Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-31
THREE KNOWNDEAD
i'm SINKING OF BOAT
Several Others Missing in
Disaster to Holiday Fish
ing Excursion.
~ the Associated Press.

Z ~ the Associated Press.
SANTA MONICA, Calf, May 81
Various estimates today indicated that
from to 10 persons lost their lives late
Z yesterday in the capsizing during a
sudden squat of the fishing boat
Z Ameco, heavily loaded with a Memorial
day holiday crowd.
< Three bodies, those of young woman,
q boy and a man, have been recovered.
Capt. William Lightfcot, master of the
Z 45-foot boat; Mrs. C. A. Morris, its
owner, and city and county authorities,
however, disagreed on the total number
aboard the vessel.
Lightfoot said his passengers num-
bered ST. There were three crew mem
bers. Mrs Morris said she sold SIS
tickets to prospective passengers and
Capt. William Bright Of the sheriff's
office and Chief Clarence Webb of the
Santa Monica police said they believed
i So passengers were aboard.
Forty-nine Brought Ashore.
Police counted 40 survivors brought
: ashore by other fishing boats which
went to the rescue. They were treated
in local hospitals and allowed to go
home. Some of them suffered no more
than wetting, while others were I'M
conscious and were revived by inhalator
squads.
Bright and Webb, after questioning
survivors and relatives of persons known
to have gone fishing during the day,
declared there were seven missing.
The known dead:
John w. Lockhard, IA, Pasadena.
T. E. Barnett, rs, Los Angeles.
Margaret Keller, 10, Santa Monica.
The missing, as announced by author
ities:
c. K. Lake. Glendale: James Hunts
man, Santa Monica; Joseph Memoli,
Sawtelle; Richard Consey, Los Angeles:
w. S. Ferguson, Glendale william
Jones, Glendale, and Sam S. Suenari.
Los Angeles.
( Some May Have Escaped.
Some of these missing may have
escaped death. George Hughes, whose
srelatives insisted he had been aboard
sthe Ameco, came ashore at midnight
sfrom fishing barge where he had been
stranded since early yesterday afternoon
by high seas.
No passenger list had been made out,
: as fishing boats are not required to take
the names of those purchasing tickets.
This added to the difficulty of checking
the missing.
Disaster struck the craft shortly after
4 o'clock as it was returning to the
Santa Monica pier.
From a comparatively salm sea, q
strong wind suddenly swept the ocean
front. Thousands of persons on the
beaches saw waves between IS and 80
feet high race toward the small craft
: The waves lifted the boat to their
scrests and dropped it in the raging
efFO1lCl1c of fI7o t1o
passengers dashed TO cover on the port
side of the Ameco. The sudden shift
of weight as the boat lowered on a wave
crest toppled it over, hurting the crew
land passengers into the angry seas.
Almost in a moment the boat sank.
. Freedom Goes to Aid.
Shril1 cries of the victims could be
heard on the beaches. Another fish,
ing boat, the Freedom, coming to shore,
was nearby and turned to the aid of
the stricken passengers. Picking its
way carefully among the faces dotting
the sea, its crew succeeded in picking
up Y persons, including the crew.
The bodies of Lockhard and Barnett
were recovered from the ocean Miss
Keller died ashore from exposure.
Z Utter confusion followed attempts to
locate the missing.
An investigation of the disaster was
ordered by Capt. S. A. Kennedy of
the United States steamboat inspection
service.
In his account of the tragedy Capt.
1ightfoot Of the Ameco said: I'VE
were under power returning to the docks
when suddenly some very big swells
were blown up by strong wind and
broke over our bow. Every one rushed
to the port side. The effect of the
waves and the shift in passengers
caused the boat to keel over and She
sank almost Immediately.