The Cairo evening bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1868-1870, 1869-11-03
DRusxEs PILOr DExoUscED AS a
WILFUL LIAR!!!

IL, sent US by telegraph, some days ago,
to suspend comment and publication Of
reports of most dlabolloal character in
relation to that commanders conduct In
passing numb ers Of the Stonewall pas.
sengers and crew, while in the water,
struggling for life, without giving them
any assistance, and also because we are
not OF that class who love TO expose the
errors Of our fellow creatures, and gloat
over the publication OF details which
make US blush for our kind, we have he g.
tofore said but little IN regard TO the re.
ports alluded to. We are now glad that
we RETAINED from doing so, as an inter.
view with Capt. Washington in per-
son has proven that there Is al least a
reasonable and plausible excuse for his
conduct at the time Of that disaster.
The following abstract Of Capt. Wash
ington's defence is proven In several par.
ticularly by other parties who have made
statements to Us previously, particularly
Captain John 8. M'Cord, Of the steamer
Olive Branch, whose statement was made
to US on the day after the disaster:
Capt. Washington says that on the
night In question, he landed just about
dark at Grand Tower to coal. As he was
rounding to, ne saw the lights OF q
steamer just going out OF sight, down the
river, below. The Submarine. Capt.
Washington's boat, then lay at Grand
Tower and received 1000 bushels coal, and
afterwards remained some time In hopes
that the wind. which was blowing very
strong, woul subside. 1t did not do so,
and as his pilots thought IL would be safe
to venture out, the Submarine was with
some difficulty got away from the bank
and started down the stream. This was
about half past eight O'Clock About half
past nine o'clock, two hours and half
after all statements concur as
to the time at. which the fire
broke out, the Submarine perceived the
wreck of a steamer burned 10 The main
deck. Nota soul was TO be seen on board,
AZ the flames had covered every inch OF
the deck, nor could any person be seen
on shore or in the river by the light Of the
burning vessel No light was seen on
shore, and no sign Of human life was to
be seen anywhere. Capt. Washington
was at that time In the pilot house, and
in consultation with his pilots came TO
the conclusion that the burned steamer
was the Colorado; that she had been
burned five or six hours previously, and
that her passengers and crew Lad been
rescued by the Stonewall, as that boat
was known TO have been behind the Col.
orado and ahead OF the Submarine. Act.
ing upon this supposition and because
the deck load OF the Submarine was
composed Of hay, oil and
other combusti0le material put on her in
preference to other boats OF the line be.
cause she did not carry passengers, and
also because OF the strong wind, before
which was carrying sparks
all over the river, the Submarine was
kept at some distance away from the
buring wreck. Just below the scene Of
disaster are high hills which throw deep
shadow on thewater, rendering IL almost
impossible To see anything upon the sur.
face. Steamboats, could never run that |
particular channel at night were 1t not !
kuc laSb hhaN thS VI
water between the high banks has swept |
away every obstruction aud steamers
navigate 1t at night by merely observing
the outline of the hill tops and keeping
away from the banks. Into this dark
passage. where no human eye could de-
tect such atoms on the water as human
heads would appear, the unfortunate
had drifted during the hours
which had interviewed since they had
been driven off the burning boat, miles
below the wreck, and the light of the
could not possibly have illuminated the
water at such distance.
At such point the Submarine passed
those who were still in the water. A
survivor states that the cold of the water
and the air had so benumbed every one
that their cries were entirely too feeble
to be heard for even few rods. How
then could their cry be heard above the
high wind which prevailed, and above
the escape of steam and the other noises
made by the steamer.
When the Submarine landed at Cape
Girardeau Capt. Washington learned
with establishment that the Colorado had
passed safely down and then knew for
the first time that the wreck must have