New-York tribune., 1880-06-15
DANGERS OF SnIi\D TRAVEL.

OPINIONS Oh sOCNb TLUTs AND CArIAlNS--A SAFE
PAssAGE.oN FOGGY NIGHI CONsIpERED FOR
TUNA1K.
AZ there is heavy travel on the Sound steamers
dining fbe iinnrr sca-un aud people just feel
great interest IN knowing tn" precautions used III
such yoya.es. 4 TRmrSE reporter talked on sun
day upon the subject with the captans and
pilols Of two Of the Sound steamers which left New
York III the evening
Commander Thomas C. Colins. OF tho Newport,
" the Newport Line, was found on the steamer at
Pier No 2S at the foot Of Muuay-st.. North River,
few hours before the departure of the boat on its
night trip. In reply to request for his opinion re-
gar,lIng the recent disaster, the Captain said
Regarding this COLLISION really have nothing
10 saw The night WAS exec ptionally f0Rgy signal
lights could not be seen nt any distance. do not
know how it was about the whstling There are
times though, when boats may b" near together,
even when there Is almost wInd--and yet they
cannot hear each others Whistles When | was
commanding the BRISTOL, some fyo or
SIX years ago. when we almost ran
into the Providence. Captnin Simmons, Of
tho latter steamer. constantly blowing his
whistle yet wc did not hear it. Oar whistle was
blowing. but he did not hear IT,, aud as We nearly
ran into the other boat Captain Simmons preferred
charges against Ms for not SignalIug IT hdpprnrl.
however, that Captain Ritchlr. then stationed AT
Newport WAS III our plloi-llnnso at the time, ANA
knew were taking every pircalltiOn for safety
So upon his testimony the charge, wr!c dropped.
1t Was Il peculiar circumstance, which We could not
uud.r,t and aud the same thing has occurred AT
other times Sometimes when II Is very WINDY We
may no; be abb" 10 hear the whist les OF bOItN to the
lccwdGd, ihougn III such cases they can hear our
whistles AMI keep ont Of TIE way. At such times
we may nr almost on the shoals and not 80 abl" to
hear tine Whist IS which should warn us "il.'
"Thrn you think that very likely nol,ody to
blaIn" in the accident of Friday night -
Il shoud dislike very much I" say 80. ] have
known Captain Nyr Tor many YEAR and lc has
most excellent record. Captain Young also know
ami Drllrvo INN 10 be- acompctcnt and careful man.
ii hen the utmost care may not avail against
such acc,d"nt> Z!
"No. OF course we are always careful, hut on
night like that there is considrrlbl" luck involved
III tine making Of a sale pa--agr. such an acrId"ht
as haGmnrd to the Narrag'n''it m,rht hapPrn To
us u1drr the slm" r'iin-tau'rs. There Is always
Il risk IN logs an! storms. and there are times when
nn signals are oi a;Iv avail
On hrIhp ;I-Ird the pruhihlc effect the accident
would Eav" up'n sound travel the Captain sad he
,,',iId .nnl -, .iiur / = former urupnrtin,ls
Ino y lot of the Newport lound ~ tlr wheel
house. aId reiterated tnc opinions CEpI'S~rd hy th.
,aj:dIn rr.thdiag the dangrrs ol Sound travel.
But d. ynn not run the boats slower dnrlng n
" Nia; A.. We hav, oar time to make and 90
right ahcad. obNriy iyngalI the precautionary signals
u, all the sound steamers take the same
- N: lie Fall River and Ncwrort boats run ON
t, y, ut!lsa s,Ic Of t!r channel, while the >ouin@-
ton. Npf,i. 10 uh Nr,-l'udon boats 90 nearer the
ICii lr. NlGic. T"sc are the moro direct
IUr tir u. pcrlVr 1Uats"
"lcu save tHru, your regular course Do not
the uuriIrrH al suuih"rn bound boats of the aHnr
lnr each keep 10 the right of the line of the
course -
"No. two boats discover that they are head
ing for each other, they both yrcr OH widely 10 the
right. but ordinarily they keep III about tic same
track"
The pilot Of this boat ha, been on the Sonnd for
twenty ycas during tic Inst eight of which he has
been on the sicaIncrs before that he wa, on sailing
vessels.
the reporter then called upon Captain w. u.
Ward of the steamer CITY Of Boston, at Pier No.
10 North River. Tn" city of Boston belongs to
the. N0rw .cii Line. running bet wcon Ncw-inrK and
New London, Conn.,, and left tins cIty sunday
Inveniug. Sir. Ward thought that very likely The
dsuster of Friday night could not have been pre-
| vented under the circumstances. H. also told OF
cahcs where neither signal II sntS could bc Sccn nor
Whistles heard. His own boat might mr0, with just
such All accident, careful as they all hdbitudly
| were.
'Of course It is not often that the conditions
| as they were FRIDAY evening" said he That
| WAS a more than ordinarily fuggy night. The CIty
| OF Boston was thcn on her way up the SpuHG."
Joan Croker the pilot of the CITY of Boston was
in the piOt house. lie told the reporter he had been
| on the sound ever since he was boy and he IL now
pl>t f.ty. He has been pilot on the City Of Boston
| Tor nineteen years-evcr since the boat was built.
He did not believe any body should DO celauied Tor
ihe accident, under tho Clrcunstances lie Thought
IL might have occurred IN much the same way that 4
similar collision occurred between The Guy ~ BJS-
/ ton and the Cty OF New-YOTk sGmo yeaIs agJ.
That night" SAID he, was something like last FRI
dav night, The fog was so thick that the lights
| Ganld scarcely bA seen DoatS length