Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-03-22
FOR RIVER MEN.
Decision Of the Supervising Inspectors in
tae Case Of the Collision Of the Steam
Tug Nettie ZONES and the
Str. sreat Republic

The fOllowingis the decision OF the Su-
pervlsing Inspectors in the case Of
The collision between the steamer
Great Republic and steam tug Nettie
Jones, whioh-Occurred in our port on the
9TH inst:
OFFICE Local BOARD OF I~NsP'TRs,
MEMPHIS, Tenn, 1870.
To Captain samuel Houston, Supervising In
spector Of the Sixth District:
SIR. We have the honor TO make the
following report in the case Of collision
between the steamer Great Republic and
the steam tug Nettie Jones, in which the
letter vessel was run down and sunk
The evidence in this case is extremely
conflicting, and ! shall therefore only in
trOduce that portion Of it in this report
that bears directly upon the case.
Il appears providence that the steamer
| Great Republic was ascending the river
and apprOaching tha landingat Memphis,
/ Tenn, about 4 o'clock pm, March 1th,
4 $50: and the steam tug Nettie Jones, be-
5Oneing tOths coal Ernfof BrOWn Clones,
was descending the rive with q cOal-boab
IN tow, Intended Soscoal some steamer
living at the wharf. When. the. Nettie
! Tones had descended. asdar as-thsf foot OF
jefferson street, which Il st the Head Of
I The steamboat landing, she sounded TO
bow up Stream, and was floating down
I with the current IN the above named
position. The Great Republic was
I coming up the river, and thus
the two boats were rapidly approaching
each other as described, both boats head
ed up stream, the Nettie Jones floating
with the current, head up stream, and the
| Great Republic coming up stream IN q
| crippled condition, running with the
! starbOari wheel, the port wheel being
broken and useless. The two boats col
/ iIded about the center of the
1 landing. and the steamtug Nettie Jones
was run dow andsunk. w. II. Jackson,
pilot on the Nettie Jones, makes oath that
when he Great Republic had approached
within five hundred feet of the Nettie
Jones, Mr.. Jackson blew two blasts on
his steam whistle, indicating that he in
tended to keep on the port side, but after
his, and just before the collision, be at
tempted TO 20 to the starboard side. This
is in direct conflict with the rules made
for the government Of pilots. Rule No. l
provides that the signal shall be made
nrst by the ascending steamer, and the
signal for passing shall be II sound of
the steam whistle to keep to tho right,
and two sounds of the steam whistle
10 keep TO the IsfL. And rule S pro-
vides that when steamers are running
IA the same direction and the pilot
- the boat which is astern shall desire to
lake either sic Of the boat which Is
ahead, he shall give the signal as in rule
NO. l. anu ALE B44lt hLAlL - gA alb bOLG
ahead shall answer by the same signal.
It viii thus be seen that W. H. Jackson,
pilot on the Nettie Jones, disregarded
rule No. I, by sounding his steam whistle
nrst-his being the boat ahead-and he
again disregarded rules Nos. l and s, by
sounding his steam whistle twice, which
indicated that he wanted to 20 TO the left,
md then attempting to take the right
hand side.
In the case Of John H. estrander, pilot
on watch on the steame Great Republic. /
NJ the time Of the collision, he also disre-
gsrded rules Nos.l and 5, in not giving the
proper signal first, as the Great Republic
was in the rear, rapidly approaching the
Nettie Jones; he should have sounded his
steam whistle, indicating the side he
wished to take.
In this connection, W. II. Jackson, pilot
on the Nettie Jones, makes oath that if
the steam whistle on the Republic had
sounded TO take either side, TO the
right or the left side, that he
Jackson would have been appraised
Of the intended movements Of the pilot
the Great Republic, that he could have
made good his escape on either side of the
Republic. The inspectors are of the
opinion that the statement of W. II.
Jackson appears entirely correct and rea-
sOuable. The law directs that the signal
shall be given when the boats are eight
LALIAAE4 n 4AA1 AAAENlAA= ia Al NAD 14E14AN
had been given at a distance Of two hun
bred yards, we are satisfied hat this IN
fortunate collision would have been
avoided. A. L. Cummins makes oath
he was standing on the port guard of
the steamer c. B. Church, and in full
view and nearly opposite to the Great Re-
public when she cOllided with the Nettie
Jones, and that the Republics wheel was
not stopped until the collision occurred.
a. L. Cummins further states that it is
his opinion that if the Republics engine
had been stopped in any reasonable
length Of time before the two boats col
Iided that the collision would not have
occurred. b appears to the inspectors
70 be entirely reasonable, as the Republic
was running on one wheel. If her engine
had been stopped. the boat being out in
a strong current at the time, her headway
would have soon checked. This appears
the more reasonable, as il is admitted by
all Of the testimony taken in this case
the engine On the Nettie Jones was
ahead strong before and at the
time OF the collision.
Benjamin II. Hester being duly sworn,
states that he was standing on the stern
Of the Fanny Brandeis, Immediately op-
pOsite to where the collision occurred, and
bis view was uuObstructed, q that
the Nettie Jones blew two blasts on her
whistle when the Republic was about one
lAlQEtu NaLuH GA=EolA A4DLA 4EIs anu kIak
the Republic gave no signal in return,
that her wheel was not stopped until
the collision occurred, and lat the Nettie
Jones was sunk out of sight. He further
states that he knows Captain Donaldson
well by sight, and that he did not see him
give any signal TO the pilot on the Repub-
lie 70 stop her engine, n that the Re-
public did not give any signal with either
whistle or bell.
The testimony in this case all goes to
that the Republic struck the
Jones about six feet from the
stern. This fact shows conclusively
that the Nettie Jones came very near es-
and the inspectors are Of the
that if the proper p%recaution had
been taken on the part Of the Great Re
public. that the Nettie Jones would GER
teinly have escaped
Captain W. B. Donaldson being sworn,
states that he was standing on the roof,
forward. at the time of the collision, and
that the Republic was about the middle of
the whsrf,an about seventy-hve feet out
side Of the steamboats, lying at the land
ing; and that when be first noticed the
Jones, that she was above and a
little outside Of the Republic, and that he
asked the pilot II the engines were stop
ped, and the pilot nodded in the affir-
native. On being questioned, Captain
Donaldson states that he was not certain
the engine on the Republic was
stopped, and that he a no order at
any time 70 back the engine.
John II. Ostrander, being duly sworn,
hat he was the pilot on watch on
the Republic at the time of the collision
the Nettie Jones, and that the Re-
public was running on the starbOard
wheel, the other the port wheeD being at
the time broken and useless; and as the
approached the Memphis wharf. he
blew the usual signal TO land; and
that the wind was blowing hard on the
Tennessee shore, quarteringdown stream.
And when alongside Of the wharf, and
TWENTY-FIVE yards from the steam
boats, he saw the Nettie Jones outside Of
he Republic with a cosl-flat IN tow, and
abreast of US she commenced steam
up. as if intending to come alongside.
The Nettie Jones, all at once, started to
our bow, and blew " blasts on her
steam whistle, at a time when il was i'm
possible, on the part of the Republic, to
avoid a collision. As soon as the Nettie
ZONES blew her whistle I stopped the Re-
engines and did everything in
power TO avoid a collision. When /
the engine on the Republic she
vas 50 close to the boats lying at the
wharf that she blew inagainst the steamer
Continental.
John H. Ostrander being questioned.
.tates that he did not blow any signal
ifter he blew the usual signal to land, and
hat be considered the Republic perfectly
manageable at the time OF the collision,
nd that there was room for the Republic {
o have passed the Nettie Jones on the {
tennessee side. !
The question was asked Mr.. Ostrander !
yhy he did not signal the Nettie Jones. |
he replied that he intended, at first, to
and before the boat got that high up, a
,ut the Captain afterwsrd concluded to :
% higher up the wharf.
Mr. Ostrander WAS then asked the cnes-