The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-15
By HARVEY O'CONNOR.
Federated Press)


Government shipping inspectors,
ship owners and captain were re-
sponsible for the sinking of the
Lamport and Holt liner Vestris with
the loss of l49 passengers and sea-
men, assert sailors rescued from the
lost ship. In most cases penniless,
and clad in castoff clothing. they told
their stories to a Federated Press
representative as they huddled about
radiators and drank coffee at the
Seamen's Church Institute in New
York yesterday.
Seventeen to 20 hours in the
water, or in water-filled lifeboats
had left them haggard and drawn
alternately shaken by fevers and
chills. They wasted no words in de-
nouncing the rotten condition of the
Vestris' hull, the negligence of Brit
! ish and American steamship inspec-
tors in permitting the boat to &c
to sea. and the fatal indecision OF the
captain in calling for help and low
ering the life boats.
Knew Ship Was Unfit.
"The boat left New York listing
badly to port" steward related
eve were heading into rough
weather when suddenly she was
shaken by heavy sea, the cargo
apparently shifted and the boat
tilted over to 30 degrees. Next morn
ing the passengers were ordered t
the top decks. But the captain re
fused to send out an S. o. S. Bht
/ list got worse and worse and BY
noon the port rail was under water
Only then did the skipper order the
boats over.
"But it was too late. The first
two boats, filled with women anc
children, were ruined when the ship
lurched again. One sank and the
other spilled its women and little
ones into the sea.
"Not person should have beer
lost. Had the radio been sent out
when we were struck by the wave
and began filling, ships would have
arrived hours before the Vestris
sank. And had the lifeboats beer
launched before noon, everyone
would have gotten away safely"
Hull Was Rotten.
"Why was the Vestris permitted
to 90 to sea overloaded and listing
to port" asked fireman. 1.-The
hull was rotten. Rust had eaten into
the plates, then paint had beer
slapped on and the whole thing
ok'ed by the government inspectors
Why. the first good sea knocked il
bulkhead, and then the ship was
lost.
"The cargo was just dumped into
the boat. After we had been hit, II
scuttled over to one side Of the shiI
and not all the stuff we dumped
over could help out after that
Other members of the crew were
curious about the insurance. The
boat was 20 years old, had seen hare
service with few repairs during the
war. had burned at sea once anc
been towed into port, and was
"iunk." in their opinion. The mys
terious action of the captain in fail
/ ing to call for help quickly enough
reinforced suspicious of seamen that
Lamport and Holt may have fell
better satisfied to have the old Yes
iris at the bottom of the sea ant
her insurance money in their treas
ury.
Brand Official Lies.
Passengers pooh-poohed stories
that Negro members of the crew hac
failed to help to the extent OF then
capacity. More than hundred west
Indian Negroes were employed II
the engine room and on deck.
"Inexperience of the Negro crews
is not their own fault, but that OF
wage-cutting steamship companies
it was pointed out. Government IN
spectors hand out lifeboat certifi-
Gates indiscriminately, they said, IN
colb,~: tn the companies"
white seamen on the
Vestris were S45 a month, $40 be-
low American standards. Negro
sailors, however, received around
$40 and were fed at separate messes
where the quality of the food was
much lower than at white tables.