Evening star., 1928-11-16
VESTRIS OFFICERS
CALLED IN PROBE
OF SEA. DISASTER
CONTINUED From First Page0

wish to harass their feelings further by
making them recount the terrible ordeal
they had been through.
Mr.. Puppies voice broke at times as
he spoke of his wife and baby; how
they had to go without food Sunday
because he could find no one to cook
it for them. He told Of seeing his wife
and baby being lowered in a lifeboat
and how he tried to follow them:
"'Keep that man out of that boat
don't let him go down there" he said
the captain called.
1"I called back My wife and child
are in that boat
THAT makes no difference. That
boat is too full the captain called
back"
That was the last he ever saw of the
two.
He testified that two filled lifeboats
were still hanging to the ship when she
went over. What happened to their oc-
cupants he did not know.
Sees Lack of Plan.
Sinclair, who was calmest of all the
witnesses. and who had travelled much
at sea, said what impressed him most
was the lack of any intelligent plan
of lowering the lifeboatS, or getting the
passengers into them" He also testi-
fed that the lifeboat in which he
finally escaped was unseaWorthy, it:
paint gone in many places and Its
equipment either missing or in poor
shape. The canister containing the
flares was so rusty the lid had to be
chopped off, he said
Quiros testified to one instance Of
mutiny in the crew, negro member,
he said, Jerking pistol from an off,
GERS hand and throwing 1t overheard
He had words Of praise only for Alfred
Duncan, the second steward to whose
observation-disclosures in helping load life
boats he credited the saving of many
lives. The captain, he said appeared
hesitant throughout and uncertain what
to do.
Santa Anna, who said he was one of
the last men to leave the ship, told of
seeing the captain running along the
side of the capsized vessel just before
she sank. The captain was wearing no
life belt and was drowned.
LIfeboat Is Subpoenaed.
A Federal subpoena was issued today
for lifeboat No. 13 of the foundered
steamer Vestris, and Department Of
Justice agents were assigned to take
it to the Federal Building from the
pier where 1t was deposited by the
rescue ship Berlin.
The lifeboat was wanted to check up
on sworn statements of passengers as
to its unseaworthiness. The manifest
of the Vestris was also subpoenaed 20
permit study of the nature OF the
ships cargo shifting Of which is be-
lieved possibly to have had something
to do with the ships tipping over.
Did Not Inspect Valve.
Frederick L. Dennis, assistant inspec-
tor of boilers Of Mthe United States
Steamboat Service one of the three
men who passed Il steamer Vestris as
seaworthy, said to3ay that he had not
inspected the ash hoped valve in the
bottom of the ship, but even If 1t was
cracked, as some of the crew are re-
ported to have said, 1t could not have
caused the sinking.
Dennis said he did inspect the sea
valves, through which water Is taken
into the condensers in the engine room.
and found them in good condition.
The private inquiry into the disaster,
which had been started by Lamport
and Holt officials, has been dropped,
said David Cook, managing director of
Sanderson & Son, the lines agents. He
explained that the company's investi-
CATION was not regarded as necessary in
view of the broad Federal inquiry.
u. s, ADMTRALS PUZZLED.