National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-08-25

, sus Wy NV, "as ne'e' h'oiyoouy was tnere
2, WhS was acting captain at that time, A.
No, he said, he would not touch the papers.
q. He was acting captain at the time A.
lie took the boat down that morning after
q. VINO was captain the day the inspection
Tssrc WAS sGs pp n % ne
came back agaln told him he must 20 down
and get permit from Alexandria at the custom
house 10 run that boat; that he should have his
name indoised on the papers. got him at Last
70 handle the papers, and hc took them down
BY Mr.. Rose: Q. What date dld You change
the certincates-the last certificate that you
had Inspector A. On the 9TH Of March New.
Q. What date did you post them up in the
Doat7 A. posted them up a. soon as I saw Mr.,
savllle-probably three or four or I'VE days. Mr..
Nash came to me and said that he had made
made which were OF a larger size. We have 70
have new frame made every time there Is a
change In the certificate; Tine new frame was
q Was either Of ihe old certificates left hang.
Ing on the Path Of March, 1857 A. No, sir. I
larger size than those o. the year before. The
glasses for the frames and everything was
standing there waiting until I could see some
In hurry to go TO Alexandria. I told him the
papers had come, but had seen nifty In the
Georeetown custom.house. They were put up
the discrepancy. Mr.. Nash put them up.
q. Did you read the certincatef A. Yes, sir;
read II, aud one hundred and nfty in the George
town copy. That Is why held back the papers.
q. What have you to say about the seventy.
i've llfepreservers7 A. seycnty.nyc hfe-pre-
q. Yes. A. There was more than two hun
drei life-preservers on the boat.
| Y. IL there were one hundred and nifty pas
sengeIs and crew there ought to be one hundred
IIfn-nrnaprVqFa II Ia an .taf
| the law. A. am only speaking of what was.
IL know now We had over two hundred ilfe-preservers
Q. Know. That Is In evidence. But there Is
the record that we have got to take7 A. Ger
| talnly. lonly called for list OF passengers. |
know We had life.preseryers enough on board.
| Y. Did you never leave only seventy-nye
theref One hundred and nifty passengers and
only seyenty,nve lfe-preserers7 Did you ever
Te s sa,t In the duplicate OF yoar eertiacate7
| the custom.house while Mr.. IIowlson was writ.
Ing check. l looked at the papers, and saw
Ne az ,sn copy 81
me papers up and told him why did not put
q. DiI you ever take notice OF the number Of
llfe-prcserversf A. No, sir; know we had more
than as many again As the law required.
2. Are you aware that the law requires each
vided with a ife-preseryer3 A, Yes, sir.
| O. You never noticed tiat discrepancy A.
No, SIT; the president asked me why I did not
| pus s"e pspei w, anu toil MN OF tue uiscrep-
own.
Q. Don't you think It Ia the duty OF the COM
pahy 10 KNOW me law AND FULLY comply with u
| a. since l nave been superintendent OF the
COMPANY We have always consulted together
tue inspectors and my self-and they never asked
me ior anything but l compiled with their de-
Q. Very likely that Is the case, but 1t seems
strange that you did not discover the dlscrep-
ancy between seyenty-nve life-preservers aud
one hundred and nfty passengrrs A. That /
would not have noticed. l Know had over one
hundred on board. saw a difference between
our papers and the papers In the custom. house.
knew there was wrong somewhere. Here
lhandtng the board paper,l Is q radical wrong.
suppose that boat had burnt up with that paper
In the custom.house.
Mr.. Rose. Never mind that. II there 10 any
wrong there u will have to DO referred to the
inspectors. We have nothing to do with that.
This Is an investigation In regard to the steamer
Wawaset.
r..,,.o,x os pu...N
r,,r.,,, ~ 49,.
npniaim Nasa sworn;
by Mr.. Rose: Where do you reside? A. Nor
thumberland county, Va.
O. What is your occupatIopY A. Ihave farm
there. am employed at present in the Govern.
ment bookbindery.
q. Wen you passenger on board the steamer
| o. Are You the writer of ,bis letter. 1n,nI,n1
| the witness lottery A, am.
q. VIII you please give us a full statement Of
burning a
| steamboat Wawaset, ami AZ 10 the Ioss Of iife
| thereon? A.. / WAS in the forward mari nj ihe
boat, Just inside OF the gangway and in CONVEX
sation with gentier' an In rather an under Tone,
| when something was said with regard 10 n nre
| Looking down the floor, ! saw smoke oozlnp out
| between the joints OF the floor then imineli.
| atey went aft. The first Impression that sirucl
/ me was with regard TO my baggage. hut nd
not know the cause OF the smoke, had been
AFT In the middle cabin but a few moments be.
| to be Quiet; that there was no danger: thai the
boat would be beached in q few moments /
then went to the outside OF the boat. Al that
and climbed up to the promenade leet' righi
BY the metallic life-boat. While. was there
w ,ss psrss who were trying Ss
deck hands came along and something was said
said, "Let il alone" looked around 10 see N n
there was any rope, or buIleys, or tackIinV for
lowering the boat, and could see none. AZ this
time on the deck below, Just aft Of tho boat, /
board q metallic liie-boai, T6ey oasheS her
over, and Just as they pushed her over one col.
and he came IN with IL / think tbst was ~
that was saved with tho metallic iife-boat.
promenade deck, and saw II was fnll N
cane deck. We were ali in Transformation. and
| did not know what to do: what move 10 make.
The lire was spreading ouIte ranIdiy ami M
Wheeler al this time appeared in the front nar
OF the boat. and balIooed 10 rs IN come forwssrt
At that we ali rushed forwarJSaII mai wa..
upon the hurricane deck. inmneJ ,iown an the
nrwsrJ ns,, ~ M -, syuhpeu INV un the
bow NJ far as cond Sef cnnxan mmi INC tne
were Others there before me- anI to-, an emn,s
pssch hoy and c,imha io,vn ~ M n an eapy
Inc boat. and spreaIing myself thepe ,ew ma, "
ments the thought occurred to me ihat there
were so many back OF me that was in The way,
board a little before the bost s,a yunPeu pfer
| not been In me water for over thiTty years nnh
| i aid not suppose could swim nj ail mi ,ams
IN, and pad,IIeJ pretiy liyeIy ami fonn5 10
my surprise, that could swim. After swmnIno
md tbep ol sG nus ,SInd touched bot
o, In what particuiar mari Of tns ma; v.ro
youY A. Just made Ibe door righf hacr y, ~
boiler. leaning on ths CASING Thai c1vers ~, ,ho
boiler '"a' '''e'' '"e
q, Aft or forward, A. ForvarJ
II Than ,on rxanr -, ~, vu,
ii Whers All ,nn ~ e. a. ~, h sn'
nm an the nrnmsosas sacS AMI 49,. a. oane
| the hurricane Jacs "eNA' IA" ioih ueie W
q Wnw Ionn ,,,o ,.. ,. ,.,
tinte al the ara sna nn,r na,, .1.v un,,Wsen tne
being u snch nositi"n IN, 10 ~ a nn, Wy ooat
| from forward IN XII, '"~' w ''e 'oui' pass
| Witness Yon mean In ,ha ,o,var o.,,,.
| Mr.. Rose. Yea air ar an the hnrn,nan Hal,
| either? A. In the lower rshin 40 nn, ,nos
hui yerv few moms mis-. no, n,ar y. ,S no. .nnk
mnutes INT in IegsI "a ~ the h,,,. u, ionr
| THINK on the nort side nsssa1 anu.n e,ueuh,
| forwa ria mn n ths lin. Az st,ncu aeA"us anu
| n ~ s'ss ,'ao oho