, 1877-08-18
Statements ofthe Officers as to the Cause
of the Disaster.
They Attribute It 10 the Drunkenness Of
the Second Engineer.

s,catn-barQcs Colin Campbell and Trader.
Shortly after the arrival Of the Tempest ut
this port yesterday, a TRIBUNE reporter found
Cant. j. D. Larson, OF tho City Of Madison, ".
c. Wilmer, ono Of Tho owners, who was on
board al the timo OF tho i1rc, and tho Mate, Ed-
ward McCombcr, md from them obtained The
particulars Of The disnstcr, which vas, accorrl-
fnR to their statemcnte, no doubt the result Of
drunken carcacssncss on the part Of tho eccond
Engineer, and tho niegardlY conduct Of tho
owner mentioned nbovo.
GAIT. LARSON
stated that the propeller left hero Thursday
niGht at 10 o'clock, bound for Ludlngton, where
There wera on board, besides himself
mil those above, mentioned, First-Engihecr
Whcelsmcn Louis Knudscn and Louis Larson,
two nrc'ncn, d steward, four dcckhands, and tho
passenger, O. J. Ffgvcd, a rann who Is employ
Cd ut Ludlngton. prcv!nua to leaving portt
Wilmer discharged McWhortcr, tho Second
the vacant situation, but Wilmer refused to pny'
either Of them e40 q month. and rc:cmp'oyed
MrWhortcr-wfo came on beard with bottle
Of rhsky.at s dffsrense M Si,s. St e h'.n'f hars9n
Engineers and Captain's Wishes, and lost tlls
rcsscI, and With II Sl6,o 600, besides crdangerfng
the lives Of tho seventeen persons on board, anu
causing them 10 loso every article OF cloth
Ing except that which they Ind OH; for tho fire
spread 10 fast that ali they could do was 10 sasc
one 1!fc-boat and get Into T.,
The night WAS clear aud the sca smooth, and
the steamer hull reached punt Abaut iiiy.tlso'
miles north northeast Of this pert, and thirty.
Ave from shore. The matc htcCombcr, tho
secoud Engineer, McNhorter, Whcclsman " . Lar s
son, md Truman, were on watch, n!l tho 9th
els being asleep In their bcrths, when the fireman
Gavo tho alarm Of fire. Tho Captain and thoso
nslecp wrre Immediately arouted, and tho for
mcr, discovering that the flames, wore making
rapid lcadwav Just forward OF tho boiler. ran
ery, aud started the pony.enginc for tho pur-
pose OF supplying water Tor the hose. But tho
buried efforts wrrc of no avail, and therc was
barely time for those on board to caenpc With
Ell ssing ss' uat of fSs'' tie question: ' less
out out tic entire vessel was cnvclopetl
In smoke and hano. Attempts wcrc. Madc 10
dcnsc tlat thoso who made tho efforts were
driven over to tho lccward. whcro thcrc was an
other bnat, which was lowered after sono tlltll-
Guilty, Wilmer was tl.e flrss one to jump Into
verY ncas calslxing; 0thers managed to ct
into the boat, and bailcd her out 80 that all
could find room III her. "
Several craft wers tn s!ght Of tho burning
md .ne Captain Of the sShoonfE q L"tto
and nbout three miles away, DISPATCHED o
anyc of tue uniortunatcs. Tho steamer Tom
iujl hcuI OF steam, and ran rapidly 10 tho accnc
of thu nrc. arriyInr 10 about m hour. Tho arr
yyvrs wc.c rickcd IN and placed on b0arl
tho Tempest, md thoss Who Wcro
,s il nssd Of necessary garments g,s,s's TsEo o
seocroas ] Mcbride provided pr them Viii food md nd
l!,l ull In lls power to render them comfortable.
They .wcro hrouEbt safely to tl!s port. aa before
Gcil and Trader also offcrcI tl,cir services.
The civ az Madison bnrncd in about tbreo
hours, thc uunrr works being ouickjy deatroyed
and tic hull burned away to tic watcr's edge,
sunk. la '0"* p''''''' ""*~A '~'""''s1 A''s0 ""u
Eant r,arson rharoc,1 tho or{c,n NJ tim 0rc
DIRECTLY to Tia dr,iuEcn rnrr!cssnra. ri Mr,
Whortcr, and did not sruro Wr, Viii
said 1t ws q fight for llfo to
WAS 1T down from tho tiarlts several Jumped
iato tho water to escape tir heat and irc. Ono
deckhanl l'atl Two or three lngers broken In
another dcr,lanl wcro nearly smotl,crcd hy tho
du,lse smoke. Cant, Larspu ID Of tho on}nion
that the fro originated from The ovcrlseatcd
boiler and caaght Just forward Of It. lie p.aIo
GERS yesterday.
THE EATE, KDwARp M'coMnrR.
stated that he had just siinncd an thu CITY OF
MllIHOD anil VIVA on tyntpb yrttrrt1ny D1nrn{nrt
Mi1rn ahn raurht fra. liz l;aI ,,rcv1nnsiv ,,js.
coyrrcI MrWi.ortcr in ihn nm enr,rc.rnosn s.,cnn
antl snorIur. whrn In .ho"ii hcvc ro", ..al,
fur IL was hs wntch xxi n" El,st "'' Fxnosr
Ecrtnnnr had tmrnct, IN ny H. etu nxntn NtrEnrier'
nl fnnnd thst ~" ho1I.r ~ ~. S I
blow-un threatcnin" n nn,.nanavoo - ~ ~ =
lattcr's neglect. After seeInr tf,at cycrytbimU Inv
was Mi rirIt i. rnt,,nd -, IL, "i.s ~, , tn
and u sort linn ~ s ca, ~ =" ssn,
al re frm In HrsoT ,rhn sxn ~ i., sno @'1a
Conhcr al,iykjy aTo,,srd nnt iorsnn nj ,h,sc
on hoard who wore In thctr i,crths NJ md M nn'l.,v.
ored t., H,,cnr TIN rc IT, VIII. anu Gnasas
wav, Yrv jaht hrse,n ~. .'ahI HAL ~.
sufficient t6 IN ths Hsr,s. ,.ht, hME. -, yuei,
about lhe unnsr woTL. snT s,aa msa anMsappi.. M j.,
three minutrsl FniimH III mnta."... '.s"t ~. ~ ="
tho iire unJcr cnnfroi nscis.. ~ s.s,. ~ ~
lowering hoet which w.s ~ @sats'tu pau. ~
biu ot a,romnIoatInm Nil ~ hn.sa a o1G' % eupo
should cone. '>'' va ''a'e aot" 'eAsi
-, ,
that he owned mlaa ihs 1.eaa'1o. sI1rfn En- =, .,,o
io!nt,x si,h r W ,1supssles G,tE OK Aaulson
sas;5 ~ t;.,man ~ ne5slef, J,'s publisher ol tc
waukcc. rhcy bosSt H. affmspapet, fI n, o. a. ~;
ia Sor,,xns;ys msy uo1sn1 nes tnnt years a4o, ol
ci,yiust nftct *. w.. IoPany 2! tnels
fslan whrts ~ nne hna W. Eottsn on Washington