The Alaska daily empire., 1919-02-27

cess Sophia on the 24th., the day the boat hit Vanderbilt Reef l Capt Stedham, who said that the Peterson got within about fifty yards of the wreck, said that shortly after l he arrived he saw one of the Pfln- cess Sophia's boats with several members of the crew in it who were apparently examining the boat, Is Asked Questions When asked if he and the other captains of the boats which were near the wreck had had any consul tation regarding the danger of the | wreck and the advisability of getting passengers off, Capt. Stedham said No" He was then asked why he, the captain of a boat sent down by the United States Government to take the passengers from the wreck made no effort to do so. He said that ne thought Capt. Locke was in better position than himself to know what to do
 Engineer Walkley, Thomas J. Ryan. deck hand and Victor Shanck, fire man on the Peterson, then testified.
 Said Water Was Smooth
 MT. Ryan said that the water was smooth when they arrived there. He could see about 30 or 40 feet Of the bow out of the Sophia and oil )n the water for some space around the boat.
 MT. Shank agreed with former witnesses about the possibility Of tax ng passengers off without danger.
 Capt. Albert E. Lucy, of the Mur- elette said that he had left Haines about 30 on the morning of the 24th. just as it was beginning to snow He passed the wreck of the Princess Sophia about 10 o'clock in the morning. He could see people walking on the deck of the Sophia md saw one of her life boats low cred on the starboard. There was 10 sea to amount to anything and 10 reason why passengers could not 1 lave been taken off, he said, and no 'eason why they could not have got i ,nto the reef and stepped from the rock into boat.
 Divers Testimony
 The testimony of Selmer Jacobsen had chiefly to do with his various rips to the wreck in search of bod es. He said that, in his opinion ,he had gone down very rapidly The doors and windows had been broken in as if from sudden concus sion with the water. He repeated | hat the boat is intact save for the officers rooms which have been broken in, he says, probably from he falling smoke stack.
 Davis Testifies
 Capt. Davis testimony was much | the same as that given in various interviews which have appeared ill the papers
 Capt. Davis said that when he first sighted the wreck, about ten o'clock in the morning, he saw one of the Princess Sophia's boats lowered over her side When he arrived there he went close to the boat to see if there was anything he could do. He was told to stand by until the wind went down. Asked what he thought about the wind going down, Capt. Davis, when he could not make Capt. Locke hear, signed with his head that he did not think the wind would go down.
 He tied up to the Government buoy, about two hundred yards from the wreck and remained there until about two o'clock in the afternoon when he saw about twelve men get ting into the life boat and looking in the direction of the Estebeth. Capt. Davis said that he went down to start his engine and started for the wreck They then got within about fifty feet of the boat, but the men had climbed out of the life boat and returned to the Sophia. Capt. Locke told Capt. Davis not to come too