Evening Star Newspaper, November 15, 1928, Page 4

P EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 15, 1998, U. S. BEGINS INQUIRY OF VESTRIS DISASTER PASSENGER RAPS CAPTAIN OF VESSEL " Argentinian Says Indications Sunday Were That Ship Was Doomed. attached to the William Carlos Qui arlos Ry Argentine consulate at from the S. S. Berlin ing his story “of the he Vestris. After resting yesterday, fok- lowing the artival of the Berlin, Mr. Quiros wrote for The Star and North American Newspaper Alliance the fol- iowing complete account of his experi- gives a moving and graphic the disaster. ence. Tt picture of BY WILLIAM CARLOS QUIRCS. NEW YORK, November 15.—Common sense alone would have sufficed to foretell that the Vestris was doomed, as early as Sunday evening, when .the ship began to list further and further as each oncoming wave battered its hull. I had retired early, not feeling par- ticularly hungry. I had some fruit and consomme brought to my eabin. . Eat- Ing, however, was difficult. The Vestris seemed to dance to the rhythm of the waves and the tune of the throbbing engines. I noticed that the curtains at the porthole hung over to the right, swinging further to the right at each succeeding jolt. I wondered why. Then I realized that the ship was listing; otherwise the curtains - would have swung back to their normal position. When I finished my supper I un- dressed and got into bed. But I was worried. I had a foreboding that some- thing was wrong. 1 was suddenly awakened by a shock. An_empty bed, which faced my own, had torn loose from its fastenings. My watch and other ariicies which were an my night table had crashed to the loor. I put on my shoes:and trousers and went out on deck. I may have been 10 or 11 o'clock, I don't recall the exact hour. I met an officer who, when 1 nressed him for information concerning what was happening} told me thal everything was ok. He advised me tc g0 back to bed,~so I did. §ea Flooded Dicks. When I'got up on Monday morning I noticed that the speed of the steamei had visibly slewed. I discovered that the sea had alfeady flooded the lower decks. Members 5f the crew were en- deavor to bail it eut with buckets. Such futility! I am-not & man ol the sea, but this struck me as ridiculous. ‘You might as well try to empty a river with a drinking s.ll&s I then went to Capt. Carey and asked him whether there was any danger. “No danger at all” he replied. “We shall have this trouble over very soon ‘Then everything will be all' right.” I am sure that the captain at that time already was aware that the Vestris ‘was doomed. Perhaps he was too proud to ask for help until all appeared defi- nitely lost. I am not trying to be- smirch the memo=~ of a man who went down with his eraft, but ‘T am over- fiowing with indignation that the trag- edy happened—a tragedy which, in my opinion, could have been easily averted if an earlier S O S call had been sent. I was not afraid, but I was cautious. Disregarding the optimism of the cap- tain, I got hold of a life preserver and put it on underneath my overcoat. Several passengers laughed at me as I made a four of the deck. “There Is No Danger.” “There is no danger!” they shouted. “You won’t need a life preserver. e captain told us so.” ‘It you are wise,” I shouted back, “you will go and get life preservers right now. I believe you will need them soon, and then it might be too late.” About 11 o'clock the situation became critical. It was not possible any longer to hoodwink the passengers. Anybody .23 had eyes could see that the Vestris was due to disappear under the sur-~ face of the ocean. I shall never forget the moment when the captain finally gave orders. for the lifeboats to b launched. White-faced, withcut cav, he stood on the-hurricane deck. He scemed a broken man. . “Wemen and children to the: right!” he_shouted. R 2 There wes a ruch, and all women and children on boerd were soon lined up and placed in two boats—boats which never got away from the stricken liner and sank with it, plurging their human burden beneath the waves. Could Not Handle Bogts. - Utterly Jacking in ability to handle the bcnu'btlhet"e:‘i‘; were befuddled and were unable to disentangle the ro which made the craft (u% to the nups of the steamer. With William W. Davies, general representative of La Nacion of Buenos Atfres in Ncw York, I stood on deck to the very last. I had heard that ships sometimes remain afioat several days. I thought that by staving aboard we , had a better chanc> to save our lives. . Koppe, a friend of ours, had already left the steamer and taken a rlics in boat No. 8. one of the two boats which, sank with the Vestris. Suddenlv we heard something which sounded Nk a pistol shot. “The ceptain has shot himself!” I tc'd Davioz, We turned cur eves to the hurricane and saw that the master of the . standing to his exp'ezion ‘of stiam. probab by the pressure cf the water filling liner. g it rime tq got" T called 15 Divies. We she hands and jumpsd over- board. 3 Swim._ o' Other Boaf, I swam for a boat standing near by, but It was too full. A countrywoman of mine, a young lady with golden .hair, cxtznded her hand to me. “Come on,” £h> said. T realized there were too many on board already, and invited her to swWim with me to another “boet a little farther .away, which was occu- pied by five negroes ‘only. She shook hershead. I went on- al . The negroes pulled me in. For a while we drifted. Other passengers czme to cur boat and were lifted in. ‘When night came the negroes began to get uneasy. They rowed madly in o'l dire~tions and sent rockets up in the rky. I thought it would have been batter to remain still. Rowing made th= beat cut the waves too sharply, and we <hinged a lof’ofl water ‘There followed a procession of dreary hours. Cold, hungry and wet, an Italian was shivering next to me. I went to sleep, but not for long. A kick on my shins brought me back to life. A giant negro, sitting near me, was the donor of the kick. Why he did it I do not know. I knew. however. that I got angry and let slip’a number of words. The negro began to tremble. “Now man,” he said, “Don’t swear just now Please man, don’t swea>." As time went by #nd not a ship ap- peared I begsn tn have rorious fears for our safety. We had more than r foot of water in the boat and I doubte” that we could ksen afloer very much longer. Just as I wes puiting my soul in the care of my Maker two steamers epproached Picked Up by Berln. One of them scemod only a cargc boat, while the oth>r leo%2d lke a reg. ular liner. The first was the nearest 50 the negroes put th~ prew of our boat in its direction. “Better make for the oihsr one” advised. “Chances are that we shall have a better meal ther~.” The negroes complied with my re- quest. A -few minutes later ‘we were picked ip by the Berlin. I was so chilled that despite the fact 7 \CAPITAL Mrs. Helen Adiung, Passen- ger on Berlin, Tells of Race to Scene. First Feared Own Vessel Was Sinking When Lifeboats Were Prepared. Still thrilling from the sight of the rescue of many survivors of the ill-fated steamship Vestris, Mrs. Helen Adlung, 710 Sixth street, a passenger on the North German Lloyd steamer Berlin, today gave a first-hand aceount of how fear among the passengers of the Berlin that their own ship was sinking quickly turned to excitment when it was learned that they were rushing to the assistance of another vessel. Pirst " intimation that anything was wrong reached Mrs. Adlung as she was seated on deck with another passenger Monday, when members of the crew be- fin carrying matresses, lanterns and e preservérs on deck and lowering some of the life-boats. Her companion, who was holding a child in her arms, immediately became afraid their boat was sinking, Mrs. Adlung said. But from the expression on the faces of the erew, who was working hurriedly but. methodically, Mrs. Adlung claims she became reassured, and when, a moment later, another passenger told them the indicator in the cabin show- ed the Berlin had changed her course, the passengers surmised what was the cause. Officers Announce S O S. Official confirmation came shortly after lunch, when officers of the ship announced in both German and Eng- lish that the Berlin was responding to an S O S from the Vestris. - From then on the vessel teemed with excitement. The engines labored and the ship raced at a speed which Mrs, Adlung, veteran of seven transatlantic pagsuges, said she never experienced before. The pace continued until about 10:30 Monday night when the engines were stopped and the passengers knew they had reached the position given by the Vestris. Every one aboard the ship was on_deck, Mrs. Adlung declared, strain- ing for a glimpse of possible survivors. At 1 o'clock thunder and lightning and heavy rain made the rescue attempt almost “hopeless. At 7 o'clock Tuesday morning Mrs. Adlung was on deck a and a few minutes Iater a U‘I:")DI'IE—NO.QIE o(]\:hs Vestris—was s . Even then, Mrs. Adlung l?‘t‘he boat was difficult to distinguish, for the mountainous waves were white and’ the boat itself was white. At first there seemed to be only one man in it. although in reality there were 22, mostly members of the Vestris erew. The Berlin poured oil overboard and maneuvered in such a manner as to WOMAN DESCRIBES RESCUE OF VESTRIS SURVIVORS MISS HELEN ADLUNG. —star Staff Photo. braak the big waves for the lifeboat. She lauded the officers of the ship for the way in which they effected the rescue. Rope ladders were dropped down to the lifeboat and members of the Berlin crew went down to assist the survivers aboard. The first man, grimy with oil, appeared stunned when he 1eached the deck. Mrs. Adlung said. As though unable to belleve the long hours of peril were over for- him, he stood motionless & moment, then looked upat the sky and laughed, she declares. “I'll never forget that Jaugh,” said Mrs. Adlung. She talked to him a moment in Ger- man, English and French, she says, while the other suryivors, all black with oll, were brought aboard. Three hours later the Berlin sighted a swimmer who, when rescued, was found to be Carl Schmidt of Chicago, who had been in the water 23 hours. Both the Berlin and -another ship steered in such & manner as to permit the man to reach the Beriin without being dashed by the big_waves, accord- ing to Mrs. Adlung. Even- then one wave swept him far back as he was about to grab a life preserver and the crew prepared to go after him in a life boat. - But finally Schmidt caught a Iife ring, tp the relief of the hundred that were watching him. He and all the other survivors were taken to the ship’s hospital as soon as they reached the Berlin, then given hot food and finally bundled in warm cloth- ing that had been donated by the pas- sengers and crew of the rescue ship. The miscellaneous collection of clothing, some of the items strange misfits, that the survivors wore back to New York was really comical, Mrs. Adlung said. Herman Winkler, editor of the Wash- ington Journal, a German publication here. She was returning on the Ber- lin after spending the Summer with relatives in Germany. FIREMEN'S GROUP BLAMES COAL HOLE ‘| Declares S 0 S Should Have ‘ Been Broadcast at ' 8 P.M. Sunday. By the Assoclated Press. NEW YORK, November 15.— Evans Hampden, a negro fireman of the wrecked Vestris, landed by the tanker Myriam today, voiced on behalf of the 23 firemen of the party the belief that an SOS should have been broadcast by the Vestris at 8 o'clock Sunday night, when he said’the ship was listing at 15 degrees and water in the fireroom was hip deep. : B ‘The disaster, Hampden believed, was «due almost entirely to a coal hole on | the port side, four inches above the water line, which he said was open six inches when. the Vestris sailed from Hoboken, N. J,, and which was so de- fittive it could not be closed. ‘When Hampden went on duty in the fireroom at 4 o'clock Sunday morning, he said, the chief engineer was warned that -water was leaking through the hole into the coal bunkers, but two men were unable to force the door closed with heavy wooden hammers. When he went off duty at 8 o'clock, he said, the. water was ankle deep in the fireroom, and when he returned at four in the afternoon it had already put out the fires under the -starboard boiler and was coming in fast. Chief Engineer Avard Adams helped man the pumps, but the water entered s0.fast that a life line was be- tween the coal bunker and the furnace door to help the firemen keep their feet. Then it became so bad that two on the Berlin I shivered in the hot water. When I came out several radio- grams were delivered to me, one of them from the North American Newspaper Alliance, requesting news. I filed # reply to the North Americun Newspaper Alliarce immediately. I was glad to have something.to do to keep my mind off of the horrors I had gone through. “To my mind, there is no doubt {i the tragedy of the Vestris could have been prevented if the captain of thc ship had asked for help as soon as th~ danger became apparent. There woule have been ample e for ships to come to our rescue and everibody would have ‘been saved. Even the baggage and mail could have been transferred. Lifeboats Rotten. Further, there is no question that the lifeboats were totally unfit for serv- ! ice. They were rotton, and the crew was not familiar with life-saving oper- ations. \ I wish to pay a_tribute to Second Steward Duncan. He was marvelous. IHe displayed a wonderful calmness and a willingness to help which must be | reckoned with when the time comes to give praise where praise is due. - Were I a ship owner I would not hesitate 3 sec- ond in placing a steamer under his com- mand tomorrow. Had I been superstitious, most prob- ably I would have lost my life. As I was nearing the boat that picked me up I noticed that it was boat No. 13. For a second I thought of swimming back to some other boat, but the instinct of seif-preservation was too strong and I remained. 1 wonder what became of that blonde countrywoman of mine who gave me her hand. I do not know yet whether she it safe. I hope she is. She looked so frai and so scared. And there was a German, about 56 years old, who remained in the water, with the aid of a life preserver, almos 120 hours. What an amazing vitality. When he was picked up by the Berlin his legs gave way under him, but soon after, with the aid of warm food, he wes more alive than any of us. I intended to surpriss my mothe with this trip to Buenos Aires. I:never told her that I was sailing. In fact, T bocked passage on boerd just a few before the Vestris sailed from Hoboken. 1 was eager to get thore ¢- soon as possible. Well, I am still hers.” (Copyright, 1728, in All Countries by North American Newspaper Alliance.) minu'es men supported the shovelers to keep them from going down .into hip deep water or lunging into the open fire- boxes. At last, before he went off duty at 8 Sunday night, a bucket brigade was passing coal from bunkers to furnace doors, while bedroom stewards helped bail the boiler room. A heavy lurch of the ship sent the water up to the men's necks. Up to this time, Hampden said, no S08S had been sent out, although men had made the perilous journey from boiler room to bridge, after telephone communications went out, to keep:Capt. Carey informed of the situation. ., ORDERED TO CAPITAL. " Maj. Newcomer to Be Assistant Chief Engineer of Power Body. Maj. Francis K. Newcomer, Corps of Enginecrs, has: been relieved from duty as an instructor at the Engineer School, Fort Humphreys, Va. and ordered to this city for duty. as assist- ant chief engineer of the Federal Power Mrs. Adlung is the sister-in-law of | g MAZE OF CHARGES IMPELS INQUIRY Passengers’ Accusations Range From Blundering Sea- manship to “Murder.” (Continued From First Page.) and 2-year-old son, had_$7,800 in his pockets when found. His wife was rescued by the Wyoming, but no trace of the son was found. ‘The two other bodies were those of & negro woman and a white man, ap- parently a member of the crew. Aboard the Acushnet were the bodies of Ralph P. Whitehead of Woodstork, N. Y. and Tom Jones, barman of the Vestris. The identity of the other two was not known. ‘The body brought back by the Berlin was that of a white man who was not_identified. The destroyers landed the bodies at Stapleton, Staten Island, where they were met by a representative of the Iamport & Holt Line, the owners of the Vestris, and an undertaker. SEARCHING PROBE ASKED. British Board, However, Undecided on Character of Inquiry. LONDON. November 15 (#)—Board of Trade officials said late today that a searching investigation into the loss of the steamer Vestris was needed. They had not, howover, decided the form of the inquiry or where it should be held. Earlier the board had pointed out thet such an inquiry was not obli- gatory. . TWO BOATS SEEK BODIES. Of the fleet of commercial and Gov- ernment vessels which dashed to the assistance of the stricken steamship Vestris but two remained today on the scene of the disaster. These were the Coast Guard destroyers Manning and Modoc, both under orders to con- tinue the search for survivors and bodies until all hove of further suc- cess had been abandoned. Yesterday and last night saw a grad- val diminution of the rescue figet. The Coast Guard vessels Davis, Wilkes, Tucker and Acushnet were ordered to their home bases. With seven bodies on board. the Tucker was bound for New York. The battleship Wyoming received in- struction from the Navy Department to quit the hunt at nightfall and put into Hampton Roads. The Wyoming has nine survivors on board—three members of the crew and six passen- ers. At nightfall, too. the Coast Guard destroyer Shaw left the scene of the search for New York. She had been badly battered by the high seas. On board were the bodles of 13 victims. Late last night word was received at Coast Gua headquarters here that the Mascoutin, a destroyer, was put- ting into Norfolk to replenish her sup- pMes of drinking water. A message from the Manning said that the Mas- coutin’s forward fresh water tank had become salted. LIQUOR AND AUTO SEIZED. Police Squad Sprints to Capture Fleeing Marylander. Sergt. George M. Little and his liquor squad engaged in a lively sprinting contest in Southeast Washington yes- terday that resulted in the capture of a young man, bocked as Thomas W. Col- lins, Oakland, Md., and charged with transporting and illegal possession of 148 quarts of whisky and having dead tags on his car. Collins was sighted driving in the direction of the city over Pennsylvania avenue bridge southeast and was pur- sued several blocks before he abandoned his car, ran through an alley, through a house and over three fences, the cap- tors reported. His car and liquor were Commission at the Department of Com- merce. Elgzin, Waltham, Hamilton, T ware, etc. 20% Come in and see the plain have the net prices during thrift during this great sal CHOICE $20 Klgin or Waltham Wrist Watches or Poclet Watches. Guaranteed timekeepers in new- est style cases. Any man would appreci- ate o gift like this, Your choice, 20 per cent discoun ow *15 Men's - or ladies’ fine quality Wrist Watches. 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PARTED IN OCEAN, COUPLE REUNTED |Mrs. Cline Slaughter Last Woman to Quit Ship, She Believes. By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, November 15.—A pretty, auburn-haired woman, who last saw | her husband floundering in the sea as the steamship Vestris sank, found landed today, with 56 other survivors, from the French tanker Myriam. She was the only: woman survivor aboard. Mrs. Cline Slaughter had learned of her husband’s rescue by wireless. He recognized her despite her borrowed seaman's clothing, rushed over and embraced her. The husband landed yesterday from the rescue ship Ameri- can Shipoer. Mrs. Slaughter, who is 21 years old, said she was the last woman to leave the stricken Vestris. When she left the liner she was wearing a new gown which, she sald, had been transformed into a French creation by shrinkage. The borrowed clothing In which she descended to the pler included a pair of trousers and a white woolen under- shirt given her by Capt. Fernan Foruy of the Myriam, and a hat loaned by another person on board the ship. Boat’s Lines Tangled. Her husband gave up his place in room for two other wor en, Mrs. Slaughter said, and the boa was low- tangled lines were cut away from the davits with axes. It was launched just before the Vestris went down. Mrs. Slaughter said she fell out of the boat and was pulled under the water by the suction from the liner as it sank. “It seemed as though I was under a long time” she said, I finally bobbed up I saw my husband paddling & few yards away. Both of us_were nearly exhausted. Near them approached another life- boat, in which was Second Officer Les- lie Watson of the Vestris. When he saw them, she sald, he jumped into the sea and swam toward her, but the lifeboat kept pulling away. Finally Picked Up. She said it was probably 20 minutes before Watson reached her side, and that he supported her in the water for perhaps an hour, when he hailed a passing Jifeboat and helped her into it. As she lay exhausted in the bottom of the boat, Mrs. Slaughter said she could hear whistling and cries of despair from the water, some of them apparently from women, but the boat did not stop to pick up any others. As they rowed along, she said, she heard members of floating bodies. Charges of negligence on the part of the master of the Vestris, voiced by other passengers landed yesterday, found no confirmation’ from Mrs. Slaughter. “So far as I know," she said, “there was no such thing as criminal negli- gence. The captain did his duty and did his best.” Views on Call for Help. She added that she did not know whether it would have been better to send out the § O S earlier than it was broadcast. As to a charge made by other pas- sengers that members of the crew had “I wouldn’t blame the crew. After all, I was in a pretty excited state just before I went down with the ship, and don't know what they were doing, ex- cept they cou'd not find axes or hatches to cut loose the boat which I was in, which was stuck.” Mr. and Mrs. Slaughter said that al- though their last address was Chicago, they had no permanent address in the United States. They were en route to Buenos Aires, where her husband had a position with the International Har- vester Co. 5 ‘Telephone and telegraphic communi- cations in Manchuria are improving. him waiting at the pier when she| | the lifeboat assigned to them to make | | ered with difficulty only after some | “and when | the boat crew say they were passing | rushed lifeboats, Mrs. Slaughter said: <} SOL HERZOG Home of the Budget A trip to the market— A refusal to our offer— A return to Washington— A telegram or two— A purchase that’s a record! 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