The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1869-02-24
Tho United States ana A"si '''
wv -n.DiSnStCr. ~

EkeS k1cal StehHiDo"s .:,.n;,o,a I'd
botI lcoMSlctcd the inystt1saiIi:H y
M SnsEfa6r,thc StcatHeo1S ~ H.
o. |: nh An erica, andEeEiOIii "
ES,its cirdrc;s;on and the tcs4moT,
IE,,KafHSpt3rs and pilotHofth w
DETERMINATIONS decide thaSpts ~, IN,
.Sc6b Renlein and NHpoleon ',' M" and
kins, were both in the wrong ""'
hive revoked their licenses,
The night Of the long 10 pe I ',@ro"
horcI disaster was not dark, but gray
'rhn u;lots could sec the shofcS n Ii'1
tncw exactly where they were. ! ~ ~:
H E" were ns good rs arc built, ana III
o Ov" rrsrrct their equipments were
cxrriIent, r In, looking over tue Ies.l,
monV We find That the cmPlo!ss NV. ,no
.nenriy NIL. bccntor several A5earsIm NV
service Of the Mail Line Conipn"
Thc boats we're comparatively nS" - -
naricct order. throughout, aug lIne
crews had al! ,lllr: advantages o. e*ps'''
cncc. =, ef......: .,,.r,... There
was no trouble OH That account Erot;
first to last they.srswcred ihclr me.n 49,
and engines. The whistles "c's az
There was an ample rirer; aGon.
s;x,rrn feet in the channel. E1cfI Doa'
was seru from The other, when IN"
miles urart.: THAT under all these CIR
ruus,ai,ccs there should have Dceh
si,ch horrible > affair seems yer!
strange, and wc'look anxionsly 10 see
what the local inspectors, aiicr weehs
of laborios investigation. tind 10 os
the." prime cunse Of The collision" ma
we learn That they consider that Mr.
Rcmlcii,. pilot OF the United STATES,
the descending boat violated the ilrst
rnle III the code prepared forrhc gov
eminent Of pilots by the supervising
inspectors, IN, giving u signal ;1e10,f
heay3ng thut Of tie ,uxccndiRg boat. II
would appear That, thinking the boats
were getting too close without agree
ing how they should pass, he COM
mencrd signaling, ,GIuwinG one whistle
which meant keep TO The riEnt.
The fatal coincidence WAS that tue
America blew Two whistles. The hrSt
being ut the very molarnt The SiSnai
was. given, by the United Siatcs. ..
The pilot Of tie +" States, therefore.
heard but the second sound. Of the
viii atlc, on. the America. aud thereby
understood that she .wouid keep to The
right, Which WAS what he expected.
aud held his course. The, ASCENDING
Don't had really sounded the whistle
twice. which meant keep TO the feH'
The combined speed Of ihc Duais VA"
nearly thirty miles per bOnr, and there
WIS little time to rcctiIy mistakes. and
that little not improved. They cnnr
together with - crash. anil The horrible
scenes with which all arc iaIniljnr iol:
lowed. That there. was i great deal OF
confusion in the midst Of the horrors
OF the ronnusralion. is mailcr Of
course. PILOT jenkins seems 10 have
landed his boat, the America, or, sup
puSc. that he bad, and then made his
escape. and Pilot DittnuI. goin. ~
the wheel. backed her down the river
two hundred yards trying To get ont of
The way Of tl,r States. The loSs Of liin
on the l:nilch States is estimated by
the clerk ~ fellows: Cabin pas$cn-
.crs, 81; deck passengers, 3: officers
and crew. -. Total. III. Accounts Is
10 the quantity Of petroleum un. the
l,milrd States are not definite. but
some barrels were observed that looked
like petroleum., and one WAS marked
" coal oil" Sixty barrels Of whisky
were taken on the United States ut
Aurora. .... ,,...... .....a rf. n,,..j =.
Il, seems. in looking over The. >tcSti-
;nony aud considering the circunStan.
crs OF this calamity, that perhaps the
perfect sense Of security that every
body felt against nccidcntS-th" utter
improbabilily that two such boats IN
such "A river would run into and de-
>troy each o,hcr-.had something to do
with producing ,hr disaster. -tInctm-
mutt I Umm"i%tW. ,...,..,-....,