The Washington times., 1928-11-14
VICTIMS 81 Gil I
. SHIPS, SIGNALS
FAIL
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wrenched from its davits a life
boat-No. 13--from the second cabin
section. The negroes manned this
boat and then padded away
through the floating debris picking
up such persons as they could from
the water. 1t was this boat that
saved O. l.. Maxey and T. e.
Mack.
This boat had no rudder and
it was difficult to steer on the
high waves" said Maxey.
Maxey told what he had learned
of the cause of the sinking.
I'VE don't know what caused the
disaster" Maxey said. "but the
Vestris was loaded with autOmO-
biles and ! do not see hOw the
cargo could have shifted. Water
entered the coal bunkers from a
leak in the hull.
I'VE had a list from 10 o. m.
Sunday when we struck the gale
until TO a. m. Monday. when the
hurricane deck was under water.
4 1--WE were never told to get ready
to take to the boats.
'We were always in water up
to our knees.
eve were not frighteened we
were prepared to reach a ship, not
to die. We knew there had been
an S. o. S. sent out. When the
Berlin picked us up there vas a
heavy roll but the seas were not
very high.
For food we had crackers and
water The crew was fire If the
S. o. s. had been sent five hours
earlier. everyone would have been
saved"
First Three Boats Smashed
Gaetano Abbadin, of Philadel-
phia, was another rescued aboard
the Berlin. He told story sub
4 stantiaily the same as these re-
lated by Quiros and Mack.
Archibald Bannistter, boatswain's S
mate. told a moca technical story
of the disaster and the last mo-
men+s of the Vestris.
Bannister said eight lifeboats got
safely away from the listing Vestris.
The first three boats were smashed.
Almost Immediately after, the ship
went down.
The survivors, Bannister said, saw
the lights of five rescue ships off
across the sea in the night but could
not attract attention. He said those
were the worst minutes of the night
as the big liners moved all about the
Il % in the lifeboat who huddled help
less and saw them move off again.
Bannister said the lifeboat passed
through a storm before being picked
up by the Berlin.
Hatches Shattered
when the ship" Maxey said, was
sinking Mack and myself started to
get into one of the lifeboats but we
saw it already overcrowded so we
stepped back rather than endanger
the lives of the persons already in
it, We dived from the ship. and
started to swim about, buoyed up
with life belts
1t was Maxey who told the story
of the three negro seaman who
swan TO the ship and wreched
loose a lifesboat which they manned.
The Vestris ran into hurricane
4 on Sunday morning, according to
the following information from
Mack:
.tIt was about o'clock on Sunday
morning when this gale struck US.
The terrific force of the water stove
in the forward matches. Then a
bulkheadg burst, allowing the en-
gine room to be flooded. We took
a tremendous list to starboard and
the furniture on the port side was
torn away.
/ Listing Increased
Later the wind died down and
ia o'clock on Monday morning
the sea was calm but the list of
the ship was worse. BY 10 o'clock
Monday morning the starboard rail
was under water and the pa5sen-
gers were summoned to the prone
made deck and told to put on life
preserVers.
Zone of the lifeboats which had
hole in its shide was crudely re-
paired while the others were being
launched, filled with women and
children. When the repaired boat
was put overheard it took water rap
idly and sank about 100 feet away
from the Vestris.
Mack was one of the most
severe critics of the manner in
which the ships crew handled the
situation.
"To my mind this tragedy was
marked by the. most laundering
work of the ships crew." he said.
"The victims never had a chance.
The seamen took too long to
| IauHCn TIC DOdtS ANU OuO
of them was not SeaWOrthy.
However. Mack praised individual
members of the crew for their
heroism. He continued:
Better Than Captain
"Chief Mate Bowser showed more
presence of mind than the captain.
A SECOND steward swan around in
the water and transferred people
from one boat to another.
81 saw lifeboats No. and 6 go
down. These were filled mostly
with women and children. There
were a few sailors to man the oars.
"I believe that the total number
of persons who actually got into
the lifeboats that stayed afloat was
not more than Is or 80. If others
were saved. they were fished up
out of the water.
/ The BoatsWain's made said he
last saw Captain Carey standing on
the port side just before the Vestris
sank and said he believes the mas
ter went down. with his ship.
Bannister also believes the radio
operator Michael O'Loughlin went
down in the Vestris.
One of the last to jump from the
fast heeling-oVer vessel, Bannister
said he heard the sputter of the
radio instrument even az he jumped.
O'Loughlin, Bannister said, was