Evening star., 1928-11-14

Berlin at almost the same time tina
125 others were arriving on the Ameri'
can Shipper.
Among the survivors on the Berlin
there was considerable difference o.
opinion as to the cause of the disaster
Archibald Bannister, colored boat
swain's mate, believed that sudder
shifting of the cargo in stormy weather
was responsible for the leak that tippee
the ship over on its beam ends anc
made it necessary for the l29 passen'
gers and 1879 crew members, of which
l08 are still unaccounted for, to aban'
don ship.
Other opinions were that leak
lar reason as the ship proceeded ane
caused an increasing list.
Reports Pumps Failed.
There were reports among the sur
vivors that the pumps had not worked
we'll when the hold began to fill anc
some even told of frantic efforts tc
bail out the great ship with hand
buckets.
All agreed that there was no panic
and that women and children were
given precedence in obtaining positions
in the lifeboats Others said that per-
|
In one instance five passengers from
the third class taking lneboat all to
| themselves in their haste to get away
from the sinking ship. -.
| There was some difficulty with low
ering the hfeboats. according to one.
Two boats were filled with passengers
as the little craft hung in the davits
and then it was found impossible to
lower them to the water The pas
sengers had to scramble back to the
fitting wave-washed deck to wait their
turns in other boats.
Some of the passengers reported that
one of the lifeboats had a hole in it
and planks had to be nailed over the
aperture before 1t could be launched,
leaking dangerously and beginning to
sink before 1t was 100 feet from the
Vestris, which lay lurching in the waves
with steam spouting from its portfolios.
+ Criticism Expressed.
There was some criticism among the
| survivors on the Berlin, but on the
whole this group was strong in its
praise of the way in which captain and
crew, Of the Vestris had acted. There
was no such general criticism as that
made. by the survivors on the American
| Shipuer.
Alfred Duncan, second steward, re-
! ported to have been the last to leave
Capt. Carey on the bridge of the vestris,
| told OF seeing to the needs of the pas
sengers He said that before they took
to the boats each passenger was given
some sweet crackers, a bunch of
bananas. biscuits and water
After he leaped In the water, Duncan
continued his ministrations to the pas
SengerS. Swimming to one lifeboat
crowded with almost 100 persons he
ordered some of them out, to swim to
another partly filled boat, lest all be
swamped. The steward swan around
for several hours before he was picked
up by lifeboat Is.
There were two days and nights so
! terrible I can hardly think" said
Gaetano Abbadini. third-class passen-
ger. Trouble began before daylight
Monday morning. BY 3 o'clock we were
awakened by the pitching of the boat.
We ran up on deck because we couldn't
sleep any longer.
THE sea was very rough and the
boat listed terribly on one side. Every
body was afraid. All morning we wait
ed and at noon they told us that
rescue was coming and that there was
no real danger. Then they said we
would have to take to the boats.
Swan for Hours.
when they finally decided 10 low
er stfle boats they couldn't lower all Of
them because the ship was at such
an angle. Women and children were
crying while they crowded them intn
the boats. There was no place for me
SO jumped over the side and swan
for hours in the water, until finally ]
drifted near a life boat and scrambled
in. spent another day and night
tossing in that life boat before the
Berlin found u.s."
Abbadini who is bricklayer from
Philadelphia, was on his way to Ar
gentina to marry Philomena Murri,
whom he has never seen, but with whose
picture he fell in love. He said he did
not know when he could go now. He
had lost everything and he feared to
attempt the passage in another boat.
Archibald BanniSter and other men,
bers of the crew stated that the trouble
had started with listing of the cargo
! on the Vestris. High seas and the
lurching of the vessel had completed
the damage The VestriS, they said,
| listed so far to one side that it was
| impossible to right her.
| Joseph AleXi an able seaman, in
dignantly denied that he and other COL
ored members of the crew rowed life
boat No. Is, which they got into after
it broke, away from the Vestris, away
from passengers struggling in the water.
He said the boat was rowed away
from the ship to keep it from being
demolished by swinging spar and that
this action probably saved the lifeboat,
in which % men were saved.
In Water 22 Hours.
Carl Schmidt, a third-class passen-
ger, from Chicago, would say nothing
at all about his experiences. Schmidt
was in the water for % hours. and was
found drifting among wreckage of the
Vestris clinging to two lifebeltS. Capt.
Won Thalen of the Berlin said that,
despite his long exposure, Schmidt was
lively and talkative when he was drag
ged from the water.
When the Berlin docked David Cook
vice president of the American agents
of the Lamport g. Holt Line, went
aboard and thanked Capt. Won Thaler
| for his rescue work. Won Thalen re-
| piled that what he and his men had
done was only in line of duty and that
as long as ships sail the seas there
will be tragedies like the sinking Of the
| Vestris.
Capt. Won Thalen said his steamer
had passed the floating body of man
but that he did not attempt to pick il
up because of the heavy sea, not wish
| ing to risk the lives Of the crew for the
dead
e ~