The San Francisco call., 1908-10-23
TUG MASTER ERRED
IS MATES OPINION
Declares Wreck of Bark Star OF
Bengal Due Largely to Poor
Seamanship
Investigation in Loss of Cam
merry Ship Brings Conflicting
Reports From Officers

That judicious seamanship would
have saved the bark Star of Bengal
from destruction on the rocks of Helm
point in Alaskan waters a month ago
when 110 lives were lost, was the opin-
ion of Fred Wielke, mate of the tug
Kayak, who testified yesterday at the
hearing before United States Steam
boat Inspectors Bolles and Bulger 1t
was possible according to Wielke to
have taken another course before the
Star of Bengal was i'll a dangerous
position course. which would have
hauled the Bengal into open sea. thus
averting the disaster which followed in
few hours. That Captain Hamilton
of the tug Kayak did not use proper
Judgment at an earlier moment devel-
oped from the testimony given by
Wielke in response to questions from
Inspector Bulger.
You said you came on deck at IL
o'cloclS?" asked the inspector. And
the bark was then making leeway?"
Yes, sir
Did you call the captain and tell
him that she was making leeway?"
Yes, sir. He said he went by the
order of the other steamer
WAS there any time that the bark
could have anchored?"
There is no anchorage there
Was there any chance at II O'Clock,
when you came on deck. to have turned
around and gone back?"
THAT is more than 1 can answer
but if 1 had been commander L would
have done So
Il am asking you, in your Judgment,
could you have turned around at. l.
oclock?"
Yes, sir; 1 think we could"
would it not have been the proper
thing when you had no anchorage, and
vr,a L.
around and gone back?'
We'll, L guess so. 1t is pretty hard
for me to answer when | am only
mate"
Il am asking you if there was any
chance?"
There might have been a chance
1t was my watch, but l had my orders
to go by"
1t was during rigid examination
that Wielke brought to light many i'm
portant facts concerning the .handlin g
of the Star of Bengal For the first
time since the investigation was be-
gun it was brought out that sub
merged rock situated between the
tugs and the Star of Bengal fmperile1
the vessels and in view of this fact
the hawsers were cut.
In addition to this statement, the
inspectors adduced that the master of
tue oldI VI beuSdI WIS never nOtifed
that the tugs were about to cut loose
and leave the bark to its DOOM In
reply to a question as to whether it
would have been better to have noti-
fed the officers of the Star of Bengal
Of the conclusion reached by the tug
masters, Wielke declared that it was
customary to notify the officers of ves-
sells in tow of such action, but that
he or the captain of the Kayak did
not do so.
Captain j. T. Moser, superintendent
of the packers fleet. appeared at the
investigation and during the course of
Wielke's examination announced that a
code of signals had been posted in all
vessels
In some respects the testimony of
Mate Wielke conf1icted with the re-
port made by Captain Patrick Hamil-
ton of the tug Kayak. Wielke declared
that Captain Farrar. master of the
tug Hattie Gage, was in charge of the
tow Hamilton in his report to Su-
pervising Inspector John Birmingham
declared that he told the captain Of
the Hattie Gage to cut the hawser
In concluding his testimony Wielke
stated that when he came on watch
he had no other orders than to keep
a course designated as south by
east" He said that the sea was not
extraordinarily heavy. He said that
the windows of the pilot house were
not broken, although unguarded by the
usual storm shutters.
I'VE had to cut loose and go for the
safety of our ship and lives" he de-
clared.
Asked if there was any truth in the
statement that the tug deserted the
bark, Wielke declared.
I'VE stood by and did all that we
could"
At the close of the investigation
Captains Bolles and Bulger announced
that the inquiry would be continued
next Monday, when two seamen who
were aboard the Kayak would testify.