The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-06-24

about the time she landed at the distillery,
the Bowen l:lded at the upper wharf boat;
Bowen got through with her business and
backed out first; when first noticed the
Bowen particularly, She was about opposite
.whereI stood on the river bank, near the
lower wharf boat al had spoken TO the
captain OF the Star as she went np, about
taking freight down to Caseyviile was
waiting to see ii she would return TO our
wharf boat and take it Mr.. J. C.. Medley
was with me; think the Star backed out
square across the channel, and the Bowen
ran down in that part OF the river where
downward bound boats usually run, until
the two boats came near each othcr,
VIXEN the Bowen sheered TO The right about,
the time they came together; cannOtl say
whether the Star changed her course or not
did not notice her particularly in that re-
spect, think at tue moment OF the collision
the Star was still moSing slowly backwards,
perhaps nearly -stOpped--and that the speed
Of The Bowen hal also somewhat slackeued
nj the time they came together: think they
were near the channel, which is little
nespr the kentucky than tue Indiana
shore; when first concluded that the two
boats would come together, thought that
the Bowen would run Into the Star at right
angles, but when the Bowen checked her
speed. she Swung round TO the right, and
seemed TO strike the Star in a glancing POI
sition at the stern on the larboard side; the
Bowen checked her speed near about the
time She struck; did not notice she had
stopped her engines; had no object other
than The light ON the boat. and thought the
Star had near lost her backward motion :;
the Star was standing nearly straight across
the river, and nearly still. ~
4. Lemcke sworn: was on the hurri-
cane deck of the Star, forward of the pilot
house when the collision took place; the
Star was leaving the landing below Union
town backed out into the river far enough,
rs took il, 10 swing her bow down stream
sufficiently 70 pursue her descent down the
Ohio to her destination, when 1 espied the
Bowen, on her way down the Ohio, also
above us about 200 yards; the Star was
then nearly, but not quite, croSswise in the
river; her bow had commenced swinging
down the river some; when first saw the
Bowen thought she would strike the Star
aft of the boilers somewhere, but, on coming
nearer, the bow of tie Bowen sheered off 10
the starboard, when her larboard bow struck
the larboard side of the Stars water wheel,
breaking the same down completely; the
Bowen's boiler deck was torn mp about the
place where the spars are usually Stationed
on boats, and some of the staunchions car
ried away from under said boiler deck
drew McClain's plot of river from nature
on observation, coming down the river be-
A. a., l.,f, la
ion is, that at the time of collision the bow
of the Star was little more down stream
thanis represented think il Is as the angle
represents it; think the representation of
both shores are correct; donot know beth
er the Star hacked twice, as paid no attcn-
ton To the working Of either boat The
Bowen was 20 yards of from the Star-a
rough guess at that; when the boats got
clear OF each other | found that the Star was
a little nearer the Indiana shore than at the
time of the collision; couid see the Ken
lucky shore; know nothing at all about
the river; / copied a small pattern OF
Uniontown from james River Guide,
and 4 think il remained On board the Bow
en-; | made it under bis (AcClain's) super
vision--the shape of the town, river, and
wharf-boats, however, took from observa-
ton; | was in company with McClain for
the purpose of giving my evidence the river
| is not quite so straight as in the diagram and
| the position of the boats, as 10 river banks
! and TO each other, | don't consider correct
both boats were further out in the river and
further away from the Kentucky shore, and
the angle described at the time OF the col
lision ny both boats was more acute than
given on Moore's diagram. aii laF I'd
Mr.. Gwyn testified as follow: 49,
| Was on the hurricane roof OF The Star,
We landed at the upper wharf boat al Tn
| iontown; dropped down from there Ia dis
/ tillery landing, in getting out from wharf
! boat, saw BOGrn rounding 70, 10 land; S,a'
! put ont fright tat iistillery landing, au,l
| then backed out; when some distance from
| shore, noticed the Bowen. hat Strengthened
! up. and coming down very last; remarked
! Ia sour one standing at ms side, that Bowen
would run into rs; Judged So from position
ii boats; CAPT. Fowler, fearful OF il, said
something 20 Mr. Moore, pilot; Moore re-
! piled they had room enough To- pass 'ehind
! them: rs the Bowen nearei us perceived
| she MAS gradually reaching stern OF the
| Star; Capt. Dexter called oft "to 60 ahead
4 on tllnt bOat, We had lhittt one Br ING
revolutions before Bowen struck as; Judge
So from ringing oi the engine belt; kept my
position on the hurricane rood, thinking Star
would sink eonld nci see how l1wep
| struck our boat, nor dill l notice witthei
the Bowen was going ahead or not &C tie
| time she struck Us; Star engines had been
| stopped about one ar two minutes, when
bell was rupg To go ahead, the Star was
pretty well across the river, slightly run
ming bow down; she was not fully quar-
tered; to the best of my knowledge, Me-
Claim chart of the position of boat is cor
rect; had the Star stopped backing half a
I minute sooner, don't think there would
have been any collision; think Star would
have been half length ahead; think Star
was backing as fast as the Bowen was sheer
| ing from her; had the Star moved ahead
half minute sooner than she did, there
wonld have been no collision; Mr.. Moore
] was ut the wheel of the Star heard Capt
Fowler come forward and say, after coils
ion, 'this is n nice piece OF business, or
| trick Moore said he thought Bowen had
room enough to GO behind them; Capt
Fowler had come forward to ring the bell
for assistance; did not see any rubbish be-
hind the Star stern saw spar and fall OF
| Bowen attached to and on wheel of Star
they remained there when we were AT shore
| Bowen was going about her usual rate
| Rnyan chpprad hetar,l .ha r.a,hal tho Gfar