The New York herald., 1878-02-08
AFTER THE WRECK.

INVESTIGATION INTO THE CONDITION OF TEE
STEAMER PREVIOUS TO THE DISASTER De-
TAILS OF HER srowAGE-RoTTEN WOOD IN
HER SIDES.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb 2, 1s7a
In compliance with the order from Washington
United States Distric. Steamboat Inspectors Joseph
Mershon and r. T. Hand met at the United States APP
prasers Building to-day TO begin
tho cause OF the wreck OF tho Metropolis The wit.
nesses examined we're L i. Moore. . civil engineer
a passenger with the railroad expedition; Nor
rs Boney. OF this city. the stevedore who
loaded the ship; Edward Lafourcadc. clerk
with the party aud Dr.. George d. Green,
the surgeon OF tho ship II appeared from the testi
mony OF the hrst witness that tho "trip OF the Meropo
lis was an evcntfu from the nrst:-ln the ini
OF tho second day there was an alarm Of nrel
tho matches the forward cabindwere taken and
examination made IL proved TO be false alarm;
In an hour or two after that had notice given ua
OF the vessel leaking, and laborers set 70
work throwing coal overheard; We subsequently, had
report that the leak had been stopped and that We
might bo able to reach Hampton Roads; cannot tell
hours whom these things took place, but they all
occurred on Wednesday night; about twelve
o'clock midnight we lost our smokestack; We
got in sight or Curruck at daylight Thurs
day morning and the vessel run ashorei
the steamer had Of twenty-tour and railroad
force o 22l, and from TO three stowaways-I
never had any knowledge oil but one-making 246, 40
lar as ascertain at present. We lost from seventy.
five to eighty railroad men and ten OF tho crew.
HOW SIZE WAS LOADED.
Morris Boney the sto vedore, testified that he had
loaded the ship with 500 OF railroad iron and
lumber aud supplies OF different kinds; the principal
hold, according to the captains directons the iron
forward was stanchoned ana screwed down with
MI M n Had in
same thing was done amidships In the after lower
hold there was notpng but coal not more than
twenty i've tons; thht uch would I'LL II up; between
decks forward was slowed exactly as tho lower hold,
threo high stanchloned aud drcked over tor berths
the top OF the iron anidships aud between decks
covered and Tiled In with lumber; IN the ater between
decks there from ntoen TO twenty tons OF iron.
down; in my judgment the iron could not nave been
slowed any better than was Tor that class OF vessel
have been stevedore for hfteen years.
''What the draught OF the vessel when she Left
herer asked Captain Hand
~ don't know exactly what her draught was, bus
think eleven and hall forward and thir-
teen and half ait"
'Are you loading the City Of Richmond, which il
81 am SIR; ana am slowing the iron on the same
prnclplc as il WAS slowed in the Metropolis
''ln slowing The iron on the Metropolis did
tice any indication OF weakness IN tho shipf"
sNo. sir; and don't think Il was possible. from the
manner In which the iron was stowed TO have made
Do you think vessel was loaded too heavy 10 60
to seas'
than the Metropolis much heavier than she was
loaded
Mr.. Lafourcade, the next witness, is tho only sur
vivor reached the with all his clothes on.
clothing. He did not bring his valise with
beach. He testified ~ examined some Of the wreck,
who! ! dio not think was solid wood what saw
many Of them were rotten; tney would nash under
the feet when trod upon.
Dr. Green, the surgeon, who was ono Of the last to
leave the ship told tho story Of the wreck phcay
The important part OF his testimony was the follow.
ing:-
went out myself 10 got pieces Of the wreck to AS
certain the conliton oi the vessel; found Que piece
from the ribs OF the ship, which found be r0tton
there trouble In getting rotten wood the
beach: one large piece Of the wreck noated ashore
1t; It seemed to come from about midshps; il WINS
not AS much decayed as the other parts were, but
there were rotten timbels In II; what rotten wood
saw came generally from the plalking and tnbers OF
tue ait end, found wood rotten that could
crush IT up with my nngers; we could not nnd
was gonc, while the other was sold; called the cap
tain's attention to tho fact OF tnor being rotten;
had rotten piecc aud black pes, and the captain
said II was customary Tor wood 70 turn that color
alter short time.
On Monday next the steamboat inspector from New
YORK wh1 examined tho Metropolis there Tor her last
voyage us TO DO subpenaed US witness. His testi-
mony Will be rigtdiy scrutinized.
HOW THE METROPOLIS WAS MADE READY FOE
One by one the facts with regard to the steamer
Metropolis condition coming to light The
HERALD reporter. while conversing with longshore.
men and shpbuiders yesterday, found that the facts
OF the case were widely known Among others be
met with Mr.. William Morrow, an old shipwright
VINO has worked as master mechanic on the Black
Warrior, Catawba, NJ. U. Roberts steamships and
nearly all the New Jersey coast schoonsrs and steam
bouts plying on the Hudson Tor many years back
Mr.. Morrow said, eyes, know oil about it. The
Metropolis was one OF the rottenest tubs that cveI
lett the city of New York"
When asked how he accounted for the statements
Of those connected with the vessel, no said 'Cap.
tam Anker OF the steamer Metropolis; Joseph Roo
ney, shpwright; james H. Larry, surveyor to Lloyds
of London, and Mr. Poillon, pronounced her In good
condition and seawortny she lett the port Now
York for Philadelphia II Mr. Poiilon had examined
the steamer himself and had brace and bit with him
and bored into her timbers he would have found out
her truc condition. AS for Captain Anker. he knew
nothing the vessel. Mr.. Rooney says that they
saw her timbers ana they were all sound"
"HSw do you Know they such bad conde
tion ?" asked tho reporter.
s'weli, IN the spring ls73 either In February or
March, was employed 10 repair the vessel She
then unseaworthy ana her owners wanted her fixed
up So us 10 pass tho inspection. The work done
at ngnt to escape observation The vessel lying
at the loot oil Canal street. found her timbers IN
very bad condition. Her butts had all started, both
forward aud aIidshps port and starb0ard 70 fastcn
them we mad to take oil piece oi the outside plank.
ing about two and half inches square then iasten
tho butts with bolts to her sldo Tho bolts
In half an inch or below tho surface OF her
and then tho heads OF the bolts were covered with
square pieces OF wood the oi the pieces our
that the heads OF the bolts could not be seen.
Then this was painted over, that the work could
not be detected. bored right through the outside
plank and found her timbers rottens0 rotten In fact
that could push the augor right through into the
ceiling inside. had to let In tho heads oi the bolts
the outside aud cover them with square plug Of
wood and then To do the Same The inside Tha
vessel was towed around q sunday night alter she
had been thus repaired to the sectional dock between
the loot OF Pike ana Rutgers street. Tho tbcrs
rotten that The bolts aid not hold we'll, and by tho
time she got to her new wharf o good many OF them
Ind started again and the work had DO over.
The Inspectors could detected the work is
done SO neatly"
REpoRrER-Has not the vessel been repaired since
tEeny
Mr. MoRRow-Mr Poillon says she has bcen
paired anu was IN good condition; but he also says
III ihera has not q tiInLer q or