Evening star., 1925-04-23
FAILURE At RESCUE
ST|RS PASSENGERS
Some Say Sea Traditions
Were Not UpheId-0thers
Defend Homeric Captain.
BY tn. Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, April 23.-PassenSers
who arrived on the White Star liner
Homeric, after seeing the Japanese
freighter Raifuku Maru sink with it's
3S officers and men, expressed widely
divergent views as to whether every
possible effort had been made by the
Homeric's officers to save the Japa-
nese seamen
The Homeric docked last night. 1t
| lost its race. with death Tuesday.
The division among the passengers
was about equal some saying that
everything humanity possible had been
done and that it would have been sui
eide to launch the Homeric's life
boats, others stating that they be-
| lieved some lives might have been
saved had the boats been launched or
RATS set adrift toward the sinking
vessel. Capt. John Roberts was given
a testimonial signed by 123 Of the 238
first cabin passengers.
Feels Tradition Broken.
Liston L. Lewis, New York attor-
ney, said, Il was not impressed that
the Homeric upheld the tradition OF
English sailors"
Amos Pinchot, lawyer and pubIicist
and brother of Gov. Pinchot of Penn
sylvania. said he saw some of the
sailors struggling in the water after
their ship had foundered. and added:
Numerous persons expressed anger
and regret that we did not stand by
| for few minutes more than we did
after the ship sank
Paul e. Aiberti. grain and marine
| insurance man. said: III rafts had
been launched from the Homeric. even
without seamen on them. / believe
| the seas would have carried the RATS
| to the men. There certainly was no
| heroic effort to rescue the Japanese"
Defended by Clergyman.
Among those who defended Capt.
| Roberts was the Rev. James ]. Talbot
of Old St Patrick's Cathedral. who
prayed with barred head as the men
| were drowned. II believe the
| Homeric's officers strove heroically to
| reach the sinking ship" he said. "and
| that it would have been disastrous to
| risk the lives of the liners crew in
| lifeboats."
capt. Roberts did everything hu-
| manly possible said Everett 7. Tom
linson. vice president of Doremus &
| Co., advertising agents. Another pas
| senger said Capt. Roberts would have
been a murder if he had sent the
| boats out"
Capt Roberts was an officer aboard
| the Baltic, which effected the rescue
| of LOO persons when the steamers
\ Republic and Florida collided off New
York Harber in 1903.
Prays for Lost Men.
The 3S Japanese seamen Of the
| Raifuku Maru were given general
absolution from the deck of the liner
Homeric by Father j. Talbot.
Passengers on the Homeric. arriv-
| ing last night told how Father Talbot
1 with a group of priests stood on the
bridge, head barred in the sleet and
raging storm, praying for the unfor-
| tunates during the hour that the liner
| lay alongside the sinking freighter.
| Father Talbot said he gave general
absoiution in the belief that some or
the men might have been of the Cath
| olic faith.
Consul Starts Probe.
The Japanese consulate general in
| New York is obtaining all information
possible in regard to the sinking of
| the Raifuku Maru.
II. Saito, japanese consul general,
said today that officials of the Kokusai
Kisen Kaisha, owners of the Raifuku
Maru, with the aid of the White Star
Line. owners of the Homeric which
arrived too late 10 rescue the Raifuku
Maru's crew, were investigating the
affair fully and were in consultation.
with the consulate general
Mr.. Saito would not say whether
! further steps to investigate the affair
| through official channels were con-
templated. He also refused to COM
ment when asked whether the consul.
late officials thought the Homeric had
done all possible to save the lives of
/ those aboard the Raifuku Maru. 1.
| At the White Star Line offices it
was said that Capt. John Roberts, the
commander of the Honeric, had made
his customary report to the officials Of
the line and that this report would be
| forwarded to the British Board of
| Trade at London, which would have to
investigate If any further inquiry into
the affair were made.
Trust Homerie Captain.
! A statement on behalf of the own
ers of the Homeric today said:
| I'VE feel that the actual verified
facts of the attempted rescue exoner-
ate Capt. Roberts from the charges of
a few hysterical pa assengers. The di-
rectors will, of course, pay serious at
tention to these complaints, but they
will not say anything. Capt. Roberts
is one of the highest and most hon
ored commanders in our service, and
the directors naturally would he in
clined TO accept the Judgment of his
40 years experience rather than the
excited and somewhat contradictory
criticism of less than half the passen-
gers
In this connection was cited tele
gram received from the Raifuku
Marus owners, Kobe:
Deeply appreciate Homeric's ef-
forts for unfortunate Raifuku Maru's
assistance and request you convey our
thanks to her commander"
Capt. Roberts was commander Of
the liner Baltic in 1907 when his YES
sci shared in the rescue of ! 200 per-
sons after the Republic and Florida
collided in rnidatlsntic. During the
war he took part in rescue work after
a number of submarine sfnkings.