The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-05

| way with his WORK, DuJ rendered. MN WnhJ
assistance / could. gave 1t up the second
time because | again became satisfied that 1t
was doing no good. Think we got about 500
bales of cotton out Of tho ship before she sunk
some of which was slightly burned. did the
best ] could for the preservation Of the ship
and cargo, and my officers and crew carried
out my orders properly. l have no complaint
| to mako against any Of them. The ship Is
very badly burned; has not been surveyed
yet, because the cargo is not all out
| She has been seized by sOlno process from
the Federal courts. This was while she was
sunk while she was on fire and until sunk !
had complete control OF her. have been
| master Of tho Tornado about five months :
| have no interest in her; knew her about twenty
| years ago; have seen her only once since,
| until took command OF her
| She was opened in Antwerp five months
ago, and partly surveyed for this voyage;
good order, tight, staunch and strong; made
| the voyage from Antwerp in sixty-two days;
| overhauled and repaired her in Antwerp
myself, spent in repairs G25OO She had been
laid up there for over year. Ind q full
cargo engaged; not very good freight, but as
at tho time, Have had no trouble with any
Of tho crew, and have no suspicion as
to any one. Tho injury to the donkey
engine was reported to me the morning
after 1t occurred. Have no reason to believe
the injury was maliciously done. The second
officer has charge of the donkey-engine, and
can tell all about tho damage. The Waterman
was never changed.
or lower ut the time Of the fire than it had
been few days before. / had all my cargo
engaged; was busy completing my arrange
ments to got away, and paid no attention to
the Cotton Exchange quotations.
Recess.
ROBERT WILLIAMS
sworn Am chief mate of the Tornado; have
been with her since her arrival in Now Or
leans. Received her cargo; saw her when
signs of fire in her hold. Only her sand bal
last was discharged; about 600 tons of stone
ballast remained; don't know how long she
laid up ut Antwerp. Saw all tho cotton with
which she was loaded; saw no signs Of fire in
any of it,; some of it laid on the wharf which
is open to anybody-for some time it was
covered with tarpaulns every night, as soon
rs the stevedores knocked off Have seen
men smoking on thewharf but none that were
wnrklng with the cotton nor any OF the screw
second mate gave tho alarm, but don't know
which: was in my room. Don't know any
thing about the arrangement with the captain
Of the Protector. Tho rest of Capt Ellis
MORNINGS correct. Saw the hose Of the
Protector placed on board, and could feel that
that there was something passing through
them, but don't know whether it was gas
CAQ say WneblleF III was SO all the Time.
There were two or three holes burned through
the side OF the ship. under tho main chains
on the port side, two or three plapks below
the gunwale.
First noticed these holes after the ship was
raised Know nothing about this gas. never
heard of it before. Morning happened to me
ia regard to the gas
was working at unloading Monday night,
i'll the smoke, with which the ship was filed
and, feeling giddy, | went out and laid down
in hn mir 1uSI Al lyinn Nv nh IL i,rbf
The candle was placed there Monday night.
] know of no candle having been left there be-
fore the gas was applied. Am in the habit of
sleeping aboard ship. Know nothing Of the
accident to the donkey engine. Have formed
no opinion as to the origin of the fire.
aUsTAvE sANDsTRooM Mm
sworn-Am second mate of the Tornado
have been with her since she left Antwerp
Have had charge of the donkey engine for the
last fourteen days, while loading; worked
with q regular single whip all day during the
time the cotton was being taken aboard the
engine and boiler are together; an upright
boiler; the furnace is q little broader than the
boiler: has only one door, about one and
half feet long and eight or nine inches high;
the whole resting on wooden platform GOV
the port side of, and about five or six feet
from, the main hatch. We burned coal Was
working tho engine on the day before the
fire, up to about o'clock, when we knocked
OIL pun Oub bll6 luc. otIJtlilllpSlleII UDe
furnace door open when not hosting: used
slow burning coal; there Were no sparks.
The furnace door was abaft the main hatch.
and opened towards the after part of the
ship. The wind was blowing north-north-
west and northwest, right access the ship from
the land, and any sparks that might have
como from the furnace would have been
blown away from the cotton as IT was being
loaded. There were no holes in the iron
hearth under the furnace. There was no cot
ton slowed on the port side of the engine, on
the upper deck, on that day, nor was there
any slowed there. The first | knew of any
injury to the donkey engine was on Thurs
day or Friday, before The fire, when I
all right the night before; it looked
MS II it had been Bonded with bar
1t was mended The next time | found
anything wrong. was on last Tuesday; the
Same piece was this time broken; we worked
the engine last on Monday; it could not have
been worked with the eccentric broken. I
know nothing OF any ono coming on board
and breaking it, nor did ever hear anything
said about 1t. Never heard the Waterman
say he had seen q man come on board at 3
O'clock that morning. The man who had
charge of the donkey before me was called
Wheeler: don't know his first name no one
ever said to me that Wheeler had come
aboard and damaged the donkey Keep the
any waste around on the platform for the
purpose of wipng off the engine; carried
rag in my pocket for that purpose. I gave
the alarm; slept in the cabin with the boat
swain; heard him say he smelt fire: went
upon deck and saw smoke coming out Of the
main hatch. The cabin is under the main
deck about 40 steps aft the main hatch.
VIM. BURKE
sworn-Am boatswain Of the Tornado
sn.elt fire first between S and o'clock
Sunday morning. about my usual time
for waking; told the second mate and then
went up on deck and to the main hatch, and
raising the corner of the tarpaulin saw
smoke and then told the captain; had no
special reason to go to that hatch The
Waterman told me that Wheeler came aboard
about O'Clock that morning, but said moth
ing about his having damaged the donkey; it
was not damaged the night Wheeler came
aboard, which was Saturday night; 1t
was frequently getting broken. or
out Of order; it was not first class
engine. When | saw the SMOKE did not take