New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-30

house told the captaln he had better run her nshore
went down 20 after promenade deck. and began TO
pull down liepTeservers. put several on WIFI it
and her children aud others STAYED an unl me poh
the M adovs, when went overooaru, , mmom
came up found woman whose hea1 wi's came and
then SWAN ashore. -. - ,oa ,,, q
e.cton ~ t pa uoder tns starboard DO der. which
iorcod the flames and ret tIe to me woon wore,
of fin would caused sucn draft. bot u ,hs ba1
Unopened SHOULD have seen other ina no yss
once before a steamboat when this happened, nul
the DRAFT reversed ITSELF Sometimes you see the hames
and gas come OF ordinary stove 10 the same way
In a second. however, IL Is all right again.
THEORY OF THE ENGINEER.
There ttirtythree pounds OF steam on and one
of the boilers three quarters and the other bali
full OF water. We had a d. two handpuInps
and buckets fun for the purpose OF putting out
fire. Ny dniy in such was t. start the DONKEY
engine. According TO my Judgment IL was az unavoia
nO have Ssc'a Sny known one other case ike
We bad not tonched the fires since leaving InH,p
thirdsi Tie Intense heat at first caused nv the
white fame which driven out of the furnace doors
ana which was hot enough to ignite the wooa"ors
twelve feet away. We used Lehg! coal, egg slzr;
fire from eight 10 Twelve thick would run The boat
an hour to Wmtestone. When we got 10 ,syn' thr
nothing unbus lib near boilers and fnrnaces The
boat about seventeen or eighteen miles an
II had tnirty-three pounds of steam when left the
euC,ne-room. The throttle was wide open had no
time 10 return to the enslhe-rooW, uoH Nio w., U
muoh steam when she struck We Kept our
tank No narhtha was ever usei. account for the
fac that two nues were found broken IN TINS way
When tue boat struck there was hre enough III we
furnaces to run her hour longer The weakest spot
FL boilers burst and these yent-holes servru as q
snietyVaiye both the talOoaid anu the oher DoIe
The has been 80 attempt on the part OF the company
F. NJ. Field OF r. 1slyn. the clerk OF the seawanhasa.
testified as follows; heard noise that sounded 30
Ike dull thud. somewhat similar to he NOISE %ne9
| the engineer was blowing on steam. was JUST
I he l0die nc
heard hrc, but odd the laoles Iherr
ana flames stayed aft. because couldn't gei forward
assisted IN lowering the stab0ard boat, but dldt stay
unti 1t lowered. bee the ladies were lm2i.g
overheard. WAS tue lower deck and shouted 10
those above throw down iie-pTeservers
good many were thrown down.. aud assisted
IN putting them The ladles l had none my
self Many jumped overheard without iliepreseryes:
There were no life prcscivcrs, thluk IN tne laules
cabin rcd 10 get no stairs 10 get sOe Dut the crown
TO ilrymai, the witness SAID tina, signal oil was used
IN the steamer for jlumuailng purposes III was Kept
barrel at the upper landing. ana only enough Tor
each tI1p taken on board.
The inquest was then adiournei until ttis morntng
wien Dr. A. T. Macedonia d. Fireman Abcei, David NJ
Nichols, IN bOiernaker OF No GouHerneur-shp' ana
others will he rXamined
EXAMINATION BY THE LOCAL INSPECTORS.
The United States Local inspectors OF Steam Vessels
also began investigation terday into the Seawan-
haka dsaster John BirAbeck WAS passenger on the
Seawanhaka her last Trip lie was tho first witness
called and he testified as follows:
"I have been travelling the Seawanhaka for six
years On June % sitting on the starbOard side,
forward Of the Wheel Everything went on usual un-
III We arrived this side Of He'll Gate. The heat WAS in
suferabe and in company with friend, went below
and had 4 glass of beer had my hand on the lower
rail OF the stairway, feet forward o. the forward
end OF the boilers my return when heard a noise
| like puf OF gls coming from stove. Ii
| followed by a rafting sound, US II GraYel
had been thrown OH tie deck the
hle-room floor. Then all noise ceased. We rushed on
deck and 80 that the forward part OF the boat
was cut of from us by tue nImcs. ran to the port
side little forward Of the forward cangway. and when
the flames about me plunged overheard. Iswam
and hoated until within about ten feet OF Wards Island.
when | picked UP by n boat. am an engineer and
~ srch state that did hear anything that
apDeared In the slightest wag Ike an explosion the
GIVING way be DOiier hucs Had the boiers given
rav there Sond have been great escape and
bot wafer ana from position should oertanly have
nd lelt II. II would nave Itrd Jhe deck ana TORN
il 10 pieces Ny opinion Of the officers and thai
tncy al dd their duty faithfully Ny theory is that the
atmosphere thai day peculiar ana the boat
! going with me wind intensified the Lack OF NE IN
mace owing TO ne icK 81 T1 Sen sr .g ar 10y 70
blow ont The Goals frc 20 the boat have been
az e"GhSer e s.ge 2ne seTSnhae engncs We're
iunri. after Sue struck and If the boiler had exploded
| the, would nave stopped"
W. +. Marion, anon passenger testified: l took
passage at Pcf-slip. aud went up in the wlechouse
until We got through the Gate When the lire broke gu,
the passengers hegtn t. cry out Ere eop the boat
ami put her ashore TIE captain begged the passcD-
gers 10 remain on board. aud PROMISED to put inon
ashore me engine was gong until after she struck
J, H. Lapgford. another passenger gave similar
STORY OF The wHEELSMAY.
| Stephen Vernon tho wheclsman told the following
story
noticed the safety-vave the starboard side rise
! a trfe ard / asked Captain Smith what tie matter
was He looked and said there must be something
wrong. few moments later he looked back and said
the boat ire. went Tor The water buckets but
unable TO reach them so reported TO the captain
captain in The pilohou and went down on Me main
tnc meadow and Wards Island jumped overheard.
did not hear any particular NOISE only suine nihg IKE
F. H. Weeks brennan on the Seawanhaka. testified :"I
one boiler other heard roaring like DIS
Iant thunder. My father then stepped past me and
! ri, ed The flames under the CRATE
bars. went the forward deck aud dIs,r Duted lie
preservers. was tying hie-iTeseryrr on woman
wnen something knocked Ue overheard. Aiter we iet
Thirty hirdst the glass gauge ON the boilers was two
thirds ul. There leak about either OF the boil
We carried that day about thirtythree pounds OF
sean: the certificate OF inspection allows us forty
Nathan r. Morris, steward of the boat. sitting in
| the wasnroom hen he heard rubbing noise. aud
got starb0ard boat clear but driven from by
the flames. He was pushed overheard by the crowd
after the boat had been run ashore. The engine was
| working when he went overheard.
CAPTAIN Charles p Smith appeared also at this nves
and rpeaed TIC which he had told at the
Coroners inquest gwen above The testimony OF ia,
weeks. tle enGluc:i, also was ike NAdt ne Ndu
given before the Coroner AS the close OF his testimony
Sald
have been engineer about rtyfpur yenrs. and
have emf loyed by the company about eighteen
years. / made slight repairs TO the boiler Last
winter"
Inspector Matthews" You requested me, II remem
Der Alright send officer TO INSPECT tho boiler
which YOU were making these re pairs {"
Il did. Tue officer came and did So Everything
done that he requested. He examined everything that
II was possible Tor a man TO get at"
The Investigation will be continued to-day.
THE NARRAGANSETT INQUIRY.
TESTIMONY OF PASSENGERS THAT THEY ESCAPED
WITHOUT STANDARDIZATION or BOAT
EMPLOYEES ABOUT TIE AID THEY GAvE-THE
INQUIRY ENDKD.