Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-25

Probing deeply into the CHASTITY Yes
iris tragedy of last November, the Boare
Of Trade in London has unearthed I'M.
portant facts which were not brough'
out in the American investigation. Some
of the disclosures have aroused indig'
nation on this side of the water, es-
officer of the ship that he lied at the
New York hearing and the evidence
that representatives Of the owners knew
that the ship was overloaded.
The amazing testimony brought tc
light in London at the hearings con-
Quoted into the sinking OF the Vestrls
that the Inflated vessel was overloaded
on her last voyage" says the Columbus
Ohio State Journal, reveals that moi
only was she loaded with more thar
she could safely carry, but the evidence
seems to be that this fact was known
to at least some of those responsible 1oi
her operation" Continuing, TINS Journa
declares that 1.-The important thing now
is to make certain that no repetition
of the Vestris disaster occurs to any
vessels coming in any degree unoei
American jurisdiction"
AS to who was to blame for the over.
loading the Morgantown New Dominion
states its opinion: IF the Vestris left
New York Harbor improperly loaded OF
overloaded, the fault was with the COM
pany entirely. Regardless OF how sue
cessful it may be in placing the plane
on the dead captain, the loss OF lie on
the Vestris was directly due to the m
eficiency, neglect and Ignorance OF tne
oficials Of that company IN new YORK.
** X
Concurrine in this view. the Madison
Wisconsin State Journal says: Here Is
direct testimony Of what to us seems 70
be a criminal culpability on the part OF
the ship owners in the overlooking OF
the vessel. The hearing In America
should be reopened," declares this pa
per. land If the charges are sustained
those responsible for the sinking OF the
Vestris should be brought to book or
the question Of responsibility, the Flint
Daily Journal observes: The interest
ing point Of how far q sea captain
should 90 in following out the orders
of his employers Is involved. He had MS
orders to take the ship to sea. He must
have known the actual conditions
Should he have followed the orders OF
the shipping company or should he nave
refused to take the ship out? An inter
esting point Of sea law and tradition i
involved there" concludes this journal
Greed dictated the overlooking OF
the Vestris." declares the Houston
Chronicle. "A callous disregard for the
safety Of the passengers was shown, pc
cause the officers Of the ship ielt tney
must be loyal to the company. Faith.
full to the corporation which employed
them, they were faithless to the code OF
the sea, which puts safety above proflts
Women and children last!"
It comes with a shock OF surprise tc
many who are not familiar with mari
time legislation that the United States
has no law now in force prohibiting
the overlooking of oceangoing ships
because the law passed at the last SEES
sion of Congress fixing load lines" 1or
such vessels and naming penalties foI
overlooking does not go into erect until
September, 1880.
On this subject the Manchester Union
says, however: 1T is true that our
steamship laws contain no regulation
regarding load line, so that inspectors
may diSclaim any responsibility for al
lowing a ship TO leave port overloaded
This claim, however, will scarcely stand
scrutiny, for the task of the inspector Is
TO determine that ship Is seaworthy
judgment that can hardly be made
If she is overloaded to the extent OF
eight inches below her mark"
In the opinion OF the Rochester
Times Union, If it appears that legis-
lation on this side gives unscrupulous
owners or offlcerS opportunity 70 bow to
selfish impulses at the cost of the safety
Of the human cargo, then the loss OF
the Vestris should assuredly lead to cor
recting that condition" So also the
Columbus Dispatch, which says: "A far
more efiicient system Of inspection for
foreign ships caEryips American 9as'