Evening star., 1928-11-15
IT, S. BEGINS. INQUIRY OF VESTRIS DISASTER
PARTED IN OCEAN,
COUPLE REUNITED
Mrs. Cline Slaughter Last
Woman to Quit Ship.
She Believes.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, November 15.-A pretty,
auburn-haired woman, who last saw
her husband f1oundering in the sea
as the steamship Vestris sank, found
him waiting at the pier when she
landed today, with Sc other survivors,
from the French tanker Myriam. She
was the only woman survivor aboard
Mrs. Cline Slaughter had learned of
ner husbands rescue by wireless. He
recognized her despite her borrowed
seaman's clothing, rushed over and
embraced her. The husband landed
yesterday from the rescue ship Ameri-
can Shipper.
Mrs: Slaughter, who Is 81 years old,
Sald sne was the last woman to leave
the stricken VestriS. When she left
the liner she was wearing new gown
which, she Said had been transformed
into a French creation by shrinkage.
The borrowed clothing in which she
descended to the pier included pair
OF trousers and white WOODEN under
shirt given her by Capt. Fernan
Foruy OF the Myriam. and a hat loaned
by another person on board the ship.
Boats Lines Tangled.
Her husband gave up his place in
the Ifeboat assigned to them to make
room for two other women, Mrs.
Slaughter said, and the boat was low
cred with difficulty only after some
tangled lines were cut away from the
davits with axes. 1t was launched
just before the VeStris went down.
Mrs. Slaughter said she fell out of
the boat and was pulled under the
water by the suction from the liner
as it sank.
1T seemed as though I was under
long time" she said, land when
I finally bobbed up saw my husband
padding few yards away. Both OF
us were nearly exhausted"
Near them approached another life
boat, in which was Second Officer Les
lie Watson of the Vestris When he
saw them, she said, he jumped into
the sea and swan toward her, but
the lfeboat kept pulling away.
Finally Picked Up.
She said it was probably 20 minutes
before Watson reached her side, and
that he supported her in the water
for perhaps an hour, when he hailed
passing Efaboat and helped her into it,
AS she lay exhausted in the bottom of
the boat, Mrs. Slaughter said she could
hear whistling and cries of despair from
the water, some of them apparently
from women, but the boat did not stop
to pick up any others. AS they rowed
along, she said she heard members of
the boat crew say they were passing
floating bodies.
Charges Of negligence on the part of
the master of the Vestris, voiced by
other passengers landed yesterday,
found no confirmation from Mrs.
Slaughter.
so far as I know" she said, "there
was no such thing as criminal negli-
gence. The captain did his duty and
did his best"
Views on Call for Help.
She added that she did not know
whether it would have been better to
send out the S o S earlier than it was
broadcast
AS to charge made by other pas
sengerS that members Of the crew had
rushed lneboats, Mrs. Slaughter Said: "a,
II wouldn't blame the crew. After
all, was in pretty excited state just
before / went down with the ship, and
don't know what they were doing, ex-
cept they could not find axes or
matches to cut loose the boat which I
was in, which was stuck
Mr.. and Mrs. Slaughter said that al
though their last address was Chicago,
they had no permanent address in the
United States. They were en- route to
Buenos Aires. where her husband had
a position with the International Har-
vester Co.