew, two passengers and
himself were in it.
1.-THE boat was filed before 1t was
lowered" he said "and some one evil
IDENTIFY cut the tackle away and this
precipitated us into the water. l think
1 was the only one aboard the boat
who was saved. We were in the dark
and 1 managed to grasp line and was
drawn back onto the ship
The question was asked: did the
falls and tackle work all right"
"Yes, they did," was the answer.
did you consider the lifeboats fully
equipped and in first class condition."
asked one Of the inspectors.
Yes, in first class condition. All Of
the passengers had life preservers on
and the officers went among them and
personally inspected the belts. Those
who were wearing the tule belts were
requested to discard them for cork
ones and the officers adjusted every
belt. The passengers were sent to the
upper deck.
1.-THE first ship that hove in sight"
continued Carrick, was the Queen. The
weather was nice until that time. but
the wind shifted and a choppy sea set
in. The Queen stood off about mile
a half saw two boats swinging from
the davits as if they were in readiness
to be lowered.
Nothing was in sight during the first
day. An attempt was made to get
ashore, but the effort failed.
I'VE shot a line ashore and it
dangled all day. The second assistant
engineer then tried to swim but failed.
"It was about o'clock or shortly
after when the raft with nine men
on board was picked up.
1.-THE other raft was launched about
20 minutes before we left. There were
ten persons aboard it,"
The question was asked why more
passengers and less of the crew did not
board the raft. did the sailors at
tempt to crowd the passengers OFF,"
was asked
NO" was the answer of the witness.
"The passengers would not leave the
ship"
The witness said the first raft cleared
the ships side in safety and had little
trouble in getting out into the open sea.
1.-THE raft we left on" said he, was
the last thing aboard the ship for any
one to get on. The Valencia was broken
up and the two parts of her were ten
to twelve feet apart, the stern working
toward the shore. The foremast was
standing, but there was no one in the
rigging. The only persons washed over
board that / saw were a woman and
her child.
1.-The seas were very heavy and
knocked us down unless we had some
thing to hold to. There was only about
fifteen feet of the hurricane deck left
for us to stand on and I should Judge
that there were so to rs persons on this.