Evening star., 1928-11-22
LEAK ON VESTR|S
IGNORED SO HOURS,
WITNESS CHARGES
Stream of Water Began to
Pour Through Hopper Sun
day, Fireman Says.
TILT DRAWS PROTEST
FROM FIRMS ATTORNEY
Inquiry Officials Admit Cause of
Disaster Is Not Shown in
Probe to Date.

BY the Associated Press.
FEDERAL BUILDING. NEW YORK
November 22.-Joseph BoXill, negro
fireman on the foundered steamer
Vestris, testified today that the ash hop
per in the steamers engine room began
to leak a day and half before the ship
sank and he saw no efforts made to
repair it.
Boxill was the first witness of the day
at the Federal hearing into the disaster,
which cost more than 100 lives off the
Virginia Capes ten days ago.
He said that the Vestris began to list
a week ago Saturday night, few hours
after leaving New York for South Amer
lea. He had noticed similar list,
however, on previous voyages.
About 10 o'clock Sunday morning, he
said, water began to pour from the ASH
hopper. The ship sank about O'Clock
Monday afternoon.
StOkerS Stood in Water.
So much water came in from the
hopper, he continued, that the stoke
hold floor was awash and the firemen
had to stoke standing deep in water.
Water also poured into the stokehold,
he said, from half door above, which
other witnesses have testified leaked
constantly.
When he went on duty at midnight
Sunday, Boxill continued, the water had
stopped one of the ships three main
engines. The stokerS had to be held
up as they shoveled because of the
ships list.
There was a brief interchange during
Boxill'S testimony when Capt. E. P.
Jessup. American nautical adviser to
United States Commissioner O'Neill,
presiding at the hearing, asked for some
blue prints of the VeStriS.
A lawyer for the Lamport & Holt
Line said that none was available.
Data at Second Probe.
"There must be blue prints" Capt.
Jessup said. "You couldn't operate
your ship out of this port without blue
prints
1T developed that all available blue
prints had been sent down to the sepa-
rate inquiry being conducted by the
United States steamboat inspection
service.
Before this was made clear. how
ever. the lines lawyer complained that
he was being unjustly criticized for
not having witnesses and diagrams at
both hearings at the same time.
Both Capt. JeSsup and United States
Attorney Tuttle, who is conducting the
Federal inquiry, disclaimed any in
tention or desire to criticize the line.
Boxill said that despite very trying
and perilous conditions all through the
night the firemen stuck to their posts
in the stoke hold and obeyed the orders
of their officers They had nothing to
eat from Saturday night up to the time
the ship sank Monday afternoon, he
said.
Ordered Below Deck.
Boxill said he helped dump cargo
overheard until the chief officer came
along and ordered all hremen below.
This was about IL o'clock Monday
morning, he said. He was lying on a
hatch cover, nauSeated, he said, but he
was ordered down with the rest.
After seeing the way things were
down there, the men came back up
Boxill said. II stayed below deck.
Finally was the only one below, SO I
came up on deck, toO. This was about
12.l5 o'clock. On deck I found every
body with lifebelts on"
The witness said he went to a life
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