Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-02
TELL DETAILS Of
VALENCIA WRECK
INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE
HEARS WITNESSES
Mr.. Bunker, Seattle School superln-
tendent, Replies to Charges
That He Did Not Help
Weaker Ones
BY Associa ted Press.

stern toward the shore.
"How close to the wreck did you
get?"
About half a mile. We had eight
fathoms of water. We thought that too
close for a heavy sea and we got out.
with the aid of glasses we could
see the passengers lashed to the rig
ging on the hurricane deck of the Va
lencia. Captain Cousins communicated
with Captain Langley, Captain Irving,
Captain Cox and myself as to the ad-
visibility of lowering a boat. We de-
cided we could not get a boat away,
| 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 house of the Valencia
were gone, but the foremast main
mast and after deck house were still
| there"
How long did the Queen remain off
the scene of the wreck?"
| Until about 1890 o'clock
Were there any boats lowered at
alp
Yes, we tried to put boat over the
side"
why did not the Queen stay
longer?"
From my own knowledge 1 do not
know, but l am given to the belief
that some one issued orders for her to
return
Had the City of Topeka arrived at
this timer
YES"
where was the tug Carp
AT Carmanah."
IF you had been in command of the
Queen could you have done any more ?"
NO"
Captain Bereher stated that when the
wreck was discovered he cried out:
MY God, If she's on Sea Birds rocks
there is no saving her"
Captain Langley Testifies-
| Captain Wallace Langley was the
next witness called
| He testified that he had twenty-five
or twenty-six years experience on the
sea, both onNthe Atlantic and Pacific.
could anything have been done by
the captain of the Queen to save the
Valencia's passengers?"
"The wind was blowing too hard
The boats could have got in, but don't
think they would have got out. again.
A raft might have accomplished it,"
Gould anything have been accom-
plished with a small boat?"
Yes a tug could have got in there
for a tug can be handled better"
do you think the Queen went in as
close as was safe?"
mo; but we had reason for not
doing So"
what was your reason?"
1--WE wished to assist them in the best
way possible and there were tugs there
and we thought they would go in. They
did not go close enough to ascertain
whether there was any life on her, for
they told us they saw no one. 1 think a
regular surf boat could have rendered
valuable assistance"
Samuel Hancock. chief cook of the
" Ta1~ IIo.I al L.
was in bed when the ship struck II
went on deck after she went on" he
said, land I heard the captain order
the life boats swung out. There were
nc orders given to lower them to the
water"
Frank f. Bunker assistant superin-
tendent of the Seattle schools, was the
next witness. He said he was in his
stateroom when the Valencia struck.
He said he felt three distinct shocks
did you know that when you left
the ship she was hard and fast on the
rocks %
mo, / thought she was sinking"
Did anybody else think the same
thing?"
II asked several passengers what was
the matter. They told me the ship had
struck but would be able to back of"
Mr.. Bunker's Story
Mr.. Bunker then described the Incl
dents following the striking of the ves-
sci and the attempts to save the pas
sengers substantially as in his news
paper interviews.
In answer to questions by the in
spectors Mr.. Bunker said
II base my conclusions as to the lack
Of discipline on the ship from the fact
that there seemed to be much con-
in ci xUI1n "a
boats were being lowered. The boats
were not properly lowered and were not
handled as if the men in charge of them
We're used to doing that sort of thing.
There were no sailors or officers sent
out with the passengers in the life
boats and we We're left to shift for
ourselves"
After the party of nine survivors left
the beach and struck inland, Mr..
Bunker said, they encountered snow
The witness declared that his idea in
striking inland was to get assistance
and 10 reach place of safety owing
to their demoralized condition.
II expected said the witness, that
we would soon encounter houses, as /
believed we were south of Cape Flat
terry on the Washington shore and
farmers resided near"
Bunker declared that the men in the
party were in a pitiable condition Two
of them were without shoes. one man
was suffering great pain from
sprained ankle. fourth had an in
jured hand was otherwise injured.
The witness said 1t was with great
difficulty they succeeded i'm reaching
The telegraph hut and that for a time
he had grave doubts of being able to
get all of the men there.
Bunker is a robust man and said that
physically he was in the best condi-
tion OF any Of the nine men when they
reached the hut.
TT would have been physical inn
possibility for me to return to the
wreck that night" said the witness,
"and the heavy rain that night SO
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