The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-05-21

THE CORONER'S INQUEST, AND TIE
CAPTAINS STATEMENT.
&c. sc. &c.
STATEMENT OF MR.. BURDEN, OF TROY.



day night last and being anxious to anticipate the
suries Of other friends ask permission through your
journal widely circulating, as 1t does, through the
country, to give statement once for all which will
satisfy their curiosity, while perhaps, 1t may throw
some light upon the public mind in reference to this
most melancholy catastrophe. had not an opportu
nifty OF seeing the schooner before she struck the EN-
Pire, and therefore shall nothing on that point
but shall state what did see and also what think
ought to have been done on the occasion.
was passenger In the Empire, from New York, and
about half past ten O'Clock, when off Newburg
was passing along the main deck, and being chilly
stood near the engine at the star BOARD side to
myself The engineer was in the engine room. and we
were eonversing when heard the sound of the gong
the first stroke Of which means to stop" In an in
dicsed to my the close proximity of danger ahead
Inc engineer promptly obeyed the order; but five
stop" given till heard crash on the starboard
bow. The steamer Immediately careened to the side
Schooner with her stem right ipto The "a" aao
after, heard the cry that the latter sinking
From the slow progress Of her descent however knew
considerable time must eapse before she c )uld go
Gown. l thought all was right above, aud that She
captain pilot would have given the necessary orders
intmation Of their danger, aud such advice, as the
emergency demanded But order given. nor
Of the Empire come upon the main deck, or near
the ladies' cabin, where ] waited in expectation
OF obtaining the earliest information of situation
remained there fully minutes after the sion
The only announcement heard was from ire
no danger don't be alarmed and repeated the words
when the water was actually the sarboard side
OF the main deck There not light available
endeavored to loose the tackle Of the yawl slung
the side filled with passengers crying out in agony
for to lower the boat but could not do so,
for want Of lantern; and 1t is worthy OF remark that
that boat continued fastened to the steamer till it
pulled down by her under water and the passengers
had to escape from it to the upper deck.
There u general rush to the upper deck from
below, which regarded as dangerous scattering
much as possible, under such circumstances being
most conducive to individual safety, and felt,
that 1t useless; for there steamer
vet built that with her engines on board could float
Empire did not sink was mere accident, upon which
no human being could calculate; 1t was tho circum-
goods, being deck which hoated up against the
saloon deck, and kept her from entirely going down
They probably displaced $50 tons of water while they
did not weigh than so tens and thus 100 tons Of
buoyancy was gained.
and experience that she would 60 to the bottom in
very few seconds now, in the last extremity waded
Il to the after the as
taking my position on the railing, holding on by the
stsncton with one hand and the box with the other
my feet and left me floating in the river As could
not swim, need not say was in extreme danger.
was half an hour in the water, and my head only
being the surface, and that twice under it,
when Host my hold Of the box aud my voice. calling
for assistance being drowned by the cries Of Others
there was every probability of my being overlooked
of being run down by the Van Wrinkle, had she per
tica position fishing boat, having shad board
and In the act OF taking off the passengers from the
ne @ nm with b s oS N ANU
burg, otherwise should certainly have been lost
shall now point out what, in my opinion, was don
that ought not to have been done, and what lef
undone that ought to have been done. In the frs
place. the captain and pilot ought not to have left the
vessel, they did, in the very beginning. The con-
sequence was there person board with
thority to give orders TO take such would
save the lives OF the passengers.
Secondly, 1t only required few strokes of the
gines to have brought the steamer to Newburg dock
safety-the distance not being over quarter Of mile
three minutes sailing In fact she might have
imperative Instead of doing this the valve open
ed and the steam let of almost Immediately after the
conclusion and thus chance of safety from loco
motion defeated. Further, from the peculiar con-
srucon of the engines of the Empire there every
facility for working her to point They are indie
pendent, and be worked separately SO that
wheel be made revove while the other is either
stopped reversed at pleasure 1t was therefore, the
easiest thing imaginable stcered her. with
out helm Notwithstanding the incumbrance of the
schooner attached; by working the arboard engine
only, she might have been extricated
Thirdly every passenger could have been quietly and
deliberately put board the schooner which, being
filled with timber could not possibly sink and 1t is
pilot captain, hands, by the captain of
the schooner OF this fact not till after all
was over.
Fourthy the alarm bell, calling for assistance
not rung till the Empire was half filled
In fact, nothing done as 1t ought to have been
done else single life would have been lost eopar
DICED and, appears to me, nothing but the manning
loss of fife Of the captain and pilot at the outset
could fairly for their appearance board
during the whole time she sinking, till oated of
the railing when the main deck was eight feet under
water, still sinking II BURDEN.
THE CoRoNER's INQUEST.
The Coroner, Mr.. Parmenter, held inquest the
18th instant three bodies namely, Elizabeth Car
son, age H. Of Scotland Eliza Noble, of Essex county,
Buckland, Of Paterson, N. j., age years
The jury were sworn at 0 O'Clock, A. NJ, have been
engaged all day, and will probably be occupied over
two days. The testimony taken to-day was as fol-
GEORGE BucKIANp sworn-Identiaes the body Of
George L. Buckland. his child aged two years;
came on board the steamer Empire, Of Troy at New
York; at the time of the accident, my wife had the
child at the foot of the stairs the water reached my
wife's neck, and washed the child from her arms;
at the time the beat struck was up stairs, and my
wife and children in bed two Of my children
missing; after the boat struck, went forward, and
found the boat fast filling with water the steamer had
schooner she had lights the sails hoistsj
and she appeared to be under full way the steamer
going rather northeast when the schooner struck
her; af. or she struck she filled almost Immediately,
and went down; II dark, but could have seen the
sails of vessel hundred II not two hundred yards
should think about ten O'Clock when she struck
] in conversation when the boat struck the con-
cusson severe about four minutes after the
blow that went below; Immediately after the pilot
rung the bell the shooner struck; he rung two BELLS
after the last rung the schooner struck am from
Paterson, NJ j., and am ON my way to Troy; my wife
was saved.
JAMES Carson, sworn II am from Wilkinshire Scot
land; identities the body of Elizabeth Carson his
daughter she isl7 years of age at the time of the
cident she was lying deck the capain's Office
handed to her; Margaret Mcdowell my wife and John
Carson, my son, are still missing; we ali came
board at New York; there were several in our party
four Of the party missing vet, viz. Janette
Mccullough Ellen Duncan Elizabeth McNfurray and
Margaret Duncan, all from Scotland; they were all
lying on the deck togetherd
NATHANIEL PRIME sworn-i was on hoard the steam
boat Empire; | board with my wife at New
York the accident took place Ncwburg between
ten and halt past ten o'clock in the evening in
the lower cabin aft In berth No 5j had merely
thrown off my upper garments | heard the concus-
sion the noise slight was not alarmed by 1t
was ON deck in five minutes afterwards aud tried to
quell the passengers the bont was then carcenng
whom got 6ht Of my berth stopped to put my
overeoat when got deck the women were coming
out II the ladies' saloon had then righted the
boat saw the schooner lying at the bow Of the boat
wife told ME that the water the cabin hoor
below; got up on the hurricane deck with my wife
and ffy stepped on board the schocner
then threw plank overheard in order that others
could save themselves the Rip Van Wrinkle came in
between and took OF all but about dozen told
fhe main ihat had hcttnr the that