, 1860-09-25
THE CITY.
1os " t1e Coroner's Jury in II
Lazy EfUfn RI. eta.

Lsdy Elgin disaster, me. yesterday morniu :.
ana returned the following verdict:
staae Of Illinois. Cock County-.,:
az 'a4uialtlon Was taken for the People O
1oe otase OF Illinois. a: the Court House. in tte
@ c!.y o. th1csgo, iu said county of Cook. on the
1an1a oaJ Of September, A. u. 1860, before me
William James, Coroner, in aud for said couuly
upon the REV Of the body OF Michael Rich .theu
anu mere lying dead, upon the oaths Of twelve
gooa and lawful men Of the said county, who
oelog daly s~orn to enquire, on the part Of the
people Of the State Of Illinois, into all the cir
camstances attending the death Of tie said
n1cnael Aicl, and By whom tho aame WAS pso.
dqced; aod in what manner; and whzn aud
"nefe tie said A'chael Rich came to his death,
| " browning, On the morning Of the eighth day
OF September, 4. u. 1860, On Lake Michigan,
| aear ChicsEo, in consequence Of u collision be-
tween the schooner Augusta aud the steamer
| Lady Eietn.
Tie jury find .hs. tho steamer L:dr E,rip
Vas tho ouGhly inspected in June, previous 70
the disaster, and from the evidence before then,
OF her builders, the different officers who have
commanded her, and persons u ho kare repa;red
and inspected her, they believe abe was Z sea.
worthy steamer.
States inspectors which has been before them.
'sto the elect, that she ERs properly tq1ipped
with boats, doa.s. bars, axes, buckets, and eth
er means of preserving Life, in accordance with
the laws Of the United Staies
They Ind that she bad aboard the requi3ite
number OF etticers ahd crew, and that her ottjc-
efs were competent aud eobeF men, That her
certificate of inspection permitted her to c.rry
sofee hundred passeaxefs, txo hundred in the
cabin and ene huadred on deck. That on tle
n'ghs Of the disaeter abe had on board mu1e
man tnree hundred passengers. but .they have
no evidence Of tie exact number.
..:.y I.ney hnd further in this regard. that the
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WAs 10 the tt14ct that the United States Cer:.
ncate OF Inspection concerning the number of
passerke:s ~ given to boats upon a calculation
VI c5fta'n number Of feet to each pass coyer
and ;tha hve or aix hua1red passengers would
not % dangerous load ter the Lady E[tiu.
Je1 Inc Jury censure the owcer and ctficefa cf
lae boat toT recti'ipg sbsnri mere passep,pr,
than the la~ permitted, and say that it Is a
dangerous and far ton con1noa practice to
overload stesmaoats On the occasion Of Il. ey.
cufsion such al tie present.
They aEe of cpirion tha. the lnspeet;r,' CIR,
tlhcate should be, IN all CASTS, strictly 3ct,oyfd
ana enforced, and. although ia this ca:A. .:,c
,sasset fetms not to have been caused By this
excess CT paasenEers. yet they can aee no e.
euse Tor exceeding lhe number allowed bya
legal Certificate. -
Tl,e jury find that the tchoonsr Augusta hail
GA b9afo NE proper number OF officer aad uer:
saat Cap: Aalost ofthe Augusta il q competent
~.N m
proof Us 10 tue general competency and oua,iti
cstiona OF the other officers or of the creT ofth.
Augusta. - '"'
lucy ind that both the steamer and H.,
schooner had their lights p!4c=d on the ujrbt of
The disaster in ascorcaaee with the reouire.
ments Of the law and they consider toe ira.
cante OF the collision to be the defective lr.
carried On board sailing vessels, Under tI,c
present Law. vessel whea carrying a b.i,Lt
I'g1t, may vary her course. st least eight noint.
vi hout beicg obliged to sitter the c2ior Or the
arrangement Of her lights, aad that the yar,a-
t'oa IL the course Of vessel OF sn5 one OF tAosa
lake craft ~
The 'ury, rs further cause of the tisaa.a+
censure ihe second mate Of the schooper Arpus,
t. tor not informing the Ccp:uin OF the li,ht
when he came on cerk previous to tic coliai,n
and fur negfectirg to keep wa,ch Of The steam.
ef's llgatt. since be tes.itie8 taas he eav thcm
,nree quarters OF "a hour pyeylotss tn the col-
fe11n, anu tEey fuEther tied that the sscrpd
mate was Incompetent tn manage the schoocer
1he jury furfher tiEl from the evidence be-
tore them, that the schooner Augusta was aean
oy the steamer Lady Egia some four or i've
minutes before the collision, md that The wheel
was put hard a-Po.t, aad that the urder to p.ace
'he vince! ~ sAa: position w1s such an one es
expesta testify should hive been given. under
tue circumstances.
Ire Jury lad farther that Capt. A1aIost ia
eensuFahle Tor not Lay ing to tr coming to en- |
anchor aud h:ist,ng aiighs IL ihc riy~,ne. NJ. |
ter the collision, to uxcertain Whether ,le
stsatner was IN heed ofussistazce; iaasn,uch as |
he should have been aware from the shock Of |
the steamer.
they had that The captain and eneireera of
tue Lady E.tE'a stood at their p3e,s after tho |
collision snd did their dutr nably to the last.
The Jury are Of opinion tlst all lax. passeo-
ger boa:s Should invariably be built with water
tieh: compartments and are confident that had |
this oeen the ccse with tho Lads Elxin. The
community would have been spared ths s1cck
Of this uolentable disaster.
JSo. Y. MILLER. Foreman, GEO II. EyEIE1u. |
VIZ Roscpg UEAxE, Il. l. Nct.oox
!onS AElsos. W. H. CAs1oK,
". Il RkfSo1ps, D.T. UaLr
=. =, uoR., HfSar 81 5Al1u.
". r. sASpFoED. S. ". KING.
WE tGve slg7ed The nooss with tao distinct
asderstaadlrg oil Iescrvirg cur right to p.stest
! sa'nst liz hCdug ia c,rtain points wherein we
[er stated.
We lind that the steamer Lady E;ein was
aad TO c33satabl.. previous to
ticu1ars:
lasu!licieney Of hec lotkou:s. The lev is
distinct and explicit in requiring ia Ter class
II pusssnKes-carrFlng steamers two laokoute,
1ho "have no other dul-,'' nor cen these be
made n irc ude in any sens: the officer on deck.
II custom and practice. defersihie or not, fns
Induced in our lake stcaa.ers dissegari Of
his htrict rule on ordinary occasions, tie time
n question was one which in cur view called
or Its observance to letter, 7he.e ateamer
rei: :lted With four hundred passengers was
q r. n nd f6rp sr:.* |
The evidences shows tia: the lookout Was not
'trsct, aor proper and reasonable caution rb
'ervet. II there were, ns the tcstiMorT shows.
by Tie intense stverity Ct The
'quall rendering It Impossible to command the
rev to windwnrd, it became taea cf ,npe1s-
i've necessity tsas the steamer ia her manage
nent should hsve been put into the conditions
or safe precau!ion usual AID common in run
alag in auca weather, heavy fog AID snow
squalls, or such a tempest Of wind and rain as
vas at that lime prevailing, such ~ placing ex-
III, OF the lega!ly required lookouts, sIoWing
Ter rate Of speed, ana otherwise adopting pre-
:aatiors familiar to mar!ces3. TEere is noeri-
lence that eitlle- Of three we're done. On fhe
:ontr3ry the utter nbsecce Of every suca pre-.
measure was shown. TIE steamer
vas being 1u 9. her usual speed when the col.
ision took place, and her he,d.ey carried htr
It once far from the Fcene of the collision rad
sxaY from the col'idiny vea.e'.
WE EISKIeb %1a* We GtA5b uIutF EGt only from |
members Of this jury bu. from official testi,nn.
u hnd STATE men. upon prints most graye15
;onnected with the responsibility Of the steamer
.ady Elgin for the re.uft4 OF the disaster xubse-
[ueot TO the col ison. From all the facts in cur
possession We are forced 10 the conviction that |
he steamer was illy and inadeqaate'y supplied
fith boats. That th-sc we're not Of the de.
cription required by Ia# {l0 Statutes at Large
|. G2) and hence nnt such Is ahauld have rs-
erred The approval Of the Marine Inspc:soas
I this port.
Not more than one Of The four beats could
q called q " Life Bnat." The others we're or.
icary wooden ships boats, not the hes: of
leis class, and in poor condition, willie not
1e Of the four IVES provided with rae and pro-
er appliances aa'l outfit. Tlrir m.aas for
uncling were d.f c:i.e and Inefficient. They |
ere supplied neither with oars nor hfe 1,tes.
i of which fAcs a. e abuadant!y estab|isneG hy
'c history osthls disaster As given in III. tehti
ony of survivors, But two Of these boat. are
.erd of in preserving lifr. one Of them Is
thrown oysr the sice." the stfru boat il
auched with single oar, and bt til ars u.ed-
we can but believe, Tor the so!e purpose cf
rrynk alsrte portion OF the officers and srex
tay from the Ill flted and ii, king steamer. .
We muat further Express cur conviction that | .
9 banners outfit Of life pressrvers IVES faulty Z
d defective bath rs regards the kind adopted. =,
c conmon plank doat. aud especially their To- :
tion on bolrc the steamer, The ieatimopy nj
ows that ancnz the ea1iy exertions of nun y =;
rs on board the sinking steamer, was the | +
ssipg Of these life h,ats down through tue d.
udews Of the attic roof Of The upper cabin q
tho aaright:d passengers. It can scarcely fr
deuied that ! means Of relief thus supplied s
1st necessarily hare been lin ted ia its
e do not bear with much weight upon the in
estfnn EEAther a greater Outtsy Rhnn13 -