The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-09
THE WRECKED HOPE.
The Coroner ana His Jury Investigating


THE Coroner and His Jury Investigating
thc collision,
Coroner Roche yesterday resumed the in
quest in the sinking OF the tug boat Hope on
the evening of the sixth instant.
WILLIAM BERNARD
sworn-I reside at Bayou Lafourche. about
seventy miles below Tbibodaux, at Gray's
canal. | am the owner Of the canal About
6 O'Clock on the evening of March g. 1873, |
was on board the tug-boat Hope and on my
way up the river going to my home, and
when near Celeste street, believe observed
the steamboat Texas coming behind VS..
went to the stern and halloed to the
pilot of the Texas, and motionCd to him
to keep out | haloed loud enough for
the pilot to hear me, He paid no attention
tome and ran into our boatS; we were as close
to the shipping as we could well be. The Off
GERS Of the Texas made no effort to save our
passengers or boat after they had run into us
I did not see any person on board OF the leNgls
| make any effort to save us until after we got
on bo's1d Of tTH barge: then they offered us II
went down. | heard two whistles blow from
the Texas first, and then two were blown by
the Hope, / do not understand the whistles.
There was no other vessel outside OF the
Texas when she struck u.s. she had all the
space to keep out in the river. feel confident
that she struck us maliciously. because she
had the whole river outside Of her ] think if
she had stopped when she first struck us our
boat ana passengers WOuhl nave DSEH StNtt.
FRANCOIS PALLET,
being duly sworn, deposed as folIowso
] was employed on board of the Hope as
| cook. On the evening Of March 6, 1873 about
G o'clock our boat the Hope, was on her way
Pup the river, when We were run into by the
steamboat Texas, | WAS in the kitchen at the
| time when the Texas struck us. and | imme-
diately ran out and jumped on q barge which
| the Texas was towing. saw no efforts made
| by the people on board Of the Texas to save
| the passengers OF the Hope.
ANDREW rErERsoN.
being duly sworn, dcposed as follows:
| | was employed on board of the tugboat
Hope as engineer On the evening of March g.,
1878, ababout o'cloaS, we were on our way up
the river, when heard two whistles blown by
the steamboat Texas She was answered by
our boat, the Hope. short time aftGer tho
| Texas struck her. Just before the tiiHe we
were struck got a bell to stop. answered
ths ell. At this time the Hope was filling
rapidly. | gotoout of my position and was
puleu aboard of the barge by n gentleman
| named Mitchell. We asked II man whom
supposed to be the captain of the Texas to try
and save the boat and passengers, or to try
and get the Hope in shoal water SO as to get
the passengers gut, but he rendered no assls-
| tHnc9 There Was plenty OF room on he out
side of our boat as there was nothing between
us and the other side OF the river
CHARLES Il. LAGRovE
sworn On the evening of the sinh Of N2Sh,
| 1878. about the hour oil 6 y. m. ut the had OF
Celeste stlect, in the Mississippi river, ! was
clerk and pilot of the ferryboat Hope, ! was
going upstream when the steamboat Texas
|ovae coming up behind us; she blew two
| whistles, me,ning that she was to take the
left; | answered by blowing two whistles,
winch meant that | would keep the right.
kept on my course, and to the right, she tthc
Texas was continually pressing me towards
the shipping as she was nearing me, and in
passing she struck che boat Hope aft on tSr
left side, which caused her bow to swing
across that of the Texas. AS soon as she
struck us | signaled to the engineer OF our
boat t. stop the engine which he did. no
ticed that tho Texas did not stop her engine
Immediately as she struck, which caused the
boat to fill up and sink. 1t is my opinion that
had tho engine of the Texas been stopp5d and
reversed, or even stopped, the accident would
have been az Folded, as she had all the space OF
the river on the outside. She had no cause
that their running into us was done through
malice After the boat had been struck and
was sinking | asked the captain, or O party
that appeared to me tobe the captain from
the orders he was giving, to assist me IN say
ing the lives of a familyo that were in the
cabin. or to try and keep the boat from sink
ing by tying q line to the Hope He did not
answer my appeal, but backed his boat dowl
a little and lowered aemaIl boat, but Sendercd
no assistance.
fasen line to tow us IN, as we were not
completely sunk
The TEXAS had two bargcs in tow, one OF,
each side? Myself f. Mitchell M Bernard
| II. PibSon, the engineer, aud j. Pallet, the
| cook, were saved by jumping on the barge
Ioknew who were in the cabin when the boat
slint-Mr. Savae st. Pierre, wife and two
children
After hearS. the above testimony the
inquest was continued