New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-02-11
THE CITY.
DIR FERRY SYSTEM.

opened ON Saturday morning. with an inquiry into the
management of the weehawken Ferry, which all VIII
nessos tins far examined have unanimously deciGeo 10 Do
of all the ferries and around New and its SUBURBS
the drtisst and most Irregular The proprietor Of the
Weehawken Ferry, Mr.. Dole was sworn, ana ih"oo
statement in defense of the management He acKno"F
edged-as was the with Mr.. shpman OF tho Hopoheh
Ferry Company Frdaythat irregularities ocou thes
complained not OF as frequent occnrrenco 20 n
statements Of some witnesses would warI h Sitheo
believing. The Ferry Mr. Dole assorted hau t t S
and would continue to accommodate the puSu9 rou
they could oompsby with tne of the Ferry
have been $4,000 nevertheless the Ferry mas iost o
time $4,000 The average daily receptS are luz loo' P"o
Mt Dole also made the following statement: There
were 81 days in 1864 when did not receive $40 each day
$40 aud $6 n days between Ss and 500 lS days. between
SO and 500 the receipts for last year no better
than $500 days Of the year average sS eae o
GERS to the Boat at five cents each 1heep are sometimes
driven into OF the cabins and we see no rfSsoh
cabin they smoke there, and woud curse you !ou
Mr. Charles Copeland an engineer of 81 years expert
ence testified that he had for some time been IN e hao'
81 crossing on the HS Hob sa o Of Working he con
sdered that the bridges suspended by enain s fbe
severe Winter months chains were liable 10 DeeOi9e'
brittle and snap from FROST and shoula tneo nhpe "
be crowd OF passengers the bridge they would DO pre-
cptated into tho water he also considered hat III ne
Hoboken Ferry Companys boats mere s iDtnded
to sustain the boat in case OF accident Dy eoIs 40
C% East enS OF ill., the latter being liable tOeaken from
rust gentemCns cabin he thought, shOud nc 50 con
TO fire Other divided from the carnage way for vehicles
Mr. Samuel Colgate testified to the general mok 9i
safety aud accommodation on the HoookSn LeTry Ills
testimony in cOTroboraon OF that offered py Pre-
yious witnesses, but especially TO that portion oi ~
errng the danger from being Injured by teams III 'e
EdwsrJ ieef testified In corrohOratOn Of former wit
ness respecting the HObOken ferries His testimony also
included statement to tho effect that he had himself
seen on occasion drunken woman IN the IaaS S
cabin surrounded by crowd OF boys WIN WHOM sno
was cOnVcIsnR in lewd manner. he nau alsO sen
dockhands smoking about the boat The witness elso
stated very serious affair which occurred to hiel Sn
board the HobOken fcryboat whoIe:e was l9loIeu ny
whose team he seized by the reius ~ pie'o
| himself from being run over. ,.,,
Mr. Henry Graves also testified to tact very sn 9
u illustrating the brutality OF persons ON board the Ferry
boats In this case however the AFFAIR is ol more I'M
portance since the assault came IRON one U nS
heayy club for catching by tho rel9s par OF n@rcs
be tmoy interference OF some Of the passengers Mr..
Graves says that he expected to have received some
MIR Hazan testified that had received very severe
injury from being rum over by team anu r ,o
incident also came 70 his notice OF man De,he
drowned by walking into The water ron te 6dsS tue
Peter III. Leonard Of East orange testlIeGshat lne
teams were ordered 70 be & o o one Of the
boats person had been pointed S 10 mn" once ss m Tep
to complaint OF passenger retortsd that no G Is
care o d-n for the passengers MT hhll'hAh' VINO was
N Inord on looking at Mr. shipman informed that
gentleman that he did not correspond IN appearance WIN
' ~ Johnson stated that the deck hands on the
boats,were avery unciv and bully like lot Adeckhand
had informed him that DULLES were placed on inc boats
Tor inc snoUv offered by other l,witnesscs
respecting the general disregard Tor me pa5cnGeis
here Exhibited piece Of wood taken he said from the
chancellor livingston and which he said was rotten
s pIa bad been made That the Company on tho
sion OF the Committees visit TO the ferries had placed
without his cognizance As concerning the assault 10y the
echand he very much regretted H. but ne h0us sd
deekhand. When they had supplied them WIN OaoHeS
=, Mr. Franklin f. Bradshaw Of North Oronsc had per
sonaly handed In memorandum taken from the Gus
ferry boats The Passac built in 1885, the Newark in
1871 the john Fitch in 1885, and the Chancellor Livingston
Mr. r. IT, Pullman delegate from the citizens Of Hud-
son CITY, said thahey considered the boats nsed ct Ihe
stopped running O'Clock nj night, and great nconve-
ncctcd with the bridges of the HOboen Ferry he stated
having seen accident by which person was
The following Is the substance Of aihdavs which were
presented behalf OF the union Feuy Company by MI
AFFIDAVIT OF LCrnrr SMITH.
am The Superintendent Of Pilots In the employ o. The
proper running OF the boats the different ferries Of
company and 60 superntend tho action Of the pilots aud
hands thcbOats from ferry 70 ferry several times
each day in the performance OF my duteS during tho re-
vision and direction OF the different ferries can say with
emphasis that they we've run rapdy&Dd as frequently
aspaccable ana consistent with the safety Of tho
passengers on the occasion alluded to by one Of Tho
side in the river the Rebubc was on the Brooklyn side
in the sP2she did not remain there At oil waiting for the
arrival ot the I,OSn5I az the Walst. ForyOn the
.Broolyn side and gave directions for the Republic 10 80
out on the first occasion when the condition Of the passing
ice rendered II she did the slip wedged
bridge without her going back some distance and
| making repeated outings or blows against = II:
| this s often tho case during such on usual
flow OF ice rs had this Winter the boats the DIFF
fcrent ferries regularly at fixed periods. The
witness then gave the tine OF running the boats the
the five ferries about $50 crossings Of th.bOas daily
there % pilots in service all the time these fetes
wheel deck hands selected with great care in
order that may be able from among them TO train
competent and sklful pilots we always take as deck
hands only such men as have had experience as boat
| and provide pilots moro effectualy than is
done these ferries the srctest care IS taken 70 select
ties necessary TO constitute capable pilot by
means common;and many men who would make good
competent forhandng ferboats ON the cross tides aud
crowd the East River an intelligent who learns in
the wheohOuse from the experienced pilots aud by act
ing with them, will require nom one TO five years before
ntrust him with the charge Of boat, and do
rot appoint or accept rs pilots moro than Que In p OF
the rules rigid. and are very rarely disobeyed,
Quirng src decoim and prOpriety OF department and
language Onhe boat OF all the employed on board
the boats the pilot isthe captain and has charge Of the
boat during the Trip any advantage which could be de-
rived from the OF longer and larger boats the
CahaTine and Fulton Ferries would be more than
teralanced by the loss OF time which would result from
the difficulty Of vgating them In the narrOw pass OF
the river Al those ferries any apprehension that the boats
safely float and carry any number OF passengers
that upon them ia entirely roundless tho tunnago
OF the boats great that they without difficulty,
| carry more weight than that OF all persons that
can stand upon their decks and cabins; the lee this
Winter has been Of very unusual quantity, and has
| been spOngy 95d snowy than ssual; 10 would
crack1ess easily than tho leo ordinarily encounter;
we have arrangement by which immediate relief could
be secured in Of any accident requiring The presence