The San Francisco call., 1910-11-24
TUG owners BLAME
STEAMER FOR WRECK
Master of Sea Prince Says That
He Warned Greystone Castle
Against Danger

That the tug Sea Prince was sent to
the bottom of the bay, with four mem
bers of its crew, when it was run into
by the steamship Greystoke Castle Fri
day afternoon, either as the result OF
great negligence on the part of those
in charge of the big British steamer or
through a deadly tide rip" which
whirls off Point Blunt, on Angel Island,
was developed at the investigation OF
the disaster before Steamboat In
spectors Bulger and Bolles yesterday
Captain L. l. Langren, sole survivor
Of the crew of the tug. was the first
witness called. and told of his escape
bv clinging TO a piece of wreckage un
til picked UP by a small boat sent from
the steamer General Frisbie. He
blamed the steamer for the disaster
saying that he warned the steamers
captain, when the two vessels left Port
Costa. with the Sea Prince towing the
Greystoke Castle. that the latter
should not approach within a thousand
feet The steamer. he said, must have
increased its speed without warning
and without keeping lookout for his
tug.
CAPTAIN REFUSES TO TESTIFY
The inspectors called upon Captain
w G. Smith of the Greystoke Castle
to tell his version of the collision. but
the latter refused, under advice of his
attorney Nathan Frank. The matter
viii be turned over to the United
States attorney and Smith may be
summoned into the United States cir
cult court to show cause why he should
not testify or be punished for con-
tempt
Captain Isaac Smith of the govern
ment steamer Slocum told of seeing the
Sea Prince leading the steamer by be
tween 800 and 400 feet. when sud
denly the distance lessened and the tug
could be seen directly under the bow
Of the Greystoke Castle though the
collision could not be seen from the
deck of the Slocum, which was 1000
feet away.
DANGEROUS "TIDE RIP"
Captain Isaac Smith and Captain
John H. Cunningham of the steamer
Monticello, which was but 800 feet from
the collision, testified that there was
dangerous tide rip" or eddy. off
Point Blunt. formed by the junction of
the tide from San Pablo bay with that
of San Francisco bay. and that 1t was
possible the progress of the tug was
checked by running into this eddy
which would account for the disaster.
Captain Cunningham gave the most
damaging testimony against the Grey
stoke Castle. He said that when the
Monticello left Angel Island 1t seemed
TO keep even with the Greystoke Cas-
tie. but the latter suddenly began
going ahead al a much more rapid rate.
Cunningham did not believe that the
tide rip" was sufficiently strong to
throw the tug against the bow of the
steamer. He said that he first saw the
tug about 400 feet ahead of the steamer.
but moment or two later the distance
had narrowed to so feet, and then, al
most. the crash came. The tug was
hurled clear over and sank stern first
There was no warning whistle from
any vessel to intimate to the tug that
it was in danger.
The inspectors viii render their de-
cision in q few days.
GREYSToKE CASTLE LIBELED
The owners of the Sea Prince, the
Shipowners' and Merchants tugboat
company, libeled the steamer Greystoke
Castle yesterday in the United States
district court. claiming s25, 1000 for the
loss Of their boat They also demand
$4,000 for attempts to be made to raise
the sunken tug.
The British steamer does not appear
to have been fortunate on its trip
from England, as a second libel was
filed against 1T yesterday by ". & J.
Sloane for 1904 damages. alleged to
have been done to a, shipment of lin
oleum.