Evening star., 1934-09-17

nothing of the fire until about 3
O'Clock.
There was no fire, I know, at
2:30," he said.
Asked about the water pressure in
the hose he had manipulated, he
said:
ct would say the pressure was good,
although 1 have seen it better"
He estimated the pressure was pow
erful enough to throw q stream Of
water 20 feet, but remarked that the
fire fighting had been at "close quar-
ters."
Did you see any lifeboats being
lowered?"
Il never was on the boat deck. I
did not see any lifeboats lowered"
Hoover turned again to the char
acter of the crew.
The turnover in the department
was IL to 20 a trip" Pond said. That
is, we make that many changes when
we have a normal staff Of 120..
Questioned again about the alleged
illegal use of polish on the liner. Pond
said the stewards department had,
and used, q kind of liquid brass polish
which was distinctly marked non-tn-
hammable."
Saw Nothing but Blankets.
Richard Kopf of New York, a din
ing room steward, was asked about
the locker in the writing room.
ty. -
locker and saw nothing but blankets.
NO cans?" asked Hoover.
mo cans" echoed the witness.
Further quizzing brought out that
Kopf had mo right in the locker" )"
that it was not his station.
II was looking for 'squigie'," he
said. A squigie Is glass cleaning
apparatus used on shipboard.
Did any one else have access to
the locker?" Hoover asked.
"Yes, Ramos, another steward"
Ramos Is q Cuban?"
'I don't know. I do know he lives
in Cuba because he speaks Spanish" !"
said Kopf.
He testified that on one occasion IN
Havana he found Ramos and a boy
about Is years old at the locker.
He described his climb to the boat
deck shortly after having been in
formed of the fire.
"I went up on the starboard side.
Other crew members came after me, "
he told. Passengers couldn't come
I'D, because the fire had cut them OF. y
Couldn't Get to Passengers.
"And didn't you make any cffcrt.
to save the passengers" Kopf was
asked.
I'VE couldn't get to them" he said
tersely.
Kopf said that he helped to
"straighten out a hose"
But" he continued, 1--WE didn't get
any water on the fire"
I'VE were more or less frightened, p"
he remarked.
I'VE worked at the hose for about
five minutes"
I'VE took positions at the lifeboats.
We guided passengers up"
Kopf said he put out from the
doomed liner in No. lifeboat.
How many passengers were in
that lfeboat?"
Three or four"
"Who ordered the lifeboat lowered
away?"
THE chief engineer ordered it."
Kopf said he saw but one other life
boat lowered into the water-No. 3
boat.
1T was all smoke and I couldn't
see," he explained.
Engineer Got Into Boat.
He said that on his way to the boat
deck he saw no passenger. THE lights
had gone out by this time"
How long was 1t after you had en-
tered your life boat that the chief en-
gineer ordered the boat lowered?"
About 10 minutes" was the answer.
''He ordered 1t several times. The
engineer got in the boat himself"
You heard no one order him into
it?"
"No-he did 1t himself"
The hearing then was recessed for
lunch.
Hoover said that George 7. Alagna,
radio operator, who has in previous
testimony been termed both "agitator"
and a hero in the disaster, would not
be called to the stand today.
No Trouble With Walters.
The first witness of the afternoon
session, Charles Wright of New York,
head waiter on the Moro Castle, tes-
titled his roommate woke him up and
informed him of the fire.
Did you ever have any trouble
with your waiters?"
mo serious trouble" he replied
"I discharged some for getting
drunk"
Wright said he dashed from his
room in the aft starboard part Of the
ship, up to "B" deck, shouting in
structions to frantic passengers.
Karl Nielsen, one of the board
members, asked the witness If he saw
any fire around an elevator shaft in
the aft part of the liner.
Wright replied that he saw no fire,
Just smoke, at this time
How did you get off the boat?"
Il went up to the boat deck, telling
passengers to don life BELTS" he an
swered, ignoring the question.
Wright explained that he had