The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-05-25
Additional Accounts from the Steamer
Empire
FIsHxILL, Thursday, May "a, 1870.

A00lt1Onal Accounts from the Steamer
Empire.
FIsHxILL, Thursday, May "a, 1870.
The Empire has been got up little this morning.
The process SLOW for it is only In proportion to what
they gain eash tide by hauling on the line fAsten-
ed ashore that she be raised AS she gets nearer
to the shore she will Of be in shaower water,
and more Of her hull will be- raised They there
ore put additional casks under her sides and nearer to
her bottom. II heavy should come before she is
hoated she IL in danger OF being utterly wrecked.
There is also apprehension OF breaking her back
or strainipg her should the ground on which she lies,
be uneven She Is down far by the than at
the bow Whether she is got Off not, her reputation
will be- seriously injured aud
excited against her She the largest
built being some feet longer than the Great Brtain.n
She sat the water with all the grace of a swan AMI
noble vessel AS yet her hull safe with the ex-
ception Of the breach in her bow She is not insured
against such accidents as that which happened her,
but only against fire.
How many bodies still below tell for the
passenger list is always imperfect. great many
Ing on board ana paying without giving thec
names There was one lady got on top OF the plot
house at the beginning Of The accident and remained
scription given by Mrs Hayes. to Permenter. the
Ncwburg Coroner before she went West il is pretty
evident the children found together in the barbers
room are h.rs IL isa curious coincidence that the
brother Of the captain OF the schooner board
the Empire at the time Of the collision Mr.. Smith,
the pilot Of the Empire. was at Newburg lest night
He has been baed to appear to stand his trial
called on.
coRoNER's IocUEsr coNrISuEp YESTERDAY.
mony Of the last witness During his examination, q
bit Of u scene occurred in court MIR Dub Dis, one Of
she jury was taking down the evidence asking the
witness more questions than the foreman and Of
the jury thought necessary. Mr.. James Rankin said
ne was wasting time by taking dUwn minute and ire
Fvant answers, for The purpose OF reporting them in
some newspaper, and that it. unreasonable they
should all be detained in that way. The chairman
called MIR Dubois to order aud the latter gentleman
sent the witness abruptly away and treated the re-
monstrance Of Mr. Robert Rankin uho ehairman)w with
what ne (Nr Rankin) thought unbecoming levty and
contempt u court Whereupon, Mr.. Rankin moved q
vote Of eensure which beIng seconded Mr. Dubois
TO speak to it, and commended that there were other
irregularities permitted on the previous days.
Ultimately, the resolution was not pressed, and the
natter dropped
The jury then adjourned Git being IL o'clok) till s
oelsek, when they agreed to so to view the wreck.
At o'clock the jury re- assembled At ONeili's At
Tishkill; and Captain Upper having placed the John
Mason steamer at their disposal they sailed down from
the Long Dock to Dennings Point. about mile and
half down the river. to examine the Empire num-
Der OF ladies' aud other gentlemen beside the jury
On board. There WAS a SCHOONER and u barge alongside
the Empire with host of puncheons and other apps-
ratus tor raising her There was large number Of
hands busily engaged in forcing the puncheons under
the beams dashed her side the waters edge. This
k technically called . parbucklng Each puncheon
Is calculated to lift from loo to 1900 lbs The
tractor calculates he has now many casks will
hoat her to the extent of 100 TONS aud this he thinks
will keep her high enough in the to be owed to
New York, where she will be placed in the sectional
aOsk aud the water there taken out of her 1t Is not
intended to pump her out here by the steam pump II
this pursued there will Of necessity be
bodies brought away in her The also
ting away the buckets from the In order
1t tho cylinders Of the steamer gave her the buoyancy
that prevented her from sinking entirely Last
was entirely swept away and with 1t Of course what
ever bodies it contained. Altogether she has very
wrecked appearance and looks much worse than when
saw her on Monday. The principal object Of the
jury In going to her, was to ascertain, possible
at what angle the bowpr of the schooner entered her
side; but unfortunately the bowsprit had been re-
moved. and floating beside her. of which the cap
tain Of the schooner complained. It does not, how
make much difference, for by the swinging Of the
schooner after she struck OF course the angle
altered The wreck is so raised. that IN small boat
ut the side the breach where entered was
distinctly visible. There opening Of five feet
In length and about eighteen inches In depth. But
this only half the breach for there of it
under water. The thickness and strength of the
plsnks showed With what force she must have been
struck Strange to say the point Of the bowsprt was
not marked. 1t was completely carried away
from the schooner The point ut which the breach
vas made WAS immediately before the port-hole q
cabin window third from the stem
The jury re assembled at o'clock. when
ALEXANDER WILSON WAS examined la at present the
captain Of the Robert Annette; formerly he was
steamboat pilot; had conversation, since the COLI
sion OF the Empire and Noah Brown. with young
schooner heard him say that he first saw the steamer At
the time the schooner tackled from east to west heard him
also ray that he would hold his course even if he
should foul Of steamer. for it his duty to
wait for the orders of his captain he had put his helm
up little but Immediately after got orders to put it
hard down. did not hear him say that he was deter
mined to give her hell" he did not appear to be
Of that kind did he any threatening Ian
guage thinks the boats would have stnck each other
1T the bows unless the steamer had shecred to the
westward and in that case the Empire would have de-
stroye the schooner; has been nine years pilot
master of sloop has been So years on the river n
Of which he has been either pilot captain of Q
steamboat; in his Judgment, It was the duty Of
the steamers bows, to put down her helm and
90 up in the wind; he knows that schooner since
she q schooner and she could come up in half
length; she Il kind Of vessel that does not shoot
rapidly into the wind after she has about but
she is very easily luHed; II she handled she
ought have bee handled namely kept close to the
wind in order to be ready in instant to go about is
In half leugth had that been done the vessels
would have glded by each other or perhaps often
happens, portion of the side OF the steamer would
have been carried away without any further damages
and the projecting lumber on board the schooner would
have protected her. knows Levi Smith, the pilot Of
the Empire; knew him when he was young; even then
he was considered of the smartest boys handle
vessel that could be found anywhere; he is OF
excellent character ady man. good boatman and
first rate pilot: thinks the most prudent course IL
the pilot bad seen the schooner In time, would have
been to go under her stern; that rule cannot al
vays be followed but ought unless there is pressing
forbid it, believes Mr.. Smith was on board
the Empire when she ran against q dock; may Ia We
heard also of her running into a soop while Is
pilot Of her; his own practice is to go slow, thHs or
four miles hour If was so dark that he coud not
see Fail TIL very close to him. it would then be much
easier to slow or stop her. II steamer were going AZ
the sixteen miles hour her pilot ought to be
able to sail at the distance Of mle the higher
man IL the water the further and better he
see ON ordinary nights; witness knew that from expe-
Renee in two different steamboats, but there are
nights when there is low scud that he could bet
ter from the deck than from the pilot house, II he
were in steamer saln due north and saw q schoon
er h, aiding towards his saboard bow southwest, he
would make up his mind when liz quarter Of
mile from her what he would adopt. but would
be cure clear her amy how he would wait till he
within the distance to what the other going to
do Accord ngly ifhe saw 1t WAS his advantage
to sheer to the West and that he could do safeiy
he would do it, If not, he would drop under her steIn
by steering the East if by any chance they came so
close that there was great danger of collision, and
the either did not change her course or sheer
to the West it would be- the duty Of the sailing vessel
TO put about and thus the distance between them
would be increased IT, the other hand the steamer
sheered to the East 1t would then be the duty of the
schooner to keep as close up to the wind psssble
and not TO about il no In sailing vessel I'M
der such cireum he would deem IL prudent TO
put about before the collision became inevitable
be thought the steamer did not him. I'D not
going to drop under his stern; the steamer ought al
ways be- the hrst to give way, If possible for her
EpwA ARD IA, pilot Of the Roger williams. was