Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-06
Second Officer Says Overlooking Led to
Sinking.

LONDON. May 6 (P)-Second Officer
Leslie Watson, continuing his testimony
today at the Board of Trade inquiry
into the VeStriS disaster, attributed the
sinking to "a combination of circum-
stances"
That the ship was overladen had
lot to do with it." he said, adding that
the ship failed to steer at noon on Sun
day, but that he did not think this a
matter of importance: that the master
was there and would know what the
ship could do.
Asked If he did not think an S o S
should have been sent out sooner than
it was, Watson replied, mo, not at that
time I did not think So" He did not
think that an S o S should be neces-
Sarily sent out when a ship fails to
steer.
Watson testified that at first when
he reached New York after the sinking
he said nothing about the draught, but
finally told Capt. William H. Coombs
of the Navigation and General InSur-
ance Co.
Replying to Butler ASpinall, wreck
commissioner. w. N. Raeburn, for the
Board of Trade. said that at the in
quiry held in the United States by
United States Attorney Charles H Tut
tie no witness was asked what the
draught of the Vestris was and the
court found that she was overladen. At
another inquiry one witness was asked
the draught.
Tells of Draught Figures.
When Watson was questioned about
the draught of the VeStriS by E. A.
Bigby, counsel for the relatives of the
dead officers and for the surviving OFF,
GERS, he said: We'll, Mr.. johnson and
I were just fed up with holding it back.
That is ALL" Watson and former First
Officer johnson had come to the con-
clusion that it was their duty to tell
all they knew about entries" of the
draught in the ships log book.
Referring to a visit of two American
lawyers to the New York Office a day
before United States Attorney futile be-
gan his inquiry. Watson said that Capt.
Heasley, superintendent in New York
for Lamport 81 Holt. on that occasion
gave different figures from those Wat
son said we're correct. Capt. Heasley
had then declared this is the draught
We are using"
Mr.. Raeburn pointed out to Watson
that the figures disagreed with Wat
sons figures.
II was ready to say anything he
wanted me to then" replied the W.T.
ness.
Watson explained that he had under
stood HeaSley to mean by the expression
"draught we are using" that 1t was the
draught they had decided to say the
Vestris sailed at"
Asked if the lawyers mentioned any
thing they did not want to come out,
Watson answered. We'll, we were telling
them anything that happened, and at
ANYTHING they did not like to hear they
said. DO not bother saying that or Put
it some other way"
Amount Of Cargo Unknown.
Watson stated that neither lawyer
had questioned him about what he
should say regarding the ships draught.
At United States Attorney Tuttle's in
ouiry he had been examined by Mr..
futile and neither lawyer had asked
him any questions.
Nathaniel c. Webb of Hogan IL Sons,
New York stevedores who loaded the
Vestris. was recalled and Webb gave
lengthy details of the stowage and dis
tribution of the cargo. He said 1t had
been impossible to prepare in advance a
plan showing the detailed weights going
into the ship and their proposed distri-
button because the steVedoreS had had
no weights given them.
I'VE did not know how much cargo
would arrive or what it would be-" Webb
asserted.