The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-07-31
INVESTIGATION
IS CONTINUED
Testimony Demonstrated Clearly
Vessels Maintain Full
Speed in Fog.
SIGNAL SEEMED FAR AWAY
Master of San Pedro Explains His
Refusal to Assist Shipwrecked
Persons.
SIGNAL SEEMED FAR AWAY
fBy the Associated Press. }

fBy the Associated Press.)
SAN FRANCISCO, July 3O.-The
testimony of the officers of the steam
schooner San Pedro, before Captain
John Birmingham today, demon
strated clearly that the habit OF coast
skippers, said to be practically uni
yersal. of running their vessels at
full speed regardless of the fog, was
mainly responsible for the wreck OF
the Columbia and its terrible conse-
ouences. Chief Mate B. Hendrick-
son. who was in charge of the San
Pedro at the time of the collision,
testified that when he first heard the
fog signals of the Columbia, he did
not slow down, and that when the
messenger vessel lOomed out of the
fog it was too late to do anything
hut try to make the collision as light
as possible. He appears to have act
ed with despatch and good judgment,
when he sighted the Columbia, but
at that time, according to his testl-
mony. the ships were not more than
bOat's length apart and not much
was possible. There was not time 10
on to starboard. He therefore blew
the danger signal, four short blasts,
ordered the engine stopped ana
threw the helm hard aport. He did
not order the engines reversed, ne
explained, because he hoped to throw
the San Pedro around so as to strike
only a glancing blow and in order to
do this il was necessary to keep suf-
ficient headway. The San Pedro had
been making about eight knots, ana
was probably making nve wneh she
struck the Columbia. the mate saiu
in answer to question, that wneh
the fog signals were heard close py,
II was the custom to slow down, Du!
that the Columbia's signals seemed
far away.
The question of passing signals
seemed very uncertain in the cnei
mates mind. Close cross-examina-
tion by Attorney George A. knighi
brought out one thing clearly, that
the mate did not know whether the
last signal he blew preceding the
Columbia's starboard passing signal
was a fog signal or single blast to
go to port. :,
Captain Birmingham was most IN.
terested in the mates explanation oi
his failure to slow down when ne
first heard the Columbia.
why did you not slow down when
YOU heard the fog signal?" he asked
over and over again, and the answer
each time was, because she seemed
so far away"
The witness testified that he mad
been a seaman on the coast for "a
wears and that he held master
license for two years.
The testimony of Captain Hanson
and Second Mate Shaube corroDorat'
ed that of the chief mate as to the
direction from which the Columbia
fret whistles sounded, but as the!
were below at the time they couio
throw little light on the subject ieao
ing up to the collision.
CAPTAIN Hanson told in detal
everything that transpired after ne
reached the deck of the San Pedro
and while the Columbia was sinking
He was asleep in his cabin when the
catastrophe occurred, and reused d!
the shock, hurried to the deck. Thert
he found the Columbia wallowing tt
her last plunge and the San Pedro
so badly crippled that she was KEEP
af1oat only by the load of lumber she
carried.
Captain Hanson said:
1--WE launched our deck load IL
about two and half hours after thu
collision. The lashings were not GU
until the San Pedro had a starpoar'
list of about As degrees, when tn'
top of the upper house touched th'
water.
1.-The main mast was carried ava!
on a level with the top OF the smoK'
stack. The pressure of the deck loaf
on the rigging caused the mast TO g
overheard.
1.-The San Pedro took about al
hour and a quarter to fill. AT ina
time the main deck was under abou
foot of water, which reached tn
ton of the main deck house ant
swept the rooms. a..
Zone of the life boats from tn
Columbia, containing about nine peo
ple neared us. There was an once
lin the stern, his hat and coat on, wh'
asked that we take his passenger
aboard. refused. There have beel
statements in the press that l coul'
have saved more people II l had tax
on these aboard. The boat coul'
easily have contained 25 but ther
were only nine in it. At the sam
time there were several of the Col
umbia's boats near containing onl
a few people. Among other thing
the officers in the first boat asked m
first mate the way to Shelter Cove
He spoke very peculiarly, but l wa
going to send my first mate with hir
when we sighted north-boun
steamer about two or three mile
away and the first mate tried =
chase her in the boat, but he coui
not attract her attention.
II believe the boat was the Wa'
son. / do not understand why sh
did not sight us as she showed II
very plainly to us. -,
The skipper defended himsel
vigorously against the charge
brought against him by Third ONCE
Hawse of the Columbia and declare
that he had done everything In n
power to rescue the victims OF tn
wreck. lie took aboard all that n
nv,A NIL