The Washington times., 1928-11-16
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investigation into the cause or the
Nestris disaster vigorously, when
he pressed hundreds of questions
to survivors and listened to the
testimony of witnesses, chief among
whom were John .Santone, third
glass passenger; Wallace M. Sim
clair. who has travelled 100000 miles
on the sea: Herman Ruckert, a
German, who testified through an
interpreter, and Carlos Quiros.
chancellor of the Argentine CONSUL
ate in New York.
Santone, who followed Fred Puppe
bn the stand said that there was a
storm Saturday night and at
o'clock Sunday morning he noticed
an inclination Of the ship. It had
grown more pronounced by evening,
he said, and the dishes slid off the
table in the dining saloon. He said
he was awakened that night by a
crash which threw his luggage
across the cabin, and he thought it
might have been a shifting of the
cargo.
when he went on deck at o'clock
Monday morning, he said, the in
clination was still more pronounced,
pnd he saw the crew throwing cargo
overheard.
trouble. He asserted that every
thing was all right.
Three hours later the women and
children in the third-class cabin
were ordered to the first-class deck,
and he realized then that something
serious was the matter.
Started Rescue Work
It was about noon. Santone said,
when they started getting the
women and children into the life
boats. He said he tried to go into
half a dozen different boats but
they would not let him in none of
them. At one time he noticed that
there were two bots full of women
and children that had not got down
to the water, but were stuck on the
side of the ship, hanging by their
ropes, a few feet above the waves.
Suddenly, while he was running
about the deck, the ship lurched and
rolled heavily over on her side. He
said he had Just time to leap to the
rail and then found himself running
along the side of the hull, which was
almost level for a moment.
As he rushed naadly along, he
declared, he saw the two boats of
women and children still held to
the side of the ship. They had been
dragged up on the side of the hull
and were tilted at the moment he
saw them. Then the ship sank, he
was thrown into the water, and a
moment later found himself floating,
supported by his lifebelt.
Santone said he was picked up
little later by lifeboat No. 5. The
persons in it included only five pas
sengers. The boat was leaking bodily,
be testified, and they bailed all
night, until they were picked UP by
the American Shipper Tuesday morn
ing.
Saw Crew With Cargo
Wallace. NJ. Sinclair. keen-eyed and
sell. possessed. was able to give dell
mite estimates of various conditions
during the brief voyage of the Yes
iris by reason of his wide expert
ence in ocean travel. He was travel
Ing alone.
Il awoke Sunday morning to
find a reasonably stiff breeze, but
nothing untoWard," he said. by
noon both sea and wind had picked
up somewhat, and they continued
steadily. But at no time would /
class the weather as more than a
reasonably stiff coastal storm.
heard the testimony of the first
witness as to the lifeboats, and
should say that it was substantially
correct.
"A ship might list on account Of
the seas encountered, but this ship
was slow to recover. She was not
alive / did not, however, notice
at any time anything that might
have been interpreted as a shifting
of the cargo. On Monday morning
there was a 30-degree list.
II walked forward and saw mem
bers of the crew jettisoning the
cargo in the forward hold. There
were 10 or IL men lifting cases
put of the hold by main force. They
did not have any tackle. / watched
them at one time for 80 minutes,
and during that time they did not
throw more than six cases over.
board, of which should say the
total weight could not have been
more than two tons.
Saw Doom Ahead
81 noticed that the forward we'll
Heck OF the vessel was going farther
hinder the water. I thought then
kIidL LIlS snip Was QOOHl6Q.
The thing that impressed me
most was the lack of any in
tellisent plan of lowering the life
boats or getting the passengers in
them. I heard no order given to
don life belts, and as far as l know
the passengers did it on their own
initiative. I was surprised, as the
list of the vessel increased, and
consequently the difficulty of get.
ting the lifeboats lowered over the
side of the ship which was swing
ing further and further up, that
the lowering of the boats was de-
5ayed SO long.
"T left the ship in boat No. TO-
Before getting in / noticed that
the paint on the boat was dead
paint. In one place it had scaled
off the bottom Of the boat over a
patch as large as my hand. That
was before the boat had been low
cred and scraped against the side
OF the ship. 1t wasn't scraped
anyway, the paint nearby was
loose and flaky.
"Why our boat did not tip over
when it was launched no one knows
There were so to SIS persons in it,
No one was in command, and those
Of us who tried to take command
were very unsuccessful. We drifted
away. and the ship sank in, ! should
say. about 20 minutes. My position
in the boat left me with my back
TO the ship. so did not see it sink. "
Boat Overloaded
"Our boat was settling rapidly,