The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-10-24
THE DEAN RICHMOND DISASTER.

Conunantion Of the Investigation by the
| United States Steam Vessel Inspectors Into
the Cause Of tho Collision.
The examination Of tho witnesses behalf OF the
owners Of the Dean Richmond aad Vanderbilt with ref
erencs TO tho collision Hudson which was
commenced on Tuesday, was resumed yesterday morn
Ing at the Offices Of the Official inspectors IS Pine street
a half.past ten O'Clock.
Alahson Fowkes On being sworn gave the following
tssslmonyI am licensed chief engineer OF the second
class, and have certificate 10 that effect; am twenty
nine ysars old and have been connected with engineer
ing since the year 1885, chief engineer Of the Dean
Richmond and board OF her on the night Of the
10th and evening Of the goth September when the COL
lision occurred with the Vanderbilt; have been the
Dean Richmond three years up TO the 25th OF last July
the night OF tho accident; was by the engine; when
We parted the 81 Jonu was standing out on the gang
way that ruus across IN 'front.' and ran over 10 the port
side and saw her pass after that heard the Wits
ties from our boat aud said 10 my assistant .that
must BIO the Vanderbilt and Immediately after this
heard the alarms Nil the boat al that same moment the
engine bel rang TO sow,n and stepped In and
shut the hrote Immediately after there the bell
70 stop and shut on tho side injections then came the
bell 10 back and We backed herr previously 10 this the
alarm, or confusion" whistle had been soundedjust
between the time Of our slowing and backing; heard
no whistle whatever from the Vanderbilt at all had an
assistant with me; he slipped out OF the engine
room as stepped In there need Of his helping
me; one man could do all that required. the col
ison occurred while the act OF backing;
had made between Ave and back; posi-.
tive had five turns tho least; felt the jar
or shock by the COLLISION plainly: The usual plan Tor
turlng boat back when going ahead with an open
throttle is 10 give four bcs-onc TO slow, one to stop
and two 20 back; were gong at the rate OF about
fourteen miles hour previously to the disaster;
judged the speed Of the boat by the distance had rum
reached Rhiuobeck after twelve o'clock; I'D
consequently run about iwentyeigh miles in that timc
| il the tide had changed from tho sbD 10
tho Hood after we left Rhinebeck We would
the tide and against the tide some difference in
the speed o! course, but could not exactly say how
much difference; heard the alarm whistles blown on
one boat the whistle blew least three times;
/ this occurred between tho time Of backing and
slowing; on getting tho signal from the pilot felt
bound TO back bard could could have backed
any harder II there had been any single bells rung;
only thought there was something close at hand and
NO matter what thought could not have backed any
faster; between the intervals OF bells slow, stop
and back there might havo been minutes time per.
haps between The rsf aud last bells hut could not
state positively what interval of time there Vas; sup.
posing boat 10 be going the of fourteen miles
! an hour we might have got her TO back in perhaps
/ BY tho Board--A couple OF minutes might elapse,
between reversing the engines from going ahead
10 gong back; could, ut all events, be
! done, think within two minutes; If the boat was
gong on ana had been slowed it might take perhaps
I'VE or seven turns Of tho engine to set her really going
| back through the water.
Examination resumed--I could not state on my oath
that the boat was really going back at the time u the
collision, but am pretty positive that her Roadway
stopped, vas IN Tho engine room all the time, and
bad no opportunity OF seeing IL the boat was really
gong back, but am certain nearly that she was not
going anea!; don't think there ia any advantage in
having jingle BELLS they only make more confusion,
think the number OF bells there are the better IN
/ our general down from Athens head OF
steam does not vary much we keep up an
average rate OF spcei, and to do this We must
/ have regular amount Of steam;~ that requires
some one thousand horse power oil the head OF
We usually carried was about tweny-eght pounds pres
sure; gave orders TO my assistants TO keep up that
| fixed head might have exceeded il sometimes but
It that on average; on the night of tho collision
We we're naking about sixteen revolutions per minute;
could only make about half that number in backing
say about eight per minute; We back the engines Ny
simply putting our hands on the gear, that Is ali; 1t is
| very easily DONE between the engine room and the
pilot house there regular communication, except
By means Of the bsIi there sounding gong close by
the belt and pipe that communicates from this up 10
the pilot house. SO that the pilot can tell the
belts rounding as well as we can; this
| tube Is ike regular speaking tube, and
l have often heard them say in the pilot house
/ that they could hear talk In tho engine room;
don't know anything especial about the Whistles
attached to boats; large aud small, aud
think they vary much IN sound and ~ their quality
Of tone az the voices OF men DO can't tell whether the
whistle of small propeller would sound loudly
that of the Dean Richmond; but small BEATS usually
have smaller whistles; anv person, think. who mas
heard regular boats whistle constantly for some time
| would mink, easily recognize that whistle by It's
sound and one can always tell the whistle Of the 81
the COLLISION opened the safety valves and
doors. and then made the nremen haul foot OF the
assistant with mo in the engine room and also a
, "sreaser" to OF. the machinery, whom might have
1
The witness cross examination only repeated the
same testimony more alphabetically aud said that he
thought all was done ABOARD the Dean Richmond after
| the collision that could be done; there delay 10
backing the engines after the pilots signals Of course
he guided by them and could not so deck to
for himself what was thomatter; he ooeyed all the or
doris given him rs quickly they could he executed
tho Whistles he said, which given 10 SLOW stop
| and back aslern were g ven In rapid succession, al
though they were composed OF distinct separate whIs
tics: he mentioned that the tonnage u Dean
| Richmond was about 500 tons ard that she carried
/ OF 10 ont ho
sh Of tue collisions after tue collision he obser' ed
he sald to his assistant ihcre's nothing more that
can do we have backed last enough at all eyente and
| u Is not fault
George Keys, most importan, witness in The case,
was then sworn and deposed Il am the captain of The
i socp william H. Bridgcr, aud about half-pas twelve
ON the night Of the collision just below Hy 10 Park
dock the Hudson river saw the Vanderbilt TO the
eastward o. "a; we wers pretty well over TO the west
shore and saw the Dean Rcnmoni 10 tho lower end OF
tue Island; was bound up tho riyer there was tug
boat 70 the west of us also gong up were between
the Vanderbilt and tho tug: beard two sharp whistles
from the Vanderbilt and then the Dean Richmond
| Piled with two whistles; ! am certain the tug did
not WHISTLE about from seventy I've 10 a hun
dred yards from the tog, and could have heard u sue
bad whisiod alter the Dean Richmond answered tho
Vanderbilt signal watched the two closely, and then
| saw the Vanderbilt give single whistle when she was
with about aoi half lengths OF the other boat
about quarter Of mite below tho Vanderbilt
at this time; immediately alter the signal whistle from
tbc vanderbilt there came three or four quick blasts
from the Dean Richmond, aud tnen heard u crash
10 them when they were together and rounded
TO. but as the schooner was there and leaking
badly thought II best 70 pursue my journey up,
Bied AGAIN aud went on have been eight years the
river, Gve of which tme have owned and sailed the
william II. Brdgcr, so Ought 10 know something about
vessels and whistles, especially I got into trouble
cnce about whistle when l got run into; live at
Kingston.
On cross-examnation the witness repeated the same
testimony; he said that lie positive the tugboat had
not whsticd at all that she only pulled and tnat the
two whistles had from the Vanderbilt; he
between tho two boats be could tell whether the pro-
pcier whstled not he should think be had been
In the employ OF the Peoples line and had motive for
giving this evidence; he was known ut Kingston NJ all
events he knew several whose names mentioned
two hands the deck OF his sloop besides hmselfone
to him, but did not know they knew him
from Connecticut and The other from Kingston also like
himself. He continued-when ] got 10 Kingston
talked TO the proprietor OF the erryboa LOCK- and
toned to him about the occurrence and told somo
one else; can only say that sir, ant TO bs hired;
have lived 10 Kingston for twsnty.6v years.
Edward r. Gurus, sworn and examined, depoeed a.
follONa.-I live nj IafavAstA NeN YORK. m steam