Harrowing Story

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 513, 16 November 1928, Page 9

Harrowing Story

STRICKEN VESTRIS WITNESS

Lost His Wife and Baby

(Australian and N.Z. Press Association) Received 12.30 p.m. NEW YORK. Thursday. THE Federal Government, before United States Commissioner O’Neill, opened an investigation into the Vestris catastrophe. The first witness was a survivor, Fred Puppe, who had lost his wife and baby. He wept and spoke excitedly, saying. “Everything was careless from the start of the trip.”

When he complained, the steward answered, “You don’t know anything about it. He testified that he placed his wife and baby in one of the first boats launched. He went later in an overloaded boat, the seams of which were opened. He looked back and saw his wife’s boat hanging empty from the davits. He stated he saw no indication of the high wind which was reported. He stated that boats containing the women and children never left the raised portion of the deck. “I am sure of it,” he said. Another survivor, Wallace Sinclair, stated that Puppe was correct. He was impressed by the lack of preparation and the neglect to give the passengers proper instructions. The crew tried to jettison the cargo by hand and only moved two tons. He stated that in the lifeboats nothing was accomplished, because all wanted to do differently. “There is no question about water coming through the seams.” The bodies in the morgue show slashes and shark-bites. TRAGEDY AND CONFUSION JOURNALIST’S STORY DREADFUL EXPERIENCE (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) NEW YORK, Wednesday, The narrative of Mr. W. W Davies, formerly representative of the Australian and New Zealand Press Association in America, who was rescued after the sinking of the Vestris, was given out by him to-day. It proved to be thrilling and dramatic. Shock and the nervous strain of his experience showed clearly in Mr. Davies’s face when he rejoined his wife and three children in New York. When it seemed all the passengers were off and the vessel was settling and giving indications that she might founder at any moment, Messrs. Davies and Koppe went over the rail and leaped into the sea. That was the last Mr. Davies saw of his companion. He swam about and finally gained an overturned lifeboat, to which he clung for possibly three-quarters of an hour. He was then taken Into another lifeboat. Unlike many of the other passengers who were on board the ill-fated Vestris, Mr. Davies is not inclined to blame the crew, the oflicers, or the master. He describes the events from the abandonment of the Vestris until his rescue as follows: He and Mr. Koppe stood at the ship’s rail viewing the disordered efforts to fill and to lower the lifeboats. He , saw the two boats loaded with women and children capsize before they reached the water, and every moment the confusion grew greater. Helpless people were floundering about in the sea. Describing his leap into the water, Mr. Davies says: “I clung to the rail with my feet dangling. When the water seemed to be about 12ft away I let myself go. The noise was terrific. Every moment I expected that the vessel would blow up. “As I was sucked down the thought occurred to me that perhaps a piece of floating timber would strike me on the head. I felt suffocated when I came up. The water was strewn with wreckage. I could see nothing of the

liner. Then I managed to catch hold of part of a floating hatch-cover. Later I found an upturned boat. "I had a vivid picture of a negro close by me with a knife in his hand, who wanted to prevent anyone from seeking to occupy the small raft to which he clung. “I understand it was the captain's pinnace which picked me up. There were two men on board and one woman, Mrs. Devore. The others were members of the crew, possibly three or four of them being negroes. “These negroes declined to row or to bail the boat. They simply became insolent and had to be kept in order by alternate threats and tact. The penetrating wind was frightfully cold. The experiences of that night were awful.” CAPTAIN’S “GOOD-BYE” The long hours of immersion in the water, and the mental strain, had left him badly shaken and in a dazed condition. Consequently when tile occupants of the lifeboat saw him and went to his rescue he tried to wave them away. Of Captain Carey's last moments. Mr. Davies says: "He was standing on the boat deck. He looked haggard from lack of sleep. He could see many people clinging to the rails, and just before the ship went under he cried ‘Good-bye, all.’ ” - SEARCHING INQUIRY BOARD OF TRADE’S VIEW SHIP RECENTLY OVERHAULED (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) Reed. Noon. LONDON, Thursday. The Board of Trade considers that a searching inquiry into the loss of the Vestris is esesntial, but it has not yet decided its form and venue. Officials of the Lamport-Holt firm informed the Liverpool correspondent of the “Morning Post” that the lost liner carried 15 ordinary lifeboats and one motor-lifeboat. Their capacity was about 1.000 people—more than enough for all the passengers and crew. She also carried rafts and lifesaving apparatus which complied with the Board of Trade regulations. The vessel was overhauled when she was in dock recently. There should have been enough accommodation in the boats even if it was only possible to launch them at one side owing to the steamer’s list. Referring to the suggestion that the Vestris had developed the list owing to the | Tng of her cargo, the owners did not agree. They said the nature of the cargo had enabled it to be packed in the holds tightly, and in such a way as to prevent it shifting. They expressed the opinion that the liner v -her struck a submerged object or shipped abnormally heavy seas which broke in the hatches and partly flooded her.