Evening star., 1928-12-19
REPORTS VESTR|S
PERSONNEL FAILED
u. S. Commissioner Says
Crew Was Disorganized and
No Orders Issued.
BY the Associated press.

BY the Associated Press,
NEW YORK, December 19.-United
States Commissioner Francis A. O'Neill,
who presided at the Federal inquiry
into the sinking of the steamer Vestris
with loss of more than 100 lives, said
in his official report today that there
was an almost total absence of organ
ization on the ship.
"The organization and assignments
which were supposed to be in force, :"
the report read, were almost wholly
abandoned and no new organization
was created"
The report stated that there was no
general order to prepare the lifeboats
and get passengers and crew into them,
that no order to abandon ship was
issued, and that the officers did not in
most instances go to their assigned
positions or make any attempt to dis
tribute passengers in their proper boats.
This failure on the part of the per-
sonnet" Commissioner O'Neill wrote,
land the unwise methods pursued are
the more extraordinary inasmuch as
the approach of danger was gradual
and apparent, and 1t left ample time
to conduct an effective and properly or
ganized operation"
The commissioner made IA recon-
mendations the better to safeguard life
at sea.
Regulations Held Faulty.
The O'Neill report said that the
storm the Vestris encountered and dur
i ing which it filled with water and keeled
over was severe, but that such vessel
ought to have passed through 1t read
lily If well found and seaworthy.
Considerable space was given In the
report to consideration of inspection OF
lifeboatS. Edward Keener. who inspect
ed the VeStris before she sailed, as an
inspector of the steamboat inspection
service of the Department of Commerce
wrote in his official report that he had
lowered lifeboats In accordance with
regulations, but admitted at the YES
iris inquiry that this report was false
In this connection O'Neill quoted a
communication from the Department OF
Commerce dated May l, 1913. in which
it was said that regulations about low
ering lifeboats are applicable only to
| American ships.
| supervising inspector of the inspection
service, as saying that the requirements
! of the British Board of Trade as to
testing lifeboats were only applicable
to British ships touching home port
| The Vestris, British ship piled be-
tween New York and South America.
Holds S. o. S. Delayed.
| ''We have therefore" Commissioner
O'Neill continued, "the astonishing and
disquieting fact that there is no legal
| requirements for the periodical testing
OF lifeboats on foreign vessels leaving
American ports for ports other than a
home pet of the foreign country and
tnat any testing which may take place
is, In consequence, purely voluntary and
not adequate basis for holding the in
spector to any definite accountability. -
AS with lifeboats so the same con-
dition exists as to testing of life pre-
servers, the commissioner continued.
and with great Difference" he recorded
his disagreement with the opinion that
American requirements are not appli-
cable to all vessels sailing from Ameri-
can ports.
The commissioner stated that condi-
tions at o'clock of the day the ship
sank should have prompted prudent
master to send out distress call at
that time. Capt. William Carey dis
patched the first o S at 10 o'clock.
THE delay for six hours caused the
great loss of life" Commissioner O'Neill
| asserted. IF the S OS had been sent
out at o'clock vessels would have
been standing by in a calm sea before
the YsstEis sank,a .