Evening star., 1925-09-28

sunk she was operating as a surface
vessel and there is no doubt in our
minds that responsibility for the col
lision rests solely on the shoulders %
the City of Rome. From the reports
OF her officers our present knowledge
of the collision. and the statements
is clear that the City of Rome either:
Il. Assumed that she was meeting
small commercial vessel which could
be robbed of her right of way by the
larger passenger vessel. or,
"2. That the officers on watch on
the City of Rome incompetentIy failed
TO recognize that the two vessels
were drawing dangerously close until
1t was too late for the City of Rome
to take the proper moves to yield to
the S-5l her right of way due to the
relative positions of the two vessels
or took the wrong measures when it
was seen that collision was imminent.
Thinks Officers Adept.
There is no evidence to show or
reason to believe that the officers of
the S-51 did not handle their vessel
properly. as was expected of officers
OF their training and experience. 1t is
undoubtedly true that the lubberlv
handling Of the City of Rome after
the collision, the failure of her search
lights and the slowness with which
her boats reached the points where
the men from the S-51 were in the
water was responsible for the loss OF
at least three lives. The survivors
claim to have been in the water for
hour and 10 minutes before thew
were picked up. There can be no ex-
cuse for such delay
THE comma Ddnr 0f tho vessel wa 9
Lieut.. r. II. Dobson of Brooklyn. who
had served in the Navy eight years
The first four were performed as an
enlisted man. an officer in the Naval
Reserve and a temporary officer He
was given a permanent commission in
November, 1921, and had been at sea
in submarines since January, 1922 He
was an experienced submarine officer.
and was in command of the L. S. S
GA for over a year. He served as
executive officer on the S-51 and sue
ceeded Lieut.. Bannerman to command
the vessel.
Lieut.. Gunior gradel H. NJ. Pino of
Long Beach, Calf, second in COM
mand on the S-51, entered the Naval
Academy in July, 1917, graduating in
the class of 1921. He had served over
TOUR years at sea since graduation.
and came to the submarine school in
July, 1924. After graduating in No
vember. the same year, he was as
signed to the Sol. He had continued
with that vessel except for three
months he was at the Naval Academy
coaching base ball.
HazIden Six Years at Sea.
Lieut.. Gunior grade) James HAIL
den of Dillon, S. c., entered the Naval
Academy in August. 1916. graduating.
in ny hoI
six years and three months. and was
to have been promoted to full-grade
lieutenant soon. Coming direct from
the surveying ship Hannibal, he en-
tered the Submarine School in July,
1925.
Lieut.. Gunior grade) T. A. Glass
cock Of San Antonio had served eight
years and four months in the NAVY
as an enlisted man and temporary
officer before receiving a permanent
commission in December, 1921 Since
the receipt of that commission he
had served three years and five
months at sea, and during his entire
time as a permanent officer, a tenn
porary officer and an enlisted man,
Lieut.. Glasscock had served in sub
marines. AS he had never attended
the Submarine School he entered the
present class
Lieut.. Gunior grade) F. D. Foster,
Nutley, n. j., entered the Naval Acad-
emy in July, 1918. and was graduated
in 1922. Since that time he had served
continuously at sea except for short
period at the naval torpedo station at
Newport, r. l., where he had instruc-
ton in torpedoes He entered the
Submarine School in July, 1925.
Ensign E. w. Egbert, Mariners
Harbor, N. Y, was graduated from
the Naval Academy in June, 1923. Be
tween graduation there and his entry
to the Submarine School here he
had served at sea-
Ship Line Official Silent
, BOSTON, Mass, September 2S (P.-
Llewellyn Wildes, port agent OF the
Ocean Steamship Co., declined to COM
ment today on the statement by Lieut.
Comdr. H. A. Flanagan, executive Off
Ger at the submarine base at New
London.
His attention being called to the
portions of the statement charging
that the City of Rome was incom-
petently handled and that this was
responsible for the loss of at least
three lives, he remarked:
ANY one is at liberty to express
his own opinion about the Soatter I
have no comment to make. II = nrob-
able that there will be no furs..esr
statement from the company today re-
sarding the collision"