Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-19
CAPTAIN OF LAkME
THREATENS SUICIDE
REFUSES TO DISCUSS ACCl-
DENT TO SHIP
Attention of Government 10 Faulty
Signals on ereakwater May
Be Drawn by Jamming
of Steamer
Especial to The Herald. ]


SAN PEDRO, Jan. 1S.-Od1cers of the
steamer Lakme, which rammed the
breakwater last night in coming into
port. will say little about the accident
but members of the crew intimate that
Captain Malmgren may not have been
on the bridge at the time Of the accl-
dent.
Masters of other vessels are not
agreed in fixing the responsibility
Some shippers say there was little eX-
cuse for the steamer rammlng the
breakwater on q clear night, and believe
there is likely to be a new master on
the I,akme after the inspectors at San
Francisco make their report on the
investigation that will follow the re-
port of Captain Malmgren to the United
states officials.
Other skippers say that the accident
to the Lakme may have been the result
of faulty lights, and that 1t Is rather
remarkable there are not more accl-
dents of the kind. There are no lights
maintained on the breakwater by the
government. At the end the construc-
ton company maintains small nght.
The charts also show a light at the
bend, but shippers say there is seldom
one burning there and that they do not
depend on it.
q The Lakme struck the breakWater
about 10 D. M, but it was after mid-
nieht before relief was dispatched in
response to her whistles of distress
The alarm did not reach the police sta
tion until nearly midnight. The reve-
nue. cutter Perry got up steam as quick
Iv as possible and sent a steam launch
ahead to the scene of the grounded
steamer Other launches also went out.
In the meantime the crew OF the
IJakme had thrown overheard part ol
the forward deck load of shingles ana
1iobfened the steamer so that she float
ed off The relief boats saw her COM
ing in and returned to port. The Lax
me proceeded under slow bell and did
not reach her berth at the Southern
Pacific slip until a. m.
Pumps Run Steadily
when she arrived she had a list to
mort. and her pumps were running
steadily. The extent of the damage
cannot be ascertained until she is un-
loaded, but she is leaking badly ana II
is known there is a hole stove in her
bow. She is not damaged above the
water line.
Captain Malmgren declared he was
tempted to blow out his brains, but
would not discuss the cause of the ac-
cident before the official investigation
is called by the inspectors at San Fran
cisco. 1t is his first trip to this port
as master of the Lalme, he having
lately succeeded Captain Dalquist who
had been in command of the steamer
for a long time.
Masters of vessels who enter this port
at night have long deplOred the need OF
lights on the breakwater. A petition
was recently circulated among shippers
who run here asking the lighthouse
board, through the Los Angeles cham
her of commerce, to establish a first
class station at the end of the breakWa-
ter. At the present time the only lights
after leaving Point Firmin are the little
lantern at the end Of the breakWater,
one at the end Of the east jetty at
Deadman's Island and another private
light in the channel, maintained by the
Pacific Coast steamship company.
Coming down the coast after leaving
Point Firmin steamers run parallel
with the breakwater from the bend to
the outer end, and often the light at
the end cannot be seen until the break
water is rounded. The shore and chan
mel lights are confusing, and it is easy
to mistake the channel light for that at
the end of the breakwater.
The Lakme has 100000 feet of lumber
and shingles for the Consolidated Lum-
ber company. She is small and was
built in 1888 at Port Madison, WASH
She is owned by the Chas. Nelson COM
pany, and has been running regularly
between here and Eureka for some
time