Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-31
|vESTR|S WAS UNFIT,
british BOARD SAYS
Investigators Rule S 0S De-
Iayed Too Long; Hold Craft
Was Overloaded.

by WIG hS6OCINtEu EECSSs
LONDON, July 31.-The Lamport &
Holt liner Vestris. when she set out on
ner fatal voyage from Hoboken last
November, was overloaded and unfit
to encounter the perils of her Winter
trip. was the main finding Of the Board
Of Trades inquiry into her sinking with
a loss of 112 lives rendered today.
The inquiry court also found that
when peril did overtake the ship, her
SOS warning was too long delayed,
the court declaring that it should have
been sent out six hours earlier.
Answers List Of Questions.
The court answered a list of So ques-
ton bearing on the liners loss which
the board had prepared and decided
that the main contributory causes were:
% Loading the vessel beyond the
load line.
90 The tender condition Of the ship.
80 Insufficient margin of stability
and reserve of buoyancy.
90 Heavy weather and high wind
and sea, causing the vessel to list to
starboard.
(5) Water finding its way into the
lower bunkers saturating the coal. caus-
ing list and probably preventing the
pumps from working efficiently.
Minute Details Examined.
The court, which had sat for q
record period of 40 days hearing EVIL
dence in the case which previously had
been dealt with by two American In
veStigating bodies, went infinitely into
all the circumstances Of the ships
tragic end.
It found that disaster overlook her
sooner than expected, after trouble de-
veloped, and that this probably was
the reason for the failure of more life
boats to get away with further saving
of life.
Considerable attention was paid to
the question of overlooking and several
Of those who had duties to perform n
connection with vessels cargo were
held blameworthy in varying degrees
The court named Mr. Woods, registered
some degree to blame for failing to take
further measures to prevent overload
ing, when he had been informed the
ship had previously sailed overloaded.
New York Agents Fined.
The court ordered the payment of
$500 costs by David Cook, vice presi-
dent of Sanderson & Son. New York
agents OF Lamport and Holt, who, it
held. had not taken adequate measures
to prevent the vessel from being loaded
below her load line. and it named Capt.
Harry Wheeler, marine superintendent,
and Capt. William HeaSley, assistant
marine superintendent, as blameable
in lesser degrees.
The court also found Chief Officer
Frank johnson remiss in the manner
in which he dealt with the ships
matches, but said his conduct did not
amount to wrongful act or default.
The court also found that there was
remissness in placing all the women
and children in certain lifeboats
through the mistaken application of the
traditional order women and children
first
Crew Held Orderly.
1t was impossible to say whether the
absence Of definite orders to 60 to
boat stations and abandon ship caused
loss of life. There was no lack Of
order and discipline among the crew.
The court recommended that the
same protection as to the safety of life
afforded to immigrant ships by the
Board OF Trade supervision and inspec-
ton should be extended to all foreign
going passenger ships. Consular author
tiles should observe and record drafts.
The court, in its findings. reviewed
the progress of the ships voyage and
the development of the trouble which
ended in disaster as well as the manner
of handling the situation when the shin
had to be abandoned. It found the
hfeboats properly equipped, with one
exception through accident, but not
properly manned. nor did each carry
its proper complement OF passengers
and crew.
Two more boats should have been got
away and the probable reason for this
failure was that disaster overlook the
ship before 1t was expected"
The courts finding continued: There
was some Reorganization, owing to
crew and passengers going to boats
other than those allotted them. In par
ticular, women and children were placed
in three Of the port boats in mistaken
application of the traditional order of
women and children first. There was
no lack of order among the crew or any
particular section of the crew."
Coming to the question Of the times
at which wireless messages for assist
ance were sent out by order of Capt.
Carey, the court found these were sent
at such times as would insure their re-
ception by ships carrying one wireless
operator.
Lack Of Assistance.
The court considered the messages
should have been sent not later than 4
am. Evidence was given during the in
quiry that the first OS actually was
sent out shortly before 10 am,
AS to what vessels had an opportuni-
ty of rendering assistance to the VestriS
or how it was the assistance didn't
~, l1nr kofnro cHo conR tho court
considered there was insufficient evil
dence to enable it to reply.
In its findings regarding overlooking
responsibility the court found that
neither the chief engineer nor Messrs.
Lamport and Holt, Ltd, were guilty OF
a wrongful act or default.
Neither was Alfred Woods, except
insofar as his commission to make rep
resentation to Sanderson and Son OH
the subject of overlooking might have
been connected with the overlooking
of the Vestris on her last voyage.
Other Contributing Causes.
The court, however, considered
Messrs. Cook, Wheeler and Heasley
guilty of wrongful acts and default
which contributed to the loss OF the
Vestris.
Other main, contributory causes to
the loss of the ship were as follows:
Upper deck matches in starboard shelter
deck, bunker and cross alleyway, not
being battened down soon enough In
some cases and not at all in others;
water finding its way to the lower
bunkers and saturating the coal, which
caused q list and probably prevented
the pumps from working efficiently;
scuppers becoming means for inflow
of water into the upper deck after q
certain angle of list had been reached.
These scuppers not being stopped or