The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-03-21
CAN'T FIX. BLAME.
ONE BLAMES THE MONROE. 9TH
ER TIE NANTUCKET.
Divided Report Returned by Board
Which Has ccen Investigating Dis
aster of Virginia COast-.Sargent
ExOnerates Berry and Accuses
Johnson; Howard Takes Opposite
Position.

Philadelphia, March 16.-The two
United States local inspectors of steam
vessels who investigated the disaster
off the Virginia coast on January 80,
In which the teamship Nantucket
rammed the steamer Monroe, causing
| the loss Of Al lives, rendered a divid
ed opinion today, one holding the cap
tain of the Nantucket guilty Of neg
ligence and the other charging the
| commander of the Monroe with re-
sponsibility for the disaster.
The report Of the investigation.
along with the two decisions. was for
warded to Henry NJ. Seely, supervising
inspector at New York. II is not
known here what the next step in
the case will be but it is believed the
supervising inspector will consult the
department of commerce at Washing
ton before making any further move.
The local inspectors who investi-
gated the collision are Capt. r. A..
Sargent, inspector of hulls, and d. H.
Howard, inspector Of boilers. The de-
partment of commerce designated
them to investigate charges against
Osmyn Berry. captain Of the Nan
tucket, brought by the local inspec-
tors at Norfolk after preliminary
examination.
The charges against Capt. Berry in
cluded negligence in not reducing
the speed Of his vessel in a fog, and
with neglecting to ascertain through
the wireless operator the proximity Of
other vessels.
No charges were brought against
Capt. Edward E. Johnson Of the Mon
roe. Twelve days were devoted to
hearing witnesses and after counsel
for Capt. Berry had argued his case
today, the board rendered it's decision.
The opinion filed by Inspector Sar-
gent was voluminous. going into the
construction Of the ship, the collision
and the conduct of the crews after the
impact. The report concludes that
Capt. Berry and all other licensed Off.
GERS Of the Nantucket are exonerated.
Capt. Sargent's report then charges
Capt. Johnson with Incompetence,
negligence and inattention to duty"
He is charged in the report with vio-
lation OF the international rules for
preventing collisions in giving a wrong
whistle signal in the fog; with negli-
gence and inattention to duty because
he took no action to prevent the COL
lision or to lessen it's force when the
vessels came in sight of each other,
and with incompetency and unskillful-
ness because proper discipline or or
ganization was not maintained among
the crew in an effort to protect lives
Of all persons OH board and because
no proper effort promptly was made
to obtain assistance from the Nam
tucket.
On the last specification Capt. Sar-
gent said
While we believe that Capt. John.
son as an individual did everything
that was humanity possible to save the
lives of all, it is to be regretted that
he did not delegate certain duties
which ne attended to himself to some
Of the other members of his crew
and thus give himself more time to
devote to matters of greater impor-
tance."
Inspector Howard refused to sign
this report and rendered one of his
own in which he found Capt. Berry
guilty Of falling to reduce speed in a
fog as charged. but not guilty of al
legged failure to use the wireless ap-
paratus, and recommended that his
masters license be revoked.
In reading his report Capt. Sar-
gent stated that ne had been a Ii
censed master and was experienced in
navigation and that Inspector How
ard was not licensed master and had
no practical experience as a naviga-
tor.