Mr. FITZGERALD. Four delegates, representing all the men in their particular divisions. [Reading:]

"PRESIDENT HOOVER" VIA MUSSELROCK RADIO,

San Francisco, December 17, 1937. We, the remaining crew in all dept's, deny drunkenness or abuse of passengers. We remained aboard throughout and performed duty at all times which is confirmed by ships officers. We demand retraction of Copeland accusation. Advise all unions.

DELEGATES M.F.O.W., S.U.P., M.C.S., A.R.T.A.

That is signed by the four delegates.

Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, you cannot very well blame the seamen for becoming indignant when they read the public press and saw themselves vilified without exception, almost beyond redemption. With this attack against their brother members in time of distress, it is only natural for the seamen ashore to assume the burden of defending their brother members until such time as the President Hoover's crew will return.

From the time this attack against the seamen hit the public press, there commenced one continuous stream of my membership into my office asking me what I was going to do about counteracting it. My only reply was to take it up at the regular weekly meeting. At our regular meeting of December 16 this issue was debated pro and con. What seemed to puzzle the membership during the discussion was why such a national figure as Senator Copeland should permit his prestige and national prominence to be used in such an unwarranted attack against the Hoover crew without their first being given an opportunity to defend themselves. The seamen have not, as yet, forgotten Senator Copeland's attempt to shackle them through legislation with the "fink book." Their only alternative at this time was to assume that this attack was just another attempt to impose coercive legislation upon them in the form of compulsory mediation, now pending before Congress, to which they are vigorously opposed. I wish at this time, Mr. Chairman, to read into the record a clipping from the San Francisco News dated January 7, 1938, if I may. Senator THOMAS of Utah. Is it long?

Mr. FITZGERALD. No; it will take only a few minutes to read it, Senator.

Senator THOMAS of Utah. You may put it all in the record and read the part you wish us to hear. That will save time.

Mr. FITZGERALD. This was the day, of course, that the Hoover's crew returned, and I believe it is an important article to be read into the record.

Senator THOMAS of Utah. If we should hear it all, let us hear it all. Mr. FITZGERALD. This is by carrier pigeon to the News.

Denying tales of drunkenness, insubordination, and molestation of passengers, 170 members of the crew of the President Hoover that went aground the Island of Hoishoto, off Formosa, arrived today on the President McKinley.

on

Capt. William Fisher, of the Steamboat Inspection Service, assisted by W. Ŵ. Storey, headed the marine investigation board, which met the ship and issued subpenas to all men to appear at a hearing later today. Some passengers on the stranded liner accused the crew of being drunk or disorderly following the wreck.

The crew instructed the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union to elect a committee to investigate and vindicate them of charges made by passengers.

32437-38-pt. 7——6

But they emphasized the fact that some 700 passengers were taken ashore in lifeboats through high surf, without injury; that the only injured person was Phil Phillips, bar steward, who wrenched his back in helping to land passengers on the little island whose 1,500 natives hadn't seen a white man in 52 years.

NO LIQUOR AROUND

They stressed the fact the crew was not drunk, because the only liquor was in the possession of the ship's doctor and no liquor was available to them. The passengers, they said, were cared for on the island in as much comfort as was possible. They had the main food supply-the crew ate what was left. They had the blankets and shelter-the crew slept on the beach or stood around fires; had only blankets which were oil- and water-soaked.

Passengers were kept as dry as possible in the transfer from the lifeboats. to shore, the crew said. Crew members and natives carried passengers from lifeboats through the water. Crew members, they said, stood for hours, waist deep in water, and in danger of being crushed by the pitching boats.

The only persons who were intoxicated, crew members said, were passengers.

STEWARD GIVES VERSION

Here is the story of Sammy Cohen, cooks and stewards' delegate, who spoke for the 65 men in the Hoover's steward department:

"The Hoover went aground at midnight of December 10, 150 yards offshore. There was no panic, although a great many passengers had been drinking throughout the cruise. All were ordered to don life belts at once. Next day at noon the ship was abandoned. The rescue work was orderly, and only a small quantity of liquor was sent ashore with the doctor. The crew did not touch any liquor.

"Only one stove could be moved to the island and that was used to boil coffee. The best food in the ship's stores went to the passengers, and the crew got what was left.

"All the crew blankets were oily or wet, and we were forced to sleep in the open or around the fires. All passengers slept in huts of coral stone.

"The passengers were carried ashore from the small boats to the beach by the crew and natives. On the third night a slight earthquake struck the area and was felt greatly by the crew still aboard the ship."

This is the story of Joe Ryssen, a steward, the only man aboard who could speak Japanese :

"We stationed a man on the beach all day to aid passengers ashore, and we got the natives to carry the passengers through the water. The sailors waded. Some of us stood waist-deep in the water most of the day, passing luggage to shore.

"There was danger to the sailors in the water because boats pitched and threatened to crush them.

"Passengers were given covered space and sailors and crew slept on the beach or stood around fires. Only stove was a cement block with a hole in it. All we could cook was coffee.

aground. Rain and fog apparently
There was no moon.
drink.

The only liquor went ashore

"It was cold weather when we went blurred vision and no one saw the island. "No one was drunk. You couldn't get a with the ship's doctor because it was cold. "After the passengers left the island, the crew stayed. We were there during a severe earthquake, the worst in 14 years.

"Our blankets were oily and wet and couldn't be used, but the natives were hospitable."

The crew complained of the small quarters on the McKinley, saying they had crowded bunks, had to close ports in heavy weather, causing the air to be smelly and close. They said the food was bad for the first week, that there was only one shower for 80 men, and two washbowls.

STORY CORROBORATED

The account of events by Robert Ridgill, delegate of the Sailors Union of the Pacific aboard the Hoover, corroborated the accounts of the stewards.

"As to charges of inefficiency," he said, "the record speaks for itself. There were about 25 trained lifeboatmen who removed some 700 passengers from the ship without a scratch, and in a heavy surf, over a sharp coral reef.

"The passengers complained they did not have the right kind of shelter, but they had all there was. The crew stayed outside. The passengers had the food and the blankets.

"There were ridiculous charges that the passengers did not feel safe until the Japanese Navy came, that the officers were afraid to give orders to the crew, and that the women were in danger of being assaulted. There is absolutely no truth to these charges.

"I saw no drinking among the crew. The worst drunk on the island was a passenger who had the D. T.'s.

"One sailor told me he saw a man covered with three blankets lying beside a woman and child who had none. The sailor put a couple of blankets over the woman and child, and the man got mad. Maybe that's where the unfounded charges of 'molesting' came from.

"The first we knew of the charges was when we got to Hong Kong and read the Manila newspapers.

"The captain had called us together and said he was proud of how we handled the situation.

"Coming back on the McKinley, some 200 men were in the No. 9 hold, where they usually carry freight. We didn't have a decent meal the whole trip."

It is my humble opinion, gentlemen, that the combined forces responsible for this campaign against the seamen have no sense of fair play. Foul blow after foul blow was struck at the entire personnel of the Hoover's crew in their hour of distress.

I should like, if I may, Mr. Chairman, to read a short editorial from the San Francisco News, dated January 8. It is headed, Public Wants the Facts. [Reading:]

The indignant denial from the crew of the steamer President Hoover of charges by Senator Copeland that the wreck of the vessel in the Orient was marked by drunkenness in the crew, calls for the fullest and most open inquiry possible. Public welfare and the integrity of the mercantile marine and the men in it can be served by nothing less than all the facts. If such charges were true there would be need for sharp discipline and positive steps to guarantee against such offenses. If they are not true, and we sincerely hope there is no vestige of excuse for the accusations, it is an inexcusable and vicious attack on the men that sail under the American flag. Let there be no hush about this matter. The American people want to know.

That brief editorial expresses the sentiment of the seamen as well as the editorial staff of the San Francisco News. In other words, the seamen want the truth.

I have here, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, two official radio broadcasts which were broadcast over station KGGC in San Francisco on January 8 and January 11, respectively. They are in the form of questions and answers, the questions being by the commentator, James D. O'Neil, and the answers by Harry Finch, the engine department delegate, and Miss Hazel Pierce, stewardess, both of the steamship President Hoover. I should like to read them into the record. They are notarized as being the true and identical statements broadcast. These two radio broadcasts, Mr. Chairman, duly notarized and signed by the commentator, are records of the official broadcasts by Station KGGC in San Francisco. I should like to read them into the record. I shall read first the certificate of the commentator. [Reading:]

To whom it may concern:

JANUARY 13, 1938.

On Friday night, January 8, and Monday night, January 11, I interviewed, respectively, Harry Finch and Hazel Pierce of the steamship President Hoover, on radio station KGGC, San Francisco. The attached copies of the interviews

are correct in every detail. No omissions or additions have been made. The interviews were exactly as recorded in these transcripts.

I know of my own knowledge that both these people are members of the crew of the Hoover and from substantiating testimony from many other members of the crew, I know that their statements are correct.

(Signed) JAMES D. O'NEIL. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 13th day of January 1938. [SEAL] (Signed) MARGUERITE G. de NEUF, Notary Public, in and for the city and county of San Francisco, State of California.

My commission expires October 24, 1940.

THE STEAMSHIP HOOVER DISASTER

The giant Dollar Line Hoover is now breaking up on the rocks off Formosa. Thanks to a highly efficient and courageous crew, not a life was lost, not a man or woman was injured in the disaster.

But reports published in newspapers and magazines of America told of a drunken and rebellious crew-of passengers endangered by the insubordination of the men-of wild horror and confusion.

These reports were circulated by malicious interests who are deliberately trying to discredit American seamen. Their purpose is to stampede legislation through Congress that would effectively suppress the maritime unions and leave the shipowners in unconditional authority over the lives and conditions of the men who sail the sea.

This is important to the American people, not only because it represents a dishonest attempt to influence the laws of the country-not only because it is a blow aimed at the people's labor unions, their principal instruments of democracy and protection-but also because a great injustice has been done those men of the steamship Hoover, who rose to the occasion with skill and courage and handled their job in a manner to make America proud of its seafaring profession.

This morning the Dollar Liner McKinley docked in San Francisco bringing home the passengers and crew of that ill-fated ship.

In the studio tonight we have Harry P. Finch, watertender from the Hoover, also an elected delegate of the crew. We're going to ask Brother Finch to come to the microphone and give our listeners a first-hand, eye-witness account of what really happened aboard the Hoover.

Will you come up to the microphone, Brother Finch? tell us what your job was aboard the Hoover?

FINCH. I'm a watertender.

Thanks. Will you

JIM. A watertender is a member of the black gang-the engine room crew. Isn't that right?

FINCH. Yes. A watertender takes care of the water and steam in the boilers. JIM. Were you on watch at the time the Hoover ran aground?

FINCH. I was on duty in the boiler room at the time she hit-12:22 a. m., Saturday, December 11.

JIM. All right, Harry. Tell us just what happened, exactly as you experienced it.

FINCH. We had just finished blowing the tubes and I had sent one of the firemen up to trim the ventilators. Suddenly the telegraph from the engine room rang stand by-then stop. Before I had a chance to put out the fires, the telegraph rang for full steam again.

JIM. That must have been when they put her full astern.

FINCH. Yes. That's what I learned later. We were making 90 revolutions astern when we hit.

JIM. How fast were you going ahead before you got the orders to reverse? FINCH. I should say about 120. When I got the stop signal, the safety valves lifted. I was knocked up against the boiler. I've still got black and blue marks on my hip. A few minutes later she hit. Then I noticed that the men

on the 4 to 8 and 8 to 12 watches were coming down the ladders into the fire room. Half of them weren't even dressed, but were asking what assistance they could render me.

JIM. Those were the other members of the crew who were off watch at the time?

FINCH. Yes. They knew something was wrong and piled out of their own accord and turned to.

JIM. Did you know what had happened?

FINCH. No. But we could make a pretty good guess. We could feel the rocks grinding underneath the ship. There was 18 feet of water in Nos. 1, 2, and 3 holds.

JIM. Did you go up on deck?

FINCH. NO. We stayed right on the job until 5 a. m., when the first assistant engineer knocked off the 8 to 12 and 12 to 4 watches. During that time we were getting signals ahead, reverse, and stop, as they were trying to jockey the ship off the reef. We also got busy and started lining up the pumps on the various holds and bilges.

JIM. At 5 a. m. you were knocked off duty and allowed to go on deck. Is that right?

FINCH. Yes. I went up on the fan tail where the steerage and third-class passengers are. I saw that they were all assembled with their life belts on. The sailors, none of whom had life belts on, were cheering up the passengers, laughing, talking, helping them in every way to keep their spirits up and prevent panic.

I noticed one of the passengers started to remove his life belt and a sailor immediately told him to put it back on. All the lifeboats were swinging on their davits ready to be lowered in the water on both sides of the ship. looked over the side I could see a large bonfire burning on the beach about 500 feet distant.

As 1

I turned in for a couple of hours' sleep. At 8 a. m. all hands were turned to again to close up a boiler in the after fireroom that had been opened for cleaning. The bulkhead in the forward fireroom had begun to give away.

At 11 a. m. I was told to go up and try to get something to eat, as none of us had had any breakfast. All that we could get was coffee and cold sandwiches-which tasted might good at the time.

I took the opportunity while I was top side to watch the passengers going ashore. I saw the last woman passenger going ashore. The sailors had a line rigged to guide the boats in. The boats were all covered with fuel oil which had come out of our tanks which had been broken open.

Then I went on watch again at 12 o'clock noon. There were two boilers steaming and the steam coming up on the boiler we had closed during the morning. When the chief engineer came in and told us we would need only one boiler and to let the steam escape out of the other two. He then closed the watertight door between the fireroom and the engine room, leaving the only means of escape up alongside of the boilers through the fiddley. If anything had happened, we wouldn't have had a chance.

At 12:30 the first assistant engineer came out and ordered that the watertight door be left open to give us some means of escape. At this time there were five men in the fireroom watching one boiler with two fires going in it-which I thought was too many men. I suggested this to the junior engineer, Mr. Terlin, and he gave me permission to send two of the men up on deck.

I went over to the men and told two of them to go. But they all refused. Each one wanted the others to have the chance. So finally we had to toss a coin-and even then it was agreed that the men who went up would stay only an hour, then come back to relieve the others.

The floor plates at this time were starting to buckle up and the steam drums were moving about 18 inches. This was caused from the sea pounding on the ship and the ship pounding on the rocks. Every time she hit we'd take our flashlights and look down on the tank tops, as we expected the boilers to be torn loose from their mounting.

That kept up till about 4 p. m., when I was relieved and went up on deck. All the passengers had been taken ashore. Only the crew was left on board. The boys had had a hard stretch of it, and we were informed that the bars had been thrown open for any man who wanted a drink to bolster himself up. This seemed perfectly natural to us.

JIM. Did you see any drunkenness?

FINCH. We weren't in any mood to go on any drunks. Anyone ought to know that. You go down in that engine room and watch those boilers jumping around for 4 hours and see if that's a picnic. It was perfectly natural when the men had been under such a strain to throw the bar open and let them have a drink around. All the passengers had just been taken ashore, and, believe me, those boys deserved it.

JIM. And what about all this talk of insubordination and wholesale drunkenness?