The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-09-11

off in the lifeboats.
 Further inquiry will be made
 about the delay in sending out the sos, concerning which there is
 conflicting testimony. Chief Officer William F. Warns, who was in command as the liner sped along the New Jersey coast with Captain Robert R. Willmott. its master, dead of heart disease, in his cabin, told the Department of Commerce inquiry yesterday that he believed sabotage caused the fire.
 Clarence Hackney, first mate, and Ivan Freeman, third mate, gave similar testimony.
 Their only theory for such an in- l human act was that it was inspired by disgruntled laborers or Cuban | communists.
 They had no actual evidence to support their belief, although they agreed an explosion was heard from the writing room where the fire apparently started. The explo- sion occurred shortly after the fire started, they said,-and seemed to come from a locker. They thought it sounded like an explo- sion of gasoline.
 Conflicting testimony was pre- septed about the speed in sending out the O s. Capt Warns insisted that it was sent promptly. Others
 insisted that there was a delay of at least 30 minutes because Warns thought the crew would control the flames.
 It has been testified that the fire was discovered about 2:45 a. m. yet
 George w. Rogers, chief radio operator, told Conboy that the s o S had not been sent until 3:25 a. m. after a "CQ," or standby to as- sist call, had been sent at 3:15 a. m Regarding the saving of passen- gers, 1t was variously testified that no organized effort was made to get them into the lifeboats, that the lifeboat operations were con- 1 ducted haphazardly, and also that | passengers were so panic-stricken that they could not be persuaded | to take a chance and leave the | inquiry, held in the customs house here under the chairmanship oi Dickerson N. Hoover, steamship | inspector of the department o1 commerce, were Warns, Hackney | and Freeman.
 Warns said he was on the bridge l when a watchman rushed up and l announced the fire. He sent Hack ney below. The latter tried to pu'
 out the blaze with a fire extin. guisher, but an explosion from the
 locker spread it everywhere. Warns sounded the fire alarm and started the siren going. he said. The lights went out and the ! electric turbines failed, stopping | the ship. The anchor was dropped Warns put the crew to work with | the fire hoses, but they could not cope with the incredible rapidity
 with which the fire spread. He then issued orders to the crew to man the lifeboats and gel I the passengers off. he testified. He went to Capt Willmott's cabin and tried to rescue the body but could not get it out. Then he stayed with his ship and the other leading of ficers until taken off by the coast guard. He was the last man to | leave.
 Freeman testified that he did not
 know. whether the crew tried to urge the passengers to the boat deck, and that there was mo or ganized central effort" to get the passengers off.
 Hackney said he received no or ders from the captain to lower the | Iifeboat of which he was in charge, although Warns testified he had issued such orders to all the of- | ficers.
 "Toward the end, the situation | became one of every man for him.