The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-07-13
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FoR 1AE SINKING LoF ITHE scIoro2
Second Oar OF the Inspectors 1nrestlsatlon or th'
cuases fofths nl.ast.r-rIiot Longs State.
msnt--Story Of the EnElussr ofths
Lomls-I Di,lpteitsted Account. IA


continued yesterday, and some OF the most
important testimony was taken. Tho first
unbiased account OF the accident that has
yet been obtained was given by man who
lives OH the river bank near the scene OF the
collision, and the statements Of the pilot and
engineer OF tho ;.onns were taken. The mum.
Der OF spectators was largely increased over
the previous days session. Supervising In.
spcctor Fchrenbatch was still present.
STORY or AN EYE WITNESS.
Arthur McSally, the man who lives on the
river ark hear CtOSs Creek, and who was IN
eye witness OF tho collision, was the Drst wit.
ness called yesterday. lie gave his state.
ment substantially as It was gwen to an Ii.
TELLiGESCEg reporter on the night OF the oc.
currcnce, and printed OH tho morning OF the
fifth. Mr.. Fehrenbatch showed him the
large plum OF the part Of the river where the
occurrence took place. and asked him 10 10.
cate his residence. lie produced II small
map OF his own showing the position OF the
boats,and surrounding objects He said he
first saw the Sc0to when she was passing his
house, and ut that time she was running In
tho regular channel, nearer the West Wiz.
GINA than the Ohio shore. lie had turned to
20 TO the rear OF the house when he heard q
whistle, he could not tell from which boat
lie stepped TO the front corner OF his house,
and heurd two sharp whistles. lie then first
noticed the John l.onas descending the riv.
or. She immediately answered the two sharp
whistles with two similar ones 1t seemed
that after the two whistles from the Tomas
everything was very sudden. The crash came
ut once. Immediately after the crush some
one on one of the. boats yelled Fire" and
others cried "She Is SINKING" lie saw tho
people jumping from both sides OF the boat
Into the river. liz took his skill and. rowcd
out to try TO help the people in the water.
Concerning the time which elapsed between
the first whistle and the Scloto's answer he
said he had heard whistles answered sooner.
and he had heard the response delayed lon.
length OF time between. The Lomas was
bearing straight down the Ohio shore when
he noticed her, rs she was answering the .lUu.
bic signal. He had not noticed her position
In the river before that time The SciOto had
her heading on crossing for the Ohio shore,
but when her signal WAS blown she was hear
the Ohio side, andwus headed slightly toward
| the point as II running the shape oil, or nhug.
ging' the shore. lie Judged she was far
enough from the Ohio shore to ALLOW boat
to pass between, though he did not give that
matter much attention. Up to the time they
blew he saw no signs Of stopping or backing
OH either boat.
Mr.. Fehrenbatch asked Il lie could see the
course OF both boats readily without any ref.
erence to signal lights that Is, which way the
boats were going, up or down. lie said he
could, and that he could see the people on
them This was with view to asceriaining
whether the Tomas had her signals displayed
| n hnr, .t,tt, Ne NnNall,, had J.,
his present residence five years, unu he had
noticed that In passing his house the ascend.
ing boat was generally nearer the Virginia
than the Ohio shore, but Immediately com
mences bearing for the Ohio shore, aud
Rugged II around the bend, while the tie.
scending steamer generally keeps the Virgin
10 shore.
In the cross examination the witness said
be had seen the parties Interested in the in.
vestiga,ion since the collision. but had avoid
cd conversation witliany OF them. A wran.
gle between the opposing counsel took
place in the course OF the cross examination
in regard to map in the possession of Kel.
ler's counsel. Nothing new that was OF
special interest transpired In the eIanIin.
alton. except some conversation about the
statement made by Mr.. McSally to an INTEL
LlGgScEE reporter. in which he inadyertent-
ly said that three minutes elapsed between
the signal Of the Lomas and the re.
Spouse OF the Scio.o. lie afterwards, In a
card, corrected this statement, and said il was
about three minutes from the time OF the
first whistle heard until the boat had sunk.
Mr.. McNally said Capt. Inglebright came to
him nj his place and asked him about the
time whcih elapsed between the whistles, and
he might have said 10 the Captain that an M.
probable time elapsed between the first whis.
tie ind the response Of the Scioto, but 1t was
not such length OF time as to attract his at
tentiOn.
This witness was very intelligent one,
and barring some confusion from the unus-
ual circumstances in which he found him.
self, told straight md intelligent story.
nj. LONG. PILOT or THE LoMAs
at the time OF the accident, was the next wit
ness. lie Is 81 years OF age, and lives at Mar
tins Ferry. lie is u boOk-keeper at present,
but he is also licensed master and pilot of
steam vessels between Stcubenville and Clar-
ington. He saia he rot his first pilots H.
cense in 1868 and had had four issues. He was
acting in the capacity Of pilot OH the John
l.omas ON the Fourth OF July, having been
helping Capt Inglebrisht's pilot on Special
trips, excursions and the like, and the Capt
asked him TO accompany him on this trip on
the Fourth. He did not steer much on the
way up. Mr.. Smith steering most OF the dis.
lance. He was passing Mingo Island on the
down trip when he first observed the signal
lights OF the Scioto. lie was at the wheel at
the time, and was probably fifty yards from
the Island. When he first saw the Scioto's
lights she showed close to the Virginia shore.
lie would judge that the boats were thou.
sand yards apart. Tho witness shaped bis
boat for the Ohio shore and blew his whistle
once. The boats had then approached some.
what nearer but his opinion was they were
fully 500 yards apart. There was no response
on the part OF the Scioto immediately. There
was hesitation on the part Of her pilot
which seemed to tho witness an unreasonable
length OF time. The response was not prompt-
ly given, especially for cross signal. The
Scioto's answer was two blasts At this
witness stopped his boat, and then blew two
blasts. After this he rang TO back her. The
SciOto, hi thought, was still coming on.
When he first got the shape OF her so as 10 be
uble 10 tell how she was going, she was quar-
tering for the Ohio shore and heading direct.
~ for tho Lomas. lie could not tell how
long it was from the time he rang his stop
ping bell till the boats cOlliled, but the time
appeared short. At the time Of contact the
Ionas' stern was quartering toward the
Ohio shore. The Scloio had Strengthened up
the river, it appeared TO him, and was then
parallel with the Ohio shore. The Tomas
was not going through the current ut more
than n mile and n half an hour, and when
the boats struck they were about one.third OF
the width OF the river Off from the Ohio shore.
The usual course OF boat coming down in
that stage OF water was 10 keep about the
middle OF the river. Had the Scioto answered
his first signal properly there would have
been no collision. This last was in response
to n query from Capt. Young, and to the
word properly Mr.. Dovener objected MS us.
summing that the Sciotos signal was impro.
perly made. The Captain modified the qlcs.
lion iii the Scioto had answered with one
blast"
When the Local Inspectors were through,
Mr.. Fehrenbaich began 10 catcclise Mr.. Long
on the rules, and requested him to give the
rules for the government OF pilots by number.
This brought both Mr.. Gray and Mr.. Cracraft
to their feet, and they both protested that
Keller had not been submitted to the same
ordeal, and they objected 10 the manner OF
the examination. SIR. Fehrenbatch, how.
ever, persisted, and Mr.. Long stood the rest
pretty well.
Mr.. +. also asked il a steamer approaching
the bend above where the accident occurred
should keen to tho Ohio shore IL roulJ be