New-York tribune., 1873-04-09
THE WRECKED ATLANTIC.
CAPT. WILLIAMs,s MISERY.

SECOND OFFICER MEICALF's CHARACrER-QuAR-
TERsAsrER uioMAs's TRErENsIoNs-THE FATE
oF THE woMFN-oNE MORE BODY RECOVERED
lBY TELEGRAPH TO rHE TMRUSE.l
HAIFAx. April s.-The investigation on the At
lantio disaster was continued to-day. Chief Officer
Firth made additional statements and then left for
Liverpool. Capt. Williams was present this morn
ing but was not on the stand After the inrestlga-
ton. which adjourned tin Thursday, had a long
interview with him. He desires to add two ortmee
points omitted in his first statement and VIII prob
ably put them IN as evidence on Thursday. IN re-
gard to the supply Of coal he says that the Company
had made a contract when coal was % shilingS a
ton TO receive full supply for year, TO be delivered
when needed at the price agreed on. When the At
lantie lef. coal had gone up to 20 shillines. and
the captaiu believes that the contractor to save
loss f,oln the rise of coal furnished very inferior
ouality probably that which had long been exposed
Ia the air aud had lost It's heating properties, beside
beinp English coal which Is much inferior to Welsh
coal Ia answer to a question whether the officers
considered go tons of coal at 20 tons day. sufi-
cicnt supply for the voyage, he said they had no
idea that they were going to burn 40 tons day.
The average consumption has been according 20 the
guaty Of the coal from 60 TO G5 day; but that
amount would not run the ship, for the coal was
half wood aud half stone in heating quality. There
was no complaint from the passengers about coming
into Halifax He had told them that they would
have eight oT nine hours here. and they were glad
Of IT, as they wanted TO see the place.
The captain feels intensely the severity with
which oousuIe Is passed on his conduct. During the
conversation his feelings almost overcame him. Il
I,.ft I am run lfp he
said What more can ] sufteri If it were not for
nv wife aud three little children at home ] should
never have been here; d baye stuck to that vessel
till the last and then gone down with her The one
thing that Iebukes me, which cannot keep out of
my mind, which viii remain with me rs long as l
live is that was too cOntident-too confident. /
thought | knew just where my vessel was.
thought ! was a long way eastward from Sam
bro Light Had the position of the pre-
yious day been one of uncertainty, there
would have been greater blame, but we had
made il as certain as human judgment and ingenuity
can make is The different observers and different
instruments Oh agreed. and the ships position was
true 70 her length on the at noon The papers
that have charged me with intempeTance have done
me great injustice promised Thomas Isrnay that
not a drop Of liquor should cross my lips that
vessel aud never broke that promise Gentlemen
would sometimes come INTO my room and smoke and
drink themselves aud / would sometimes bet with
passengers the days If they won they would
take glass Of porter If won Id take a cigar, but
noliquor The one thing ! regret is that l too
sure of inv course
Captain" I said IF you had been on deck
would tins accident have occurredp
Never Sir, never he replied with great posi-
tiveness 81 had ordered my boy to call me at 240,
and bring me a cup of cocoa; my intention to
eol, md ly... and H. IN
go On deck when the officers called at 8, but they
stopped the boy and did not call till 10 Is min
utes past3. 1t too late then" he added mourn
fully. 1T is ncomprehonsible TO me-" he said,
why they did not see the light nor the rocks. II
had been called at we should have been two or
three miles further ont. If the night had been
stormy fOR0y Il would not have occurred. for my
officers would have called zoe quick enough. had
no reason to doubt the efficiency of the second
sfieer On one occasion on the outward passage,
when the ship was ia a heavy gale, only going two
miles an hour the air thick and rainy, we met a
sailing vessel close to the steamer, hove TO under
mainsail and fOrcsai, goose wing II was inn
possible 10 stop 20 around her but instant action
was required There are two telegraphs to the ell
gneer, one the second officer and one near me.
and both spraug simultaneously 10 the telegraphs,
aud rung for more steam We shot ahead and passed
her From his acting just precisely as he did
Judged he was a man of resource who would do what
IwOuld do under similar circumstances. How he
lost bis head on that occasion cannot te but, poor
fellow he has gone II be had left the life-boat
when called him he would have been saved too"
The evidence Of Quar:ermaster Thomas excited
the scOrn and indignation Of the officers who pro-
younce il "humbug" 1t is very evident, l think,
HAT a very large discount must be made for exag-
teraton. The captain, on whom this evidence does
sOt reflect says that on vessel where the grada-
tons Of rank were 80 strongly marked. the idea of
auartermsster leaving the wheel and going to adj
wise the second officer is absurd. "He was pretty
officer said the captain zone Of the first TO look
out for his own life The man is simply seeking
toriety. Third Officer Brady and Mr. Firth gave
about the same opgion Of him. The fourth officer
admits that Thomas asked him if he should go aloft
aud that he told him il was too soon. What
do you think of that'' ] said to the captain.
wish 20 God he had let him il could have done no
harm"
The captain then gave a vivid and circumstantial
account of the wreck, which need not be repeated,
for every added detail in this history is only another
tooth IN the harrow. lie is certain that one of the
women he carried up in the rigging was Miss Scrym-
ter Of New-YOrk "She was one OF the most fas-
tinatug ladies ever saw" he said; 81 had become
very much attached TO her She came and threw
ber arms around my neck, and l carried her up in
the rigging My God, can feel that woman's arms
around ,nc now. only know of one instance there
Of husbands deserving his wife. 1t was the hus-
band Of the woman steerage passenger who died in
the rigging by Hr. Firth She told him to go, and
lie left her. lie saved, and when he reached the
slere saw him wave his hand to her.
" In regard 20 the crew, there were many Of them
who were pretty hard Since the repeal Of the act
compelling every ship-owner to carry a certain num-