The daily times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1902-1936, 1919-09-20
STEAMER SINKS
With 45O ABOARD
Vessel Founders in the Shoals
Near Key West. Believes
the Crew Went
nnXUN WITH CITE A MED
DOWN WITH STEAMER

Key West, Fla, Sept. 20.-Rear
Admiral Duckett, Commander of the
naval district and the Cuban Consul
left today to inspect the place and
the sunken steamer, and to learn
the fate of the $50 members of the
crew and passengers aboard.
Key West, Fla, Sept. 2O.-With
a working crew and divers examin-
ing the hull numerous boats scour-
ing the waters of the surrounding
vicinity and islands near the scene
of the wrecked Valmera, which
went down with her passengers
and crew of $50 aboard, during the
recent storm which visited the Flor
ida coast. Nearly all the members
Of the passengers and crew were
Spaniards and Cubans.
Key West, Fla, Sept. 19.-That
the Spanish steamer Valbanera,
carrying 500 passengers and a crew
Of $50, went down in a hurricane
that swept Key West ten days ago,
appeared to have been made GER
tain tonight by the statement of
Ensgn Roberts, commanding Off
Ger of the United States Submar-
inc Chaser 203 who stated he
plainly saw the name plate of that
steamer on the vessel found to-
day sunk in 40 feet of water near
here.
The statement of Ensign Roberts
corroborated that OF divers, who, on
order of the Cuban consul here,
made an investigation of the sunk
en- vessel. The wreck was seen by
the sub-chaser and the coast guard
vessel Tuscarrora near Rebecca
Shoals lighthouse, about forty miles
from here. 1t lay in the water which
covers a bed os quick sand. No
sgns of any bodies were seen.
The Valbanera has been missing
since the storm which caught her
as she neared Havana en- route
from Spanish ports to New Or
leans. The passengers are thought
to have been chiefly Spanish or Gu
ban, as virtually all of them were to
have been put off at Havana. Mrs.
Pauline Becker, of France, sister,
Of Mrs. George Pollock, of New Or
leans however, was thought to
have been aboard. The vessel al
so carried a valuable cargo.
A wreckage srew is to leave here
tomorrow and the naval station here
has promised all facilities to aid
them. Their investigations may
establish the presence of bades of
passegers and crew, or show they
had left the ship before she sank.
There have been no reports here,
however, of any such number of
persons adrift or having been
! landed, and it was not regarded
] as probable that any could have
| been saved by other vessels without
| word having come of that fact.
The Valbanera arrived off Morro
| Castle, Havana, Sept. 9, but due to
| the tropical hurricane which swept
| tn0S0 waters at IndC Illu0 was uh-
able to enter port. She put to Sea
and although wireless calls suppos-
ed to have come from the Valban-
era have been reported, she had
not been located. Cuban gunboats
have been sent to search for her and
ii was suggested seaplanes mighi
go out from Key West on the same
nilsson.
The steamer was found today
sunk in 40 feet of water in the
quick sands, by United States coast
guard vessel. They reported the yes
sci appeared to be about 5000 tons
This missing steamship was of 1921
tone net, considerably smaller thar
| the climate made by the coast
guard nNn of the sunken ship. The
| Cuban consul, on being Informed
of the find, however, employed di
vers to make an examination on the
theory shat it might be the Val