New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-30
WRECK INVESTIGATIONS.
rwo LATE STEAMBOAT ACCIDENTS.


GATE AND ABOUT THE NARRAGANsETr
Coroner Brady began yesterday morning the
INQUIRY as 10 the cause OF the death
Of those who lost their lives on the steamer
Eeawanhaka, which was burned on June 90
Seven witnesses were examined. The witnesses
were Andrew Cauldwell and Andrew Craft United
States Inspectors of Boilers and luliS, respectively
and Captain Charles r. Smith. }. w Ray the m"t''
Edgar Weeks. the engineer, r. NJ fle'u'
the clerk and Dennis Murphy, DECK
hand of tho steamer The Inspector OF
Rollers thought that the fire was caused bv some
hot Goals near the ash-pan. but the engineer attu-
buted the fire to a back draft IN the furnace under
the starboard boiler The inquest will be continued
to-day. The inquiry concerning the circumstances
attending the wreck of the NarTagansett was sub
stantiaily finished at New-London Yesterday Pas-
sengers and employees OF the wrecked vessel gave
testimony some Of it Of contradictory nature, re-
garding the conduct of the officers at the time oil
the wreck.
CAUSE OF THE SEAWANHAKA DISASTER.
THE cORONRR's NoUEsT-A DIFFERENCE OF
oPI>IoN BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES IN
srECToR or BOILERS AND RNGINEER wEEEs AS
TO TIE CAUSE OF THE FiRE-CAPlAN SMITHS
sIoRY-orBER TESTIMONY.
The first witness called yesterday by Coroner
Brady in his inquiry the Corones office, as to the
acause OF the death OF David II. DebByoise and thirty
Ave Others lost thrir hves in the SeaV aulakn dis
ester was Andrew CauldwCIl, OF No. Dc Second-sI-
Brooklyn, United siates Inspector Of Boilers He ties
titled as fol ows:
81 inspec ed the boilers Of the seawanbaSa IN March
last found them ia good condition Indeed they
have been examined two times since March. and
then found good condition Since the disaster
Iexamncd boilers and discovered that In the star
board OF the tubes cracked ard some OF
the tubngs were partly drawn out The top of I'll
furnace the starboard boiler warped My aiten
ton drawn the fact that one OF the boilers wa
in this condition and the other not. then found on
the fl, OF The larboard boiler siopcock attached
near the middle leg. found that the other siopcock
the one on the staIoOard boiler, was broken on Inc
stopcock Is used to throw water the ash pan when
st becomes hot That drew attention 10 tire condi-
ton of the boiler. wanted why the one on the
SHE nearly empty ana the iarboard boiler
half full OF water. came to the conclusion that Tie
have been caused by any defect here. be-
cause II there had been explosion ii would have
blown ont connecting pipes The head OF the boiler
would then been blown OF NJ opinion that the
Are previous 70 the runure. There being no
water tween the tubing and the she'll the nteI eX-
pandea while the lrs In the inside OF the boiler did not
expand much When the pressure came the weakest
part OF The boiler mad to give way, and tins was The
cause cracking of the tuoes. Only he outside
tube were cracked where the wrenchiug took place
think that the boat took iiye some hot Goals
under ashpan Here she is an burned oui Tbs is
not an unusual thing. We have had two eases since the
disaster The boat well supplied with boilers, and
had short crew II the fireman has been IN his room
he woulc have been burnt The Shady Side and ;he
Sylvan Del aye the boats that have been on fire IN
the same place since the disaster think that the
boiler wa ruptured while the boat lay bcached
III one OF The boilers had don't think tbere would
have been steam enough left 10 beach the boat"
Andrew Graft. OF New Rochelle. United States As
sistaut ms ector Of Hus testified Thai ID March last
Ia a Z hq EeaW Ia had
her of,on that time The witness had not exam
lined the wreck since the disaster.
THE STORY or THE MATE.
j. W Ray. mate of the steamboat seawanhaka, living
n, Roslyn testified that lac on board when the fire
broke out. =" wasStaudng Oh the forward deck" he
Maid ana the boat gave a list 10 starboard We
n short distance below the Iuebriate Asylum. | went
Tor the cham box, aud when thought that The boat
had RICH cd / forward Theirs was one horse on
board, standing the port side. The horse gave Il
Inmp, and turned TO wuat the matter was saw
the bursting each side OF the entrance TO the
nre room. Then went to tie forward dccL, aud ms
DID lady jumped from the unpcr to the lower deck
there aud not jump until the boat stopped then
looked up q The railing and SAW people toying - Clmp
over II 50 a. to lamp on the lower deck. 1 went 40
the iron ladder to the promenade deck. ana o.d lie
pie stand Gu sue the railing until lhe h0at struck
also broke down the slats and distributed the itepW-
servers Tue boat beached aDOIt that time. AL
the passengers went overheard WI re NE TesIryrIs
TIE fire close to In ana a. tTe teg a, e
for me TO jump. too. swan ashore once neard ING
captain IN Tue por-honse tell NAN 10 De quiet ana
keep sui, and to stay where ne was"
The Coroner asked The wltueSs if the fireman did net
generally the lower deok until the boat ne cncd
rniriJ hirl-si. the fireman generally went on deck 2
while II was from three and half 10 tour minutes,
the steamer Was beached.'
CAPTAIN SMITHS STATEMENT
Captain Charles F. Smith tnen called. lie had
been sitting III the OF the during the test
I. a ~, rIv man wit good main rcd
open fac His head ana his right eye and his right
hand were bound up IN linen bandages Even yet the
sKn cling in small flakes from the right side OF his
face MS RAt = red ana boOdshO In answer TO
ouest on from the CoroDer the conclusion of his teS
finoHy said referring 10 his burns That he was get
straight ard, simple way, and seemed little ret
talking in regard TO the part lie played III the
management OF the burning steamer.
"Tne fIs aing saw" sad ne TO the Jury was hah
Of smoke and fame ey the slde OF the smoKesIacK
p. NJ. heard nothing like an explosion. was III tne
said 10 the wbeesmsn when saw ,he fash BE stepped
out, aud said everything was u OF smoke About that
the buckets but lac returnedsayng he couldn't
"Whst did you do then ~ asked the Coroner
'Oh ran her ashore" remarked the captain quietly
"YOu Stood by TO the last T.
have formed opinion TO the of the dis
aster" CONTINUED Captain smiih. II don't know
whether II was the custom ct the fireman 70 come on
swept and had come on deck Just as the other man
relieve him. All were on the forward part
OF TAG boat before left pilot house after she was
beached about eight feet OF water forward OF
the wheels thiDk, hen she struck undt rstoOd from
a colored man who board until nearly the last,
that all the passengers had hfepreserverS There were
Dos and between $50 and 300 passengers
board. think that everything possible was done 10
save ME"
To uryman the witness said that none OF the fire.
reported the fire TO him. He saw u before he heard
any cry. The were forward ana att-all
over tho boat " should eaY" he continued, " that
was three minutes and fifteen seconds from the time
the fire until besched the boat. have
timed other boats running over The same distance since
then and tblnk this very nearly the exact tiue At
first thodght it took four minutes There was no time
70 get at the fire plugs.
The ash-Dan Is made OF boileriron, and is usually
dnra,I hirk Iha fire