The New York herald., 1922-07-30
Feared Ship Would Turn
Turtle and Many Jumped
Into Sea.
NOTICED NO KNIVES USED
Loss Of Life Due to Sudden
listing to Port and.
Not Preventable.

Special Gable to THE NEW York HnnALp.
Copyright, 1929, bp THE NEW York HEsALp
New York Herald Bureau.
London July 20. I
Attempts to prove that the Lascars
acted ,cowardly and deserted the ship
instead of helping the passengers
when the Egypt sank off Ushant on
May 20, with loss Of eighty-seven
lives, have brought out the fact that
many were terrorized by fear, while
some were brave and went down with
the ship.
Strong defence OF them as seamen
was given by Capt. Collier before a
trade board court of inquiry. He said
that when properly led they were as
good as whites. and particularly fitted
for the voyage to Bombay.
Chief officer Charles Cartwright
agreed with the captain that the loss of
life was caused by sudden listing to
port, the crew being unable to get at
the boats. He refused to admit that the
Lascars were rank cowards," but ad-
mitted there was confusion. All agreed
that the white officers and members Of
the crew behaved nobly and did their
utmost
Loss Not Preventable.
Tho captain thought that the loss
would have been the same had the crew
been wholly white. He said he jumped
when the vessel was almost submerged
and was picked up by boat containing
hnv atxrtxr ot lnoe ~
thirds of them Lascars. "The natives
were absolutely terrorized with fear
when they got in. They couldn't find the
cars, which were still In the bottom of
tho boat. Nobody thought Of getting
them out"
The captain said that he did not notice
any shooting or use Of knives. or any
thing like that "Lascars are better
fitted for the work and the climate than
European crews" he added. 'Euopeans
might be more muscular. I've never
had trouble with Lascars. II we'll led
they don't give trouble, and for hot
climate should select them In prefer
ence to whites
THE Egypt accident was abnormal.
The passengers flung themselves over
board from all angles. Everybody
seemed to be crouching in terror" Asked
II British crew was not built Of better
stuff, he said he didn't know, that he
had been in accidents before with a
white crew and there wasn't much to
choose between them.
Passengers in Panic.
He said that everybody was afraid the
ship was going to turn turtle. The
Europeans. passengers and crew alike.
threw themselves overheard. He said
he I.ou ~ mn
the European passengers.
Cartwright said that when he ordered
the men to the boats he could find no
I4ascars. Had the East Indians gone
to their designated boats there would
have been less confusion. He said that
discipline failed because Of the sud-
denness with which everything hap
pened.
"It IL necessary to take into account
tho human element Men do curious
things In such situation AZ the sinking
of the Egypt. The Lascars saw picked
up were terrorized native iremen and
trimmers. 30 frightened ~ to be useless.
The whites were not stricken, but
jumpy and nervous. The work Of the
whites enabled q few boats to get of.
John Hamilton. third engineer. who
had charge OF boatload of thirty In
dians, said that when he ordered them
to row near the side of the sinking liner
in order to rescue the others the crew
refused to obey and backed away.
Forced to 20 to the steamship Seine,
the Lascars scrambled aboard, and
Hamilton took Seine boat with three
French sailors, with whom he worked
around the wreckage for couple of
hours.
Thomas White, engineer. said that he
had trouble In getting of ono boat, and
then he discovered q number OF the
dusky sailors hiding underneath. He
refused to say. however, that the loss
OF life was due to tho failure Of the
\ aa,avu IA nArfarv, THAR duty