The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-05-24
The Empsre Cetastrouhe.

COtO8trOnhe.
CoRoNER's INQUEST yoyrlNIEn PROM YESTERDAY
Nov. 4 -. nm was thev, exau,;rad 10 .nasaa Tho, no
vas on board the Empire on the night in onestion
Was going from Stouinptop Cam IN M
nois Had n cop,pany OF ii with him heinz his wifi,
and three chs1Srrn. and mesber and wiS's Slater Miss
Elizabeth Williams his ev brothers Miss elia Avery
and Mass Cecilia Gallon AZ cdxard az tham Ave were
Iott his sour hrot herr, mud y,ss verv 'Ihe three
elder rethers huy. hrsn f,nnd The vo,pye.t not vet
The fSsr ladies wsr IN The iad;ss, sSin on tho main
deck ums.lf nd yhra hrothnr, ,.ara In RI. f,rw.rI
rsntlemens cah,, 'Ai'e rhe most r,rward deck in
that cabin /. .be ,,rh.,rd side Three of his
bruaera ,y.r. Sa,;arat "a wont En- hnd ahout a
oceock His wifi. be;na sea sick he did not On
70 he'd c is, nm IN. Amor In the gam. room wi IN her
was asleep vS.en his wfe,s sister awakened him ami
rad soms, L~r had bannsneJ for phsr was saii w.
sci .lon,,.;,a- h. cn, t IN. Il ,or al o.. so ,,;. ,,
inr ont az their bertbs. no then baard , narson h.
supposed e. be an officer telling them all to 70 back t.
their herrss as tbera ,vas M l,,r-r. n, ~ 49,
and cot again into .drow.. - ga iha srst ,b;n h.
heard was n knock Mt his door. he inmned mn aud
fnund sna Nnor vat. IN. ,,s..,,sr w ~ b,,, all
.the h,at Is singing Snail a,l w. osr i'm f~ m
pntcsJ, tbsn hnar1 III. b., Iii -. hi ,vso,s TO-
,aid she had been awake ali the tims aud it mad never
forward nar, ~ th Ens, nssad ,h mn 49, ,n hur
cane deck: there we,, some aforementioned chiliren
and men2stan drg on the nrumenad. ar saloon deck
scrramno that thcv were ,inr to h. ali List IN. n,ss
ed them all to the hurricane deck: went back ar,n to
III. saloon ana fund m. wat.r L. H. -, Tho
rooms. he heard a rrv and .soinr into rom, f,u,t ~
bow seven wears ~ aye. he bo on n sh;rt ana light
.oin,. ,nr 49,; s, s -, M ' !. s o 'is n
hurtjcan. deg he was tbs IA nrson mn. hi vonn,
est little boy was missing but Afterwards fnnl him
on board the Rip V AN Winkls a the time alter he
was missed the steamer headed directly down the river
for New York: heard no orders from ,antan Tupn.r
all was confusion; saw no officer except the man he
supposed to be an officer to whom he referred before
nothing of the quarter boat spoken Of the schoou
Or was bow into the steamer could nave saved his IA
have reused all the passengers thinks a period OF 70
must ha We ella psed from the collision tin the
boat had so low as she did, his wife and sister
agreed with him as to the time
rat Shs stage of the nroceedings MIR Smith Deputy
Marsl Of the United States nppsared before the ury
and served subpnas ON the Coroner ury and some Of
the witnesses to appear i'm New DIRK before the (;rnd
Jury the 9th Instant in the case OF the mi Ted
States against Levi Smith
The FoaEMAN after giving eyery information to the
Deputy Marshall. aud every facility for serving the
summonses stated that they were bound under oath
by the State laws, to remain together till they
found verdict. He thought it injudicous to in
tefere with them they here the spot sitting
the evidence the bottom They certainly could not
undertake to attend this week
PETER d DAVIS was next examined.He has been for
many years hand on q steamer; u hand on board
the steamer Empire that night; was sitting between
the kitchen door and the captains office ut the
first TO slow" next to stop" and the third
time to "back;' the larboard bulk head door
closed; the ktarboard door was open when he
went in front of the bswer he the schooner head
their bow about angle Of 45 degrees he
did not perceive sensible dminution Of the speed
OF the steamer; thinks her speed checked little
after the schooner then about the length Of her
self from the steamer; could then the shore
very plain; the wind was blowing saw the
strike; witness then about mdshps of the forward
deck and aft Of where the schooner struck she struck
them hard near the pantry aud ne thinks under the
coming to the bulk head at the ssrboard side, he saw
the passengers coming OUT she was heeled on that
sde and the schooner had swung along side: heard no
orders frcm captain any person. heard nobody de-
sire the to get board the schooner takes
sloop mile of clear night that night was not
clear was hazy overhead 1t WAS darker towards the
northwxrd; was principally engaged with Mr. Smith,
the pilot ut the wheel DECK putting up the passengers
to the hurricane deck.
CBARLEs PLAss. Assistant Engineer OF the Empire,
when asleep heard the bell to go ahead heard the
Eangway rail the water was knee deep; the quarter
boat filed with passengers, and in the WATER
thinks the was not cast from the davts Thought ne
saw one hands IN the boat got on the Thought
she was then going to sink on Looking to the land saw
II was high ana therefore concluded the water was
aeep ne resolved TO Keep away from the steamer Us
his only chance, for he was good swimmer and knew
Of bedstead he lcaped off; another gentleman followed
him, who was also good swimmer ne halooeu Tor
help terribly At one time; they were picked up by
fishing witness calling to it, they then went
~ pick up passengers; tine nrst tney met was man
with box clasped In Ills arms afterwards learned II
was MI. buraen; ne was about ten ieet rom .ne
sse ea - Nc =. ~ ~, o ~ h,9 w. Up,
~ 1911 ~ ;, I.aS i.,n,,.A ,a. ,..,,aa h;, ~,
AZ; % H., r, ni"sa - ,p s,an.r y ~ &c., 70
~, N.sI ~ ". ..ooI :. W. f: my oos
49,. 49, 49, 49, -. 81 -, -. . 49,
hdtnn Nv w. aa tar ,hv w. tooS h,r IN; me- S nnrS
-. w. % ~ ~ ae ', .h, n,h i ~, pl .
man were picked nm: witness then got into the saloon:
the Empire WAS filling fast: tried to make hole through
the deck sent for an axe to the engineer: the
Rim u WAS then coming up and witness saw she
would strike the hurric ane deck and rs he had taken
tw already out he feared it would fall and
that he would be between decks he leaped overheard
and heard cry underneath the after 40 ,Ieck
came again on board and getting = hatcbet he and
others cut q hole in the deck aud pulled out old Mrs
Ladd: she told them there were more under the deck
further the bow of the vessel they one
hsloo and cut number OF holes but rot nob,dv saw
man then coming with An nd 20 from the Rim ); when
witness ran to the saloon hall the that was
made in some OF pa pers lady was struck with
adzs he cannot ray is true; heard the statement
made by som, body that night who said that after the
blow was struck the cry Of the lady ceased there were
few there then; thinks Captain Tupper was
amopg them but is not sure witness went to look for
something heavy break open the deck and when he
returned he heard no more sounds: had no notion in
the beginning that he Empire was in danger for he
did not think such schooner could make hole in her:
the bowsprit of schooner could not 20 through such
steamer IA the Empire If ire WAS anv wav ON her.
II the steamer had been going IA t. she would have
snanned IL right across and n she had come tb
side Of the schooner she would have cut her in two:
was in the Empire when she sunk soop at Burneoat: