Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-08-18

closed, there might have been more lives saved
possibly; but the first thought was to beach
her as the best thing to be done; the forward
matches were closed and no smoke was visible
on fore deck; the quarters for the deck hands
were forward of the fremen's room.
CAPT. WOOD WAS RECALLED,
and stated that when he stepped ont of the
pilot house the flames were coming up about
the walking beams, and he could send no bells
TO the engineer; he was afraid TO leave the pilot
house on account of a change of course; he hal
loed out for the hands to close the doors TO
prevent the draft of wind tanning the flames
the metallic boat was on the saloon deck and
was lowered by the passengers; all seemed to
be panic. stricken, and no orders were obeyed;
he did all he could, and his conscience was per
fectly clear as to his own duties; his pilot was
considerably excited, and he (witness) thought
bis best way vas TO beach her.
TESTIMONY OF THE BARKEEPER.
Peter Mckinney, bar keeper on the wawa-
set, testified that he was on the upper deck
when the alarm was given; got on the lower
deck and found the flames running up the
walking beams; went to the saloon, where there
was great excitement; told the females to keep
cool and go forward; just then the flames burst
into the gangway; witness got forward and re-
NAMED there as long as he could; saw none Of
the ohlcers take anything to drink on the boat;
they were all sober men; asked Mr.. Nash, the
engineer, to keep an eve to the bar and say to
any one who came there that he (witness)
would return shortly; this was customary, but
the engineer had no interest in the bar and was
himself sober man; when witness left the bar
It was his custom to close it; there had been 10
liquor sold the officers or men that he knew of;
witness thought the fire originated in the hold
witness used the same kind of oil in the
bar that was used elsewhere on the boat; when
witness jumped overheard he could lust touch
OF the stern end of the boat, and could not say
whether the male passengers or the officers of
the boat aided the females; thought the officers
did all they could under the circumstances TO
save life; did not think they could have saved
any more lives by stopping the boat; witness
could not swim, but felt confident when he
jumped overheard that he could get ashore
safe; witness was in the habit of seeing the life
boats lowered every day, and thought many
could have been saved by them had they been
left to properly lower them; the pumps were in
good order and the hose kept reeled up gener-
ally; saw water thrown on the fire by buckets
only saw no pumps working; heard the engi-
neer say they would not work: the water was
thrown on from the hurricane deck; did not see
any possibility Of extinguIshing the fire; never
saw the engineer under the influence of liquor
in his life; had heard passengers frequently ask
him to drink and heard him refuse, saving
"All your lives are in my hands," have known
him TO take glass Of liquor but never while on
duty.
LEoNIDAs SCOTT, CoLoRED.
testified that he lives on Capitol Hill; was
passenger On the WGwaset; was sitting near the
boiler, at the center Of the boat, on the left
hand side, and had risen and got outside the
door, when a colored man came down stairs,
and In a low tone said the boat is on fire."
stepped up to see the condition of the free; Mr.
Wheeler came up, and witness said, 4" where is
your hose ?" Wheeler said al can't find them;
witness caught up some buckets, and he and a
colored man tried to get some ropes to tie on to
them; he was 50 long about it that witness
the boat; abandoned the buckets, ana
went forward in the gangway to get
some articles he had left, but the smoke
drove him back; heard some gentleman forward
m
his bull loose which was on the forward deck;
MIR. Nash seemed to be paralyzed, he could do
was going on around him; while witness was
sitting near the BARRON he saw young man
come up to the bar and saw Mr.. Nash set out
bl ack bottle; the young man poured out large
drink, and witness remarked to Mr.. Nash that
he was astOnished to see a young man take so
large drink; this was before the fire alarm
was sounded; never noticed Mr.. Nash absent
except this time; never knew any of the Of
hcers to take any drinks on the boat; he
thought the officers did the best they could,
bis opinion was that had the boat been stopped,
gers; he was surprised when he found the hose
was not in readiness; had ii been in place the
fire might have been subdued at that time;
witness had been passenger on the Wswaset
frequently and everything seemed in perfect
order; saw no conveniences for lowering the
large metallic boat; had been told that the
width of the river at this point was three miles;
saw i've or six buckets thrown down from the
hurricane deck but there were no ropes
attached and they could not be used;
did not see Mr.. Nash do anything towards
making any effort to putting out the fire;
before the boat landed he tried to save
his things but was with Mr.. Nash most
OF the time before she struck bottom; did not
see any blaze until she struck; the sliding door
was pulled TO, which prevented him from see
ing in the aft part of the gangway, and could
not say whether the female passengers could
have been removed forward; could not say that
he saw any negligence on the part Of the OH
GERS; they were all taken by surprise, and all
appeared more or less confused, but he thought
more might have been done with the life pre-
servers had anybody busted themselves; did not
see the hose handled at all, nor any attempt
II ade TO stretch the hose across the decks;
when witness first saw the smoke il was near
the engine room issuing out between the cracks
OF the steam box covering.
JOHN SCOTT,
son of the former witness, testified that n
was on board the steamer; was in the bar C
the boat after they left Smiths point Oh III
way to ChattertOn; some one called out, sta,
boats afire;" ran back and forth several, tim
from the cabin to the bow; witness jumped u,
on the rail- and some one said, "dont jun,
overheard yet" some white man who was very
much afraid threw large box into the water
and jumped in afterwards and saved hi mself;
witness threw peach box over and canght up
another and Jumped into the water and saved
himself; the engine stopped some time before
the boat struck; saw plenty Of life preservers
but none were used; did not see much Of the
OUlceFSy Out saw some one throwing some
buckets down from the hurricane deck, near
the pilot house; witness went to the engine
room and did not see any one there; after
several minutes saw a colOred man go In and
wipe down tie machinery with a cloth; did not
see Mr.. Nash while the boat was afre and not
until he got on shore; saw no one trying to save
the female passengers; saw no hose on the boat
witness " as on the forepart of the boat most of
the time and in the gangway.
wM. EMERSON,
A butcher from Alexandria, testified that he
was on board at the time OF the fire; he was on
the starboard side near the pilot-house; smelt
'moke, and found the boat was burning; went
aft where his niece was, and got two life-pre-
servers; saw a crowd of colored persons about
he boat; saw the bow rope of the boat cut,
Ind all were plunged in together; others jumped
N after them; got to the stern end, Of the boat,
and some one tried to get his life-preservers,
but had got one on his niece, and put the other |
,ne on himself, and got outside on the guards, |
and dropped his niece in and followed her; after
be got In he showed his niece away from him.
With the intention OF saving some one else, but |
hiding his niece floating away from him |
he abandoned the attempt and went to her |
rescue; after the alarm was given he went,
below and went forward and AFT again before |
he found his niece; and during that time the /
passengers could have gone forward, but after /
" ards they could not have had time to do 90; /
NJ i,,t tho har ha-