The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-05-05
THE INVESTIGATION
or the Late Steamboat D'saster'

cants Flanders and Moffat renewed theil
indefatigable efforts to get at the truth In tn'
matter of the late disaster, and this morning
examined more witnesses.
.hsenL Careras being sworn, testified al
follows:
The leyee in this city on the 23d ult., At about
4 o'clock in the afternoon. Isaw the fire from
Mr.. Wilmot's coal-yard in Algiers. was al
home when I heard the alarm of fire. ran
up stairs and looking over the tops OF the
buildings intervening, saw that 1t was steam-
boat on fire.
| then Immediately ran down stairs and
up to the coal yard already mentioned, q dis.
lance Of five squares. By the time arrived
at said coal yard tho steamer John Kyle was
all in flames in the middle OF tho river, drif,-
ing down; the Chas. Bodmann and Exporter
were a short distance above her, also IN the
middle of the river, drifting to wards where
was standing, with their sternS po'n"''S ."
&he same direction.
AZ this time | saw that the Chal BOD
mann. which was between the Exporter ana
-,he John KYLE, was atire, but not iurther All
shan the forward part OF the wheel-house on
the starboard side.
A. this time saw many people on tho cabin
5ack oft. from which place they disappeared,
and immediately after Yards saw that the main
deck aft was crowded, and | suppose they
were the same people who were previously on
Che cabin deck. Almost Immediately after
their getting on the stern, some jumped over
board. and some held on to the stats around
E3e stern.
The last persons that l saw leave the boat
were a gentleman and q lady whom after
wards learned were DR.. Brasher and his
daughter. About eight or ten minutes
elapsed from the time ! saw the people on
the cabin deck aft of the Charles BOdnann
until / saw DIR. Brasher and his daughter
leave the boat
The only way can account for the seeming
haste of the people jumping overheard from
the Bodmann, is that the cabin must have
b ca afire farther GAIT than the boat on the
outside and that they were driven from the
cabin by the smoke and flames on to the
lower deck.
The wind was blowing up tho river about
due north and off the city shore, blowing the
tl.mes from the starboard to the port side Of
the Bodmann and diagonally across the boat.
Tho starboard-quarter of the Bodmann con-
slider to be the weather side.
Saw no tug on the weather side of the Bod
mann, nor on the lee side A little after
wards the people jumped overheard from the
Boimann. / noticed three or four tugs
pumping water on her. and spots of oil burn
.ng on the surface Of the water, which l am
sausied was coal
Do not know what became of the people
who Jumped overheard from tho Bodmann,
excepting two or three. including DR.. Brasher
and lis daughter. OF all in the water, saw
mono who had hold OF anything excepting
DR.. Brasher: From my position could SEQ
nothing transporting on the bows OF these
steamers, nor could see any tugs there.
Saw no people on the stern of Tho Exporter
f,r The reason that the BOdmann Over-lapped
her so much as to obscure her stern from my
sight, but am satisfied that she was in flames.
The streams Of water played at the steam
ers by the tugs, as before stated, did not
reach the burning steamers, at which time the
tugs were not made fas. to said steamboats,; at
this time the Bodmann and Exporter were
about two or three hundred yards off from
where | stood.
There being so much confusion on shore
chat if the people On the boats did hail did
not hear them. Saw no tugs passing the
stern of the Bodmann while the people were
on her stern or in the water.
l know the steamer Trade Palace. Hr
hull when originally painted was tho color OF
the hulls of Mr.. Morganis steamships (red),
but now it is darker. The Stats and rail are
of lead color. Her upper works are white.
Did not see her anywhere in the vicinity Of
the fire or during the day.
Tradition has it that years ago, when Ben
iamin Franklin was a young lad, he began the
study OF natural philosophy and soon became
fond OF applying technical names to common
objects. One evening, when he mentioned to
his father that he had swallowed some marine
acephalous mollusks the old man was much
alarmed, and, suddenly selling him. called
loudly for help Mrs. franklin came with
some warm water, and the hired man rushed
in with garden pump. They forced half a
gallon Of water down Benjamin'S throat, then
held him by the heels over the edge OF the
porch and shook him, while the old man said,
If we don't get them things out Of Benny,
he will be pizened, sure" When they were
out, Benjamin explained that the articles
alluded to were merely oysters. 81. Louis
Republican.