The New York herald., 1878-02-10
THE METROPOLIS.

FURTHER INQUIRY INTO THE CAUSE OF HER
SEER AND OTHERS.
The invcstigaton the cadses OF the late wreck
OF the Metropolis was continued yesterday ~ the Post
Ofice Building, before United States Steamboat In
spec,ors Ausun Jaynes and John X Mathews, and
continued pretty much IN the same excuipatorv
STRAIN : upon The first uay No cause was assigned
for the snip springing aicak she did and becoming
a wreck. and. as FAR those witnesses showed, no
light was thrown upon the disaster.
The witnesses examined yesterday were i've IN num-
er:-Joseph J. Lowell chief engineer, Jacob Nit
tager nrst assistant; Francis Adums second assist
ant; Y. Johnson, carpenter, ana Thomas j. SULLIVAN
oiler One OF the witnesses created ripple OF nila-
iy by declaring IN reply 10 query whether oe oe'
heved the vessel 10 have been seHwcrsby "hen she
started out that he woui have gone unless nc
had thought so.
TIE CHEF ENGINEERS VERSION.
Chiel Engineer Lowell test lsd that he discovered
lee, oI water the shaft alley on "ednes-
day evening January 80 al SIX o'clock. TWO days
after staring; he sent Tor tho first and sccond
engineers ana aid everything IN his power
keep The water out o the shipi he
put on all the pumps al eight i. NJ. thus allowing
hours TO eIapse he informed the cup am that the
sup was leaking badly that lie would have 10 put
mate then ascertuiped by examining the shalt alley
tnal the wafer WAS coming through the deadwood
but they oud "~here came from " the chiei
mate ana carpenter believed, subsequently found
the leak the hatcn, aud tney SO reported 10 him;
the witness did not know whether the wassr 'ga'ned
hlm'' or che gained GU the water;' however, "t
halt past four A. Nj. Thursday, The circulating pump
broke down, winch ne put GU the biiSo, ana he had
run II at such great speed hat broke Tue coss Oh
The small spur wheel and disabled t1e pump; nc then
nve that ing vessel shipped that carried
away the smokestack and nearly niicd the nreroom
with w"ier, 80 that the nre, were nearly put out;
by throwing a barrel OF tailow ana some oil the
shattered WOODWORK INTO the furnaces he got
steam up ~ twenty pounds; when the ship
struck she had ten pounds OF steam and engines work
ing slowly alter the ship struck he took MS ehgi
neer and went up TO the upper deck; IN his depart
ment one oiler, hremen aud coal passer were
lost; at four L. VI. ne jumped overheard and saved
himself. The witness ueciared that ne had been en-
gagged IN his profession twenty years; that he
considered Doiiers, engines and the entire snip
good seaworthy condtion when she started out; the
pumps were equally SO until The circulatipg pump
accidentxIly Oke dOw, which c0Uld LOT be avodeu
ASSISTANT ESGINEEK's STORY.
Jacob Mlttager assistant engineer, corro0orated In
the mau evluence oi his chiel. Wnen the water
was discovered in The shalt alley he went down 10 get
1t out: the engines were raising in the heavy sea;
by throttle valve 70 regulate the ships speed
until fires OUT he tod tue captain that Inc
nres and captain told MIN tnat they were
In The breakers and asked him TO call everybody from
below; on thursday mOrning At eleven O'clock-hve
hours before the cniei engineer took this step-ne
ashore; such confidence had he IN inc CONDITION
OF the s sailed that he declared 'he would
have gone round the world herr; tne ship was well
provided win he-saving apparatus ana every hing
necessary IN case vi an accident, but the ifeDoats
were all carried away when the smokcstack Was lost;
when the engines were raising the water was all
out and went up and took hold Oi The throttle;
the snp made more water alter tnat, he believed,
until the struck her which put tue hrcs out and
made IL u matter oil i'm possibility got up any more
steam. The Witness IN conciusion stated, III REFER
fitness Tor the post he occupied. that
no had been following the pursuit for twenty-five
years.
roborat.d his oniei's story. He believed the ship
stranded half past six O'Clock A. h, Oh Thursday
1--WE had got the 0t tho wster IN the sup, ho
SAID, 'and the she shipped put the tires out; all
uilge pumps wefc IN good order and would III the
ordinary course OF things have Kept the ship clear"
AS the ships condtion her leaving Phiiadelpha
he also testified tnat 1t was excellent he himself was
aboard The ship when she went on the dry dock IL
them taking tue metal oil her anu thought that
shs sound, which was ABOUT the BEGINNING Of the
year; i was with Mr.. Matthews IN the steamship
Wash ngt0n anu have been sieamshippins about
twenty seven years; wou9 nave been wihing TO 20
any ywnere in her"
THE oARpExrER's AND OILERS STATEMENTS
The carpenter, f. johnson, teslihcd thai avout six
P. NJ. ON Wednesday he found leak IN no siernpost
and he tried stop we'll as he coud no nailed
buttons on IRON tho inside, put could not stop the
leak; then came very heavy sea, which made the
leak all the worse at about four "A. NJ on Thursday
the smokestack aud the lcboats went overheard and
broke TO pieces, and alter hall an hour the engine
room doors went overheard; tne water came III all
the more from the deck Consequence 0l the doors
being stove In, and the ship struck the beach soon
alter this lar as he knew. tue snip was IN soou
condition when sho Ielt Philadelp lpnia. The wituess
declared that he had been snip carpenter ior the
last fifteen years.
thomas j. sullivan, oler, also confirmed The State
ment that the water below was Kept down, an'l that
II the heavy which struck the SHIP tnat put
tle fires out Tbs was the witness first trip IN u
ship, according 10 his statement, all his life,
aud yet he took IL upon himself 10 pass Sudatory
judgment upou It's seaworthy condition at the time VI
starting.
The Investigation then concluded and the testi-
mony will De transmittct 10 Philadelphia. where the
main inquiry Is now beng prosecuted, The New
YORK investigation was only held In orier TO save
these wtne esses the trouble and expense OF gong 10
Philadelphia. IL may resumed when Captain
Ankers the late cOmmauder OIL he Ill starred Mctrop
oils, VINO Is now lyiUg Ill ut his resiaence in Pulaski
street, Brooklyn, is we'll enough 70 be examined by
the New York inspectors