New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-04-11
The Destruction of,he Swallow.


TO he Editor crate Tribune
ann not ambitious of any unnecessary personal
prominence in connection with the disastrous event
of Monday night. But my name appears IN several
papers appended among others 10 aseries OF resou-
tons purporting TO have been passed unanimously
by the survivors from the Swallow, who were On
board the Rochester, and the apparent Object OF
which Is 10 excuse the awful catastrophe, and eN-
oneratc the responsible parties from blame No"
as wholly dissent from the tone and sPrit oil those
resolutions and. had been present al The meet
ing az am made 10 appear 10 nave been, should
resolu,ely have demonstrated against them, can
not conscientiously remain silent under what can
scarcely avoid regarding IN The light OF an impul-
tion against my judgment and moral sense
The resolutions say, IN effect, that the boat was
Going at verv moderate speed, and that the night
was so dark "a To render 1t impossible 10 see the
shores The differences al once drawn ATE, that
the rate OF progress was proper one, and mat the
darkness rendered The departure from The true
course very cxcusabe Now, these positions CON
| flute each other. Ii il was so dark AS Ia confuse
the pilot he had no business 10 have been IN mo-
ton nj all at any rate should have been only fee-
ing his way along and then contact with an Oh
s,acle would have resulted IN very slight injury =
! But more than THIS. the circumstances OF the dis
aser sisnaly con,radic, any assertion that the boat
was under very moderate Roadway, or that Il was
imnosSbc for the pilot with due care 10 estimate
| correctly his position. How, III the tlrst place,
would II have been possible Tor tIrst class steam
! boat 10 be forced some fifteen or twenty feet high
and drv upon pile OF rocks al such a rate OF pro-
sress as would be generally understood by the
phrase moderate speed, especially when ASSOCIATED
with the idea OF very dark night Again, II Is
certain that the shores could be distinguished not
! very long while before the accident; and how,
without culpable ina,tenon, could the true course
have been so soon wholly last, when the Rochester
was able TO hold 1t although but few hundred yards
! behind, and al about the same rate OF SPEED And
vet again, the boat struck IL large angle rom the
proper course: too large. II would seem not 10 have
| been plainly indicated by the compass setting
| aside any question OF the power of sight al the
time
| do not mean TO imply that The boat was under
any unusual headwdy-nor even that II might not
| have been going rate somewhat slower than al
| ordinary times when the sky Is clear But 90
mean 10 say, that the speed was unPard oDably
raaid In connection with the plea that nothing
| could BE- seen, and with the sad testimony OF the
catastrophe that the pilot did not know where he
wss.
Far be il from me TO wish 10 add an unnecessary
sting TO the asonizlug reflections OF those who
were in charge Of the boat. But there IS justice,
relatives of those who have been ushered 50 sud
denly into eternity: and 10 the whole community,
from the midst oil which MANY precious lives are
daily and nightly trusted upon the waters Nor
wolild attempt TO add undue weight 10 The re-
Sponsiblsness OF the position Of the controlling Off
GERS OF a boat But the position iairiy involves re-
sponslbleness solemn responsiveness from the con-
sequences of which, no Just and hishmladsd man
woula shrink Such accidents seem 10 me 20 de-
mand the most stringent judicial investigation.
Yours very trlly. IL = hAhh4N"ioN.