Evening star., 1928-11-18
Continued From First Page


/ been nervous and irritable, Adams was
calm. Patiently, over and over again
| in his scarcely audible voice-the voice
| of man who does not do much talk
! ing-Adams tried to explain to Tuttle
| the problems that confronted him or
the Vestris all day Sunday and Mon
day morning.
Went to See Captain.
The climax in Adams story came
when Tuttle asked him If he talked
to the captain Monday morning.
Yes. / went up to see him about II
O'Clock Monday morning" Adams said
He asked me how things were going.
! said. CAPTAIN; the water is not gain
ing now. I'm holding. I can manage
W steam The captain said. Well. do
the best you can And that was the
last time spoke to him.
Adams then told Of keeping the
pumps going all Sunday night Pre-
viously he had told of discovering four
leaks Sunday both port and starboard,
had said that he had discovered late
Sunday afternoon a starboard leak
which he thought was through the coal
port which had been drenched loose In
the storm. and had described how,
standing in the water the stokcrs had
kept the boilers going.
Examination of johnson.
johnson was questioned and an
swered as follows:
who had charge of loading coal on
the Vestris?" United States Attorney
Tuttle asked.
We'll. the chief engineer"
"You had nothing to do with it,"
No"
Where was it put in?"
Two coal ports 5 feet above the
water line. They were about feet
square"
How were they closed?"
"A door on a hinge, fastened from
the outside
Any way TO close them from inside?"
No"
What did you do about it on this
trip?"
Il gave orders to the carpenter, a
man named Wahl."
Was he among the survivors,"
YES"
johnson said he didn't think" there
we're any places for gaskets to seal the
edges around these doors.
Had there ever been any such
gaskets?"
TN not sure"
"As a matter of fact. weren't some of
those gaskets missing?"
There was no place for gasketS."
You're willing to swear to that
that there never had been any gasketS?"
so far as I know there never were
any"
Never Inspected Ports.
"a
ONeill, presiding at the hearing, asked
sion to examine the ports so that he
81 had the opportunity"
But you never did inspect those
ports?" Tuttle asked
II never had occasion to. There'd
never been any trouble with them"
There was trouble enough on the
last trip. You never inspected the
ports personality"
Tuttle asked johnson to describe in
detail how doors we're closed. He said
each door had IL or is bolts.
How were the bolts fastened?"
The bolts were screwed into the hull
of the ship There was thread in the
hull and thread on the bolt"
How soon after you sailed did the Of
f1cers discover something out Of order
on the ship?"
Seven pm. Sunday"
Contradicts Radio Operator.
Your radio operator yesterday said
he noticed a 10-degree list Saturday
night. He's wrong?"
YES
Passengers here have said they OBJ
served the list long before Sunday night.
They are wrong, are they?"
There was a slight list caused by
wind and sea on port side Sunday"
You say there was no list Satur-
day night?"
"Yes."
"Then your radio operator doesn't
know what he's talking about?"
Il don't say anything about the racio
operators"
when did you first discover any,
thing wrcng?"
Seven thirty Sunday night"
Don't you know Capt Carey sent
a radio that the ship had hove to since
Sunday noon?"
THAT was because of bad wealth
er---"
Capt. Carey said sea was only mod
erately rough. He was wrong. was hep"
1T was more than moderately rough"
Also Differs With Captain.
"You contradict your captain, do
you?"
Yes"
When did you land here?"
Tuesday"
Where have you been since them"
"At the Holley Hotel"
with what representatives of the
line have you talked?"
Mr. Clark, one of the lawyers of
the line, another laWyer-I don't re-
member his name"
when did you talk to them?"
Tuesday evening"
Talk to anybody else representing
the Iine?"
Capt. Heasley. the marine superin-
| tendent of the line
ANY one else?"
Capt. Regan."
Did YOU talk to any OF these men
Wednesday. Thursday or Friday?"
Il went to the lawyers Office Thurs
day evening"
Whom did you meet there"
Mr. Clark"
Did you put in written report
after landing?"
| NO"
You've made no written report yet?'
! No"
who told you Sunday night that
! something was wrong?"
The ship took heavy lurch and
went around to see what, if any, dam
! age had been done. was anxious about
the deck cargo. They reported to me
that the cargo had shifted-that bulk
heads had broken down and that the
cargo was in the fo'castle."
Found Water Coming i'm Door.
| Johnson said he made an inspection
and found the half door was making
quite lot of water. The half door, ht
| said, was aft of the coal ports anc
| about the same distance from the wa.
ter. 1t was fastened with about 10 bolts
fastened frono tho inside