Evening star., 1914-01-30
Commerce Department Orders
Rigorous Investigation Of
Steamship Collision.
INSPECTORS AT NORFOLK
ON JOB WITHOUT DELAY
n. B. Walker, President and Gen.
eral Manager of Old Dominion
Company, Makes Statement.

|
dered Its bureau Of navigation and steam
| boat inspection service to pursue a rigor-
| Gus nvestigation into the collision of the
steamers Nantucket and Monroe off Hog
| Island early this morning The order
| went out from the office Of Assistant Sec
retary Sweet. Although Mr.. Sweet is in
New York with the committee which is
| Investigating the lighthouse service. Of
| fcials of his office, knowing that Mr.
Sweet would desire the accident to be
| thoroughly probed, issued orders for the
| investigation.
Officials of the steamboat inspection
service here got In touch by telephone
with the local inspectors at Norfolk and
ordered them to start an investigation
Immediately.
Robert Tapley. inspector of hulls, and
Edward W. Brey, inspector of boilers,
both at Norfolk, were ordered to make the
investigation. Mr.. Tapley was told by
telephone to proceed immediatei to meet
the Nantucket
The steamboat inspection service was
informed by the inspectors at Norfolk
that fifty men and ten women were COM
ing in on the boat, and that clothes, food
and medical help would be needed. The
officials here got in touch with the Navy
Department and the public health service.
and made arrangements to have ambu-
| lances and medical help ready when the
ship docks.
President Of Company nere.
and general manager of the Old Do
minion Steamship Company. owners of
the Monroe. was in Washington today.
meeting Of the Southern railway. Mr..
| Walker received message early this
morning telling Of the sinking of the
Monroe.
Mr.. Walker remained at the Raleigh
Hotel this morning. receiving long-dis.
tance telephone calls from the offices of
the company in Norfolk giving particu-
lars of the wreck He directed that the
officers and crew of the Monroe, who
| were among the saved. be sent by train to
New York as soon as they arrived in port.
Mr.. Walker declared that the Monroe
| was we'll built and in good condition and
that the collision must have been terrific
| to have caused her to sink. He main
tanned no secrecy about any OF the par
ticulars. and gave all details to news
paper men as rapidly as he received
them.
First Loss of Life at Sea.
This Is the nrSt time III the history
OF the Old Dominion line that the life of
a passenger has been lost at sea-" said
Mr. Walker Of New York. president and
general manager of the Old Dominion
Steamship Company The line was organ
| ized in 1857.
Seven steamers have been in operation
for several years. The Monroe was the
stanchest OF the lot. She went into
service in 1903 There was life-saving
equipment aboard for nearly double the
number of souls she carried on this trip.
Under the navigation laws we are re-
ouired to have 100 per cent equipment
at this season of the year. We had fully
that. The Monroe carried boatage for
more than 800, and there were but 1873
persons aboard her all told"
The Norfolk and Washington Steam
ship Company is the Washington agent
for the lines to which the coliding
steamers belonged. When the news of
the wreck first became known many
people gained the impression that one
Of the Norfolk and Washington steam