New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-11-14
KNOWN RESCUED
NOW TOTAL 2l8
Continued From First Pase)

crew uAo O0en AuuC0eQ IN llc
boats. after two boatloads OF women
and children had been hurled into
the sea. most Of them to die. and
while the rest were leaping from
the ships sides and swimming for
their lives lest they be dragged
down with the laundering hulk.
Survivors told today that the ira
ditions Of the sea had been scru-
pulously observed as 10 giving first
thought to women and children. but
fate had turned gallantry into dis
aster, and they told an appealing
story of inadequate preparation for
disaster. The first two boats. were
filled with women and children -
there were 81 women and 10 chill
dren on board and the crew
started to lower away. Then the
sinking ship lurched, the boats
crashed against its side and women
and children poured into the billow-
ing waves. Reports available today
indicate that all the children per-
ished and but 10 of the women
were saved.
Intentions Were Good
On the whole. the 125 survivors
arriving today on the American
Shipper and the % on the Berlin
agreed that in intention the officers
and crew of the Vestris had been
beyond criticism. but many of them
blamed the captain. who went down
with his ship. for indecision which
they saw as one principal reason
for the large loss of life. believed
to total los.
The ship began to list on Satur-
day night, they said. and its condi-
ton grew more serious steadily
throughout Sunday, and yet no dis
tress call was sent until the middle
Of Monday morning and as result
no rescue ships were on the scene
until many hours after the ship
sank at 1880 that afternoon.
Tackle Was Faulty
when the captain did decide TO
abandon ship. shortly after the first
SOS. call. the tackle Of the lifeboats
was found to be faulty. 1t took
hours TO lower them, the ones with
the women and children were
era shed. and another was stove In
and put away with a gaping hole
in it's side.
Only two boats were successfully
launched. although others broke
loose as the ship sank and were
caught by swimming survivors. The
greater number of passengers and
crew had to fling themselves into
the water. One man told of seeing
the ship sink two minutes after he
jumped from the deck and there
was general feeling that others
may not have jumped In time and
we're carried down into the watery
depths with the captain.
Grew More Hardy
OF those who did get into the
water and survive the actual sink
ing of the ship the majority Of
those eventually saved were men,
bers Of the crew, the greatest loss
OF life being among the passengers.
PLANTATION in the theory that the
crew were men accustomed to hard
labor, more able TO withstand the
hardship of those freezing hours in
the waves. and not to any general
effort on the part of the crew to
take positions Of comparative safe
ty in the boats rightfully belonging
by the law of the sea to the pas
sengers.
Rcscuer's Account
New York. Nov. ~ CT-This is
the story told today by Captain
Schuyler Cummings. master of the
steamer American Shipper. which
brought to port ~ passengers and
81 OF the crew OF the Vestris.
"On Monday. November 18th. at
1906 a. m.," he said" we received
an sos. from the Vestris and i'm
mediately changed our course to the
southwark and proceeded at utmost
speed to the position given. After
the sos. attempts were made to
get the true position of the Vestrs
by the use Of the radio compass, but
signals became SO weak that we
could not get bearings. We, there
fore. had TO rely on the position
given by the steamer Vcstris. and
radio positions relayed from shore
stations.
about 1880 p. M. we arrived al
one of the positions given by some
shore stations, but nothing was in
sight. and we continued on a south
erly course to the position given by