The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-11-16
PROBE HINT Of
OWNERS BAN
ON SOS CALL
Radio Corporation Officials
Ordered to Bare Copies
of All Messages.
CHECK WYOMING STORY
Rumor Valve on VeStris
Out of Order; Sea Poured
in First Day Out.
CHECK WYOMING STORY
BY HARRY FERGUSON
United Press stan Correspondent

CnaC Cn6 LamDOrC Z Holt steamship
Line wireleSsed Captain william j.
Carey of the VeStris not to send
out an SOS on Sunday when the
ship first showed a decided list
opened up another avenue today for
the investigation by Charles H. Tut
tie, United States attorney.
Tuttle Immediately issued subpoe-
mas for officials of the Radio Cor
poration of America, calling upon
them to produce copies of ali ra-
diograms that passed between Ca
rey and Sanderson & Son, agents
for the Lamport g. Holt Line.
Tuttle also announced he was
looking into a report that the Lam
port g. Holt Line sent three sal
wage vessels out from New York
shortly after the Vestris >ailed on
the voyage that ended in disaster
of the Virginia capes.
Check WyOming's Story
The third development in Tuttle's
investigation today was a request
which he sent to the department of
justice in Washington that testi-
mony of the executive officer Of the
battleShip Wyoming be sent to him
as soon as possible. The wyoming
docked at Hampton Roads Thursday
with eight survivors.
According to Tuttle, an unnamed
officer of the VeStris told the Wy
oming'S executive officer that a sea
valve on the sunken ship was out
of order and that water began en-
tering the hold Of the VeStris
shortly after the vessel left New
York.
A law firm, the identity of which
Tuttle refused to disclose, informed
the federal attorney today that it
had been retained to protect the
reputation of Captain Carey in the
investigation.
At Sanderson g. Sons offices no
comment for fortcmoing on Tuttle's
activities, except that the Vestris'
owners would cooperate in the in
quiry. 1t was pointed out, however,
that the rumors of Sunday SOS
and the ordering out of salvage tugs
before the Monday SOS was sent
had been denied by other sources.
Denies Sunday SOS
Edmund Burgess. in charge of the
Radio Corporations receiving sta
ton in Brooklyn, denied having
heard a Sunday SOS or mention Of
one by wireless.
Captain Walter N. Davis, salvage
operations manager of Merritt
Chapman and Scott Corporation,
said that a few minutes after the
SOS on Monday the Sanderson firm
ordered three relief vessels to be pui
to sea from New York, but not be-
fore.
AT Q p. m. United States Com
missioner Francis O'Neill was to re-
convene the hearing, and is expect
ed to listen to the testimony OF
members of the VeStris' crew.
Thursday Tuttle brough men from
three continents into the courtroom,
and asked occasional questions while
the witnesses spread on the record
a story of negligence at sea. of fatal
indecision on behalf of the I|estriS
officers and of clurnsiness that cost
the lives of women and children.
The strongest case against the Of
ficers and crew of the Vestris was
made by Fred w. Puppe, who said
he lost his wife and 7-month-old
child because the first two lifeboats
launched hung on the sloping deck
of the VeStriS.
Screams Accusations
Puppe, who is an engineer, spoke
in a voice filled with calm conf
dence when he said the Vestris was
listing ten degrees on Sunday morn
ing and that it continued to keel
over until it was on a forty-degree
angle before 2 p. m. Monday.
Puppies story was dispaSsionate
until he reached the point where he
had to describe how his wife and
child were left hanging on the side
of the stricken vessel while the
crew of the lifeboat carried him
farther from them.
Then he gestured violently,
shrilled out accusations against
Captain Carey and ended by sob
bing into his sleeve.
The stories told by the passen-
gers Thursday generally wereA alike.
The facts in general as told were:
l. One steward was so drunk he
could not wait on one passengers
cabin.
2. There was no verbal order issued
for the passengers to put on life
belts.
8. All life boats we're unseaworthy.
4. There had been no life boat
drill.
5. rhe delay in, sending out the
SOS caused the great loss of life.
6. There was indecision on the
part of the officers in command
when the crisis came about 2:30 p.
m. Monday.
Hourly Temperatures