The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-27
CAPTAIN CAREY
|. REFUSED RESCUE
Radiog'rams Revealed;
Company Guilty

Testimony at two different hear.
ings yesterday, one before u. S
District Attorney futile and the
ether before Y. S. Commissioner
Francis A. ONeill, confirmed the
charges made by the Daily Worker
early in the Vest~is case, that the
Lamport-Holt Company and the
government inspectors were to
blame for the loss ct 113 lives.
Before the Cor missioner. James
s. Smith, ago~t the Marccni In
ternational Maritime Communica
tions Company, presented duplicates
of radjoerams which had cleared
through his company. He had pre-
viously testified that the Vestris
S. o. S. came at 9:56 a. m. The mes
sage revealed that the White Star
liner Cedric" answered at 1886 a.
M, as follows:
Vestgis Captain. Refused Aid.
Received message. Am $50
miles from your position. If moth
ing nearer, will come to your as
distance. (Signed) Smith, Cedric"
Six minutes later, Captain Carey
of the Vestris, with the ship sinking
beneath his feet radioed the fol-
lowing reply:
Thanks. Don't need YOUR help.
Proceed. (Signed) Carey"
In addition, Captain Overstreet of
the battleship Wyoming testified
that the Vestris IN sending out the
6. o. S. on the morning of Novem-
her IL gave a position SO miles west
Of where she actually was and this
confused the rescue ships. He
named the various ships who were
nisled by the Vesiris captain.
Life Preservers Unsafe.
Overstreet added that the life
preservers used in American pas
senger service are unsafe, as they
allow a person who succumbs to cold
and fatigue in the water and col
lapses to fall with the head in the
water, and thus drown. United
States inspectors have previously
made much fuss over proving" they
pass no unsafe preservers.
! It is revealed that damage suits
entered so far against the Lamport-
Holt Company total $562,000, and
that the company, although under
stood to have had 100000 insur-
ance on the Vestris and the backing
of the great Furness- Witty inter
ests and the Royal Steam Packet
Corporation, the biggest cclnbina-
ton in the world, is moving to take
advantage of L. S. maritime laws
which protect shipping capitalists in
such cases by limiting the damages
total to the extent of the value OF
the particular ship and her cargo
That the company is practically
ird-degreeing" the Vestris' Off
GERS to keep them from involving
the company and to turn the blame
upon the Negro firemen, is seen ir
the statement of Harry Wheeler
superintendent of the Lamport-H Holt
Line, before U. S. Attorney Tuttle
Wheeler said that he had mot de-
cided yet" what made the ship sink
and he was delayed in the inquiry
by collapse of Chief Engineer James
F.. Adams, who broke down while
being questioned at the Lamport-
Holt offices on Sunday" Adams
was the man who tried to lay the
blame on the "black gang"
This view is sustained by other
evidence. Reginald Dickson, "a.
year-old sixth engineer, also trieo
to lay the blame on the crew yes.
terday, but when faced with ques'
lions showing his contradictory tes
timony, only shrugged his shout.
ders and refused to answer.
Moreover, until yesterday, the in
vestigators had searched in vain fol
the fourth engineer, George Pres
wick, who finally appeared yester
day with a glib story supporting
Adams and Dickson in attacks OF
the crew.
These were at once refuted b!
Joseph Garner, Negro coal trim
mer, who fatty denied charges o
"mutiny," asserting that the crew
obeyed every order, worked in watel
and that all were calm as the shil
sank. a fact that really surprised
him.