Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-06
did ALL We COULD"
IndrakuaIa's' Commander De-
MES Deserving Luckenbach.
RESCUED SIX OF THE CREW
Weeps at Charges Made by Survivors
of the Disaster.
DROWNING OF CAPT. GILBERT
Rigid Federal Investigation to Be
Made-Indrakual Not Equipped
by Wireless.
RESCUED SIX OF THE CREW
DROWNING OF CAPT. GILBERT

BALTIMORE. Md. January 6.-Capt. a.
b. Smith of the British steamer Indra-
kuala. which sank the Julia Luckenbach
near Tangier buoy Friday morning, told
his story of the collision yesterday after
noon. He was on his vessel, which is
beached about five miles from the wreck.
He shook his head sadly when told that
eight survivors of the Luckenbach, who
were landed at Norfolk Saturday by the
steamer Pennsylvania. declared his crew
made no effort to rescue them from the
rigging of the sunken ship, to which they
chung for six hours Capt. Smith walked
the deck of his ship and wept like child.
II do not know what they say he de-
clared. 1T was a terrible thing and none
of us is certain about what happened
after the ships went together. 1t was
such an awful storm. We could see
nothing, the seas were SO high. They
beat over us like cloudburst. We did
all we could.
II will never get over this awful thing.
Ii l could have gone instead of Capt Gil
bert and his wife, perhaps it might have
been better.
I'VE lowered our boats and picked up as
many of the crew of the Luckenbach as
we found. One poor fellow died after be-
sorry l cannot express my feelings
Drowning of Capt. Gilbert.
That Capt. Gilbert of the Luckenbach.
lost his life trying to save his Grip
pied wife is certain. Capt. II. II. Will
hanson, representing the Luckenbach
company in Norfolk, said yesterday that
several of the men spoke Of the bravery
of Capt Gilbert.
When the ship was struck he tried fran
tically to reach his wife. He dashed into
his cabin, but she was not there. He
grabbed a little shawl she had worn and
her picture and dashed out on deck, which
was already. covered with water. He
called her time and again, but received
no answer.
When last seen he was swimming about
on the deck of the sinking vessel with
the picture of his wife clasped to his
breast. Once he graSped a mast and
rested. but he was carried awayby a
big wave and was not seen again..
Captains at Their Posts.
1t was definitely learned that Capt
Gilbert of the, Luckenbach and Capt
Smith of the Indrakuala, with their first
and second officers, We're on their res
pective bridges when the collision oc-
Cured. The report that Capt. Gilbert
was in his cabin. which at first gained
circulation, was disprOved.
Capt. Smith had finished his breakfast
and was pacing the bridge, having the
siren blown every minute, when his at
tentiOn was riveted ahead by a call from
deck officer
Steamer dead, ahead.' was the cry that
reached the officers on the bridge from
the deck watch Instantly the officers or
the Indrakuala saw the black. hull of the
Baltimore bound steamer hard on their
bow.
Capt Smith and his first officer were
at the bell signal in an instant.
Full steam astern." rang down in the
engine room to the engineers of the Brit
ish tramp.
The siren shrieked it's warming Men
yelled. The quartermaster whirled the
wheel hard over. 1t all happened in less
than minute.
Rescue of Luckenbach's Men.
When they recovered the order was
given to lower away the biggest of the
lifeboats. Here the British seamen dis
played no little bravery. and the six
men who had either jumped or fallen
from the deck of the Luckenbach were
thrown lines. pulled into the boats and
taken aboard the big ship.
capt. Smith ran to the main deck and
found that a great hole had been torn
in the Prov of his ship.
No time was lost in backing away
from the sinking steamer.
Fearing that his own vessel would fill
and sink. Capt Smith had the forward
bulkheads closed, and after clearing the
Luckenbach he took the wheel and
steered the Indrakuala toward the west
ern shore.
The momentum of the ship drove her
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