Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-12-08
ley REQUEST.
VO THE PUBLIC.

some m!sapprehenson having arisen and ccnsure
having oeen attached % me; from he circumstance OF
my having passed two men the Chcsa peake Bay on
my las trip from Norfolk this city, / deem l. due
10 my own rep"' alton 20 make the following cxpla
nation of the facts Of the case.
Cn Friday last. at half pnst 2 p. NJ | left Norfolk
win the steamboat, Columbus under my command,
having IN tow the new steamboat John Norris To he
brought to Baltimore for the purpose o receiving her
machinery: The new boat fastened as,eIn of
inc columbus, about 80 yards Of; by he best bower
chain cable o! the Col',mbus Tho stafboacd and n
SIX inch hcmpcn cable the larboa I'd sidc In order
10 guard az ainst accidents fiom rough weather or
!iigh winds, tho cables Stoned 10 each steam
BOAT In the most careful and secure manner the end.
oeing passed through III" hawse holes and around
number of the ans of the John Morris Tn. John
MOTIFS Is about 30 tons burthcn, and had on board
TIMBER and wood. and 10 inches water makirr her
drait at least 300 tons. About half pas five ocl,ck
on saturday morning, when off the Patuxen river on
NY way up, with strong nor h wind and heavy sea
gong 1 heard cry which at first supposed pro.
ceeded from some one on board Tho Columbus The
repetition OF the cry attracted my attention toward.
schooner ut distance off apparently bea,iro I'm
ana IN an i1stant after two ha abreast of no
wheeinouse, Which presumed we're on the heads of
tnose rom whom the cry preceded. The momen. /
discovered them. | threw overheard the two LARGO
hen coops which stood near me, and in nv base n
g"' over ne second, very narrowly escaped o,lrp
oveIboard myself The C,lumbu. was then 1oder
'uI way NJ the RAJ" of ten miles an hour, and the
only pers, ns on the uppr deck were the steorsm,n
and M SELF all The pas eng RS and hands xcent Tho
engineer and iicmsn being asleep below M own
feelings had readily promoted me to stop the Column
s ons' ana was only prevented from doing i, from
the pccIlla! situation in which was paced
ii1d the engine been stopped, the .ieamboat in
tow must either have run into nv stern AMI
probably sunk The Columbus; or if her head had
ocen turned aside, she would certainly have
carried away tn" staurchc,ns. whcelhousc wheel
and probably done other damage The man
ncr IN which the two boats were fastened together
pTeciuocd he possibility Of casting off the steamboat
m 4 4 lI Ia,,x. L..
been a, the risk Of tie safety of the vessel and ,hos
on board OF her. My small boats were all secutoIv
oshed, and before they coud havc been rot loose and
a"o" there beng 10 one on deck, IL will be- recnl
cctod but The helmsman and myself--wc Womb
have ben NJ least two miles off rho whole occur
renee wass1 sudden and unexpected the speed Of the
Columbus 80 RAPID. and my situation not only in ref
er"ncn Ia tn" steamboat iPtow bat also 10 INV own
Ooat ana he lives and property board 80 very No.
cullar and responsible that nothing besides What
did was l"l for mo to do. The case was ir,ing ono
IN my feelings, and having known VIVA, ~ was
to encounter the horrors Of an apparently lnovtob
death by drowning. need scarcely nJd iho, roo,;
red no prompting 10 do what lay in nv power To- rec
cue two fellow creatures from n similar imucndno
,a'c'-my own conscience acquits Of any dcte.
hcilon OF duty in this case. and trust TINT THE n -
pnnaion of the facts connected with # will rom,vc
me "nioundnd prcJudlces which may have been creo
teu !" w" ABSENCE OF true ndersandnr nf them
W may DC necessary 20 state. in order 10 shev the
lnpossblity nj arrestnu tho proprcss of the Colum
bus while having the steam oai in tow tho, refused
10 take passengers from Norfolk to he landed nj Old
ROM Comfort aud alsJ 10 take them oil from that
iin"'ng place winch am always IN the habit &c d..
ing; and also to take on board O passenger from
brig IN the Bay This was entirely in cons ,qroncc
OF the danger opprehcndcd from stopping the steam
boat while having another 10 tow.
JOHN ID. TURNER
baltimore, Nov. 60 1880
In CONFORMATION Of the above statement, refer to
,,,mu" Lewis s'cersm1n Of tho Columbus and 10
M s Shn6Ie Holmes and Joseph Harrison Aud,
ffn rsrwt ~ ,a.ls I. ~.