February 27, 1941 
Dr. R. W. Harrison 
U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service 
2726 iiontlake Boulevard 
Seattle, Washington 
Dear Rogers 
Enclosed are two copies of the statement which I prepared 
for Mr. E. J. Thompson, of the Service, as you requested. I feel as 
you do, that Ed Verburg is entitled to compensation and I personally 
hope it won't be niggardly. Doctors are inclined to be a bit hide- 
bound. According to most of them, detachment of the retina can happen 
only as the result of a severe blow, yet Dr. Spindler tells me that 
lots of queer things happen in medicine and that the retina in Ed' s 
case might have been detached as the result of nervous shook or some- 
thing else that medical science may be unable to explain. His per- 
sonal opinion to me was that the aocident might well have been the 
cause of the trouble. Mien the Public Health doctor harped on the 
same subject, I said to Joe that it is remotely possible that, when 
the backfire and explosion occurred, Ed might have very forcibly 
clapped his own hand to his eye and caused the trouble. It is some- 
thing that one might do unconsciously and not remember after the ex- 
citement of the moment died away. That might have caused the injury 
and, in any case, would have been a direct result of the behavior of 
the galley range. 
This is but surmise on my part and I just mention it in 
case they try some funny business to keep Verburg from getting his 
just due in this case. 
With this I enclose a letter that I have just received 
from Mr, Alphonse Brazas, of Anacortes. Quite naturally, I kept my 
eyes and ears open for all mention of king crabs. What I send you 
just corroborates the reference I had to that place from one of our 
ethnologists, Mr. Harrington. He brought us a fragment of a shell 
of a king orab from Monte Bay and this Mr. Brazas sent me a photo- 
graph of a perfectly good speoimen. You won't need it, but, never- 
theless, as soon as I get it copied so I can return it to the owner 
I'll send you a print. I am thanking Mr. Brazas for his information. 
