The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-07-18
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES VERSION
or the Clscamsinnees Attending the
7 seioto Disnster-restlinony which IL at
Direct Variance with Much OF the Evil.
dence In Favor OF the Lonns-'rhs En-.
+ EIneer's aud Pilots Storles 10th Dis.


4 kei0to Disaster-TestIinony which IL at
Direct Variance with Much OF the Evil.
dence In Favor OF the Lonns-'rhs En-.
i, gineer's. aud Pilots stories 10th Dis.
Z l,uted. y. t.'iili.. b = q
The Inspector examination into the
causes OF the Scioto aud 1.olnas collision was
continued yesterday forenoon ut the U. g,
Court room. Tho testimony OF Captain Ingle.
bright was commenced at this session, and
was rather surprising In It's character. The
Captain gave his version Of the affair with
the air OF man who told the truth without
any consideration Us to what tho effect would
b.. lie disputed tho evidedce Of some OF tho
officers OIL Ills boat In some important par.
ticulafs.
John a. Stillwell, u young man who lives
ut New Cumberland, and was passenger
on the Scioto on tho eventful trip, was the
first witnrss on the stand. lie had not, he
said, been In the pilot house OH the excur.
sion, though he hal tried to- get In once and
the door was locked. lie did not then no.
tlcc how many persons, u any, were In the
pilot house. He never knew Mr.. Keller un.
I'll since the accident, when he had met him
and become slightly acquainted with him.
lie had not heard any charges or reports on
the boat 10 the effect that Keller was drunk
The Scioto was one.thiri distant from the
Ohio shore, and was ascending 1t parallel
with the line OF the shore. The LOmns,
when he first noticed her, was near the Ohio
shore, but this was not minute before the
boats cutne together. When the collision
occurred he was near the front. on the lower
deck, and he ran forward with view to
Jumping on the Lonas, but seeing this was
nj Ian afl .lnrt al la.
where lie had seen skill, and he was In the
act OF putting this In the river when the
Scioto sank. Not minute elapsed between
the collision md the time the Scioto WIS on
the bottom. ..-
On his cross examination the witness sud
he knew Columbus Stewart, who testified OIL
II former day, and believed he was pretty
near sighted. There WAS sOine drunkenness
on board the Sciolo, but he did not see uny.
body down.
GAIT. lS6LEBElGilr,
owner and master OF the John Tomas, was
next sworn. lie gave his uge rs II, and his
calling US that OF master and pilot OF steam
vessels. lie testified that the Tomas had left
Martins Ferry about 8 +. ". on the Fourth,
the intention being to 80 up the river little
ways, and land at some grove and take sup
per In the woods. The ruin spoiled the pro.
gramne, and the party went on to Wells.
burg. Here the Captain intended returning,
but WAS persuaded TO 30 to Steubcnville.
Supper was taken on board, and was nearly
through when Steubenvillc WIS reached. 4
very short stop WAS made here, the boat
reaching Steubenyille at half.past seven or
twenty minutes after eight. After starting
the Captain went from the cabin down into
the engine room, and while there heard the
I.omas's first signal one blast. lie thought
nothing OF It till he heard the answer of the
ascending boat, which he had not yet seen.
The double whistle alarmed him, and he ran
up to the hurricane roof, and told Jack Long,
the pilot that there was not room enOug Ii
10 cross her. and that he had better back her,
Long replied that he was backing. He no.
ticed that the two boats were approaching
nearly parallel, .aEd Just then the Sciot0
vecred little toward the Virginia shore, and
almost instantaneously the boats struck.
free from the wreck, and hud swung clear
around. lie then yelled down 10 one Of the
deck hands TO have the syphon pumps turned
on. The captain then went down and helped
to get one OF the skiils overheard with man
in her. and returned to the roof, The first
thought Of Captain lnglebright was to take
the passengers of Of the Sci0to, but he re-
Elected that his boat would be overloaded,
anu concluded TO land bis own passengers
first. Captain Hiram Smith was ON the bur.
r.cane deck ut the same time, and he hal.
looed down to some one 10 60 into the hold
md see Ii she was all right. The captain
himself was satisfied she had not taken any
water, because the syphon pumps drew none.
After landing her own passengers the I.o-
mas returned TO take those oil the SciotO.
Witness noticed for the first time that lIoff.
man had taken Longs place at the wheel, as
he asked the Captain to indicate when to
stop his boat In touching the Scioto to re.
ceive her passengers. The witness narrated
In detail the manner OF taking oil the Scioto's
passengers. Afer they were ull of, the idea
suggested itself to him that lie would take the
ladies to Stcubenville. Some Of the Lolnas's
passengers proposed having prayers in the
cabin, and after they had done SO, consented
TO the boats going to Steubcnvillc, and their
waiting till she returned. Before they had
gone ashore, however, dispatch came from
Wcllsville that special train would he there
in half IN hour. lie then offered TO bring
any Of the Sciotos people TO Wheeling, who
wished TO come. Capt. Thad Thomas, Of the
Scioto, refused to 20 ashore or to come to
Wheeling, such was his
GRIEF FOR Ills SONS LOSS.
The captain could not tell how long before
the collision he had first seen the Scioto, bu,
when lie did he thought the Scioto was quar-.
tering toward the Ohio shore and the I.ouias
toward the Virginia. The Lomas, he said, in
answer to Il question by Inspector Young,
had not over sixty passengers aboard. None
OF them We're hurt or lost, nor any Of his
crew. at the time the Lomas's response 10
the Scioto's cross signal was made, tho wit.
ness saw there would not be time TO cross
the other bouts coursc, and liallooed to Long
TO back her, to which lie responded that she
was backing -. :
Mr.. Gray directed his examination Of the
witness to the question us 10 whether tho
bend above the point OF the collision was
such one us required warning signai from
II boat approaching within GOO yards OF the
point. The witness thought II was not
On his cross examination, the captain said
hat when he heard the first signal OF the
Tomas he was in the engine room with the
red signal lantern Of the lomas' port or lar.
board chimney, fixing it, and TINT when he
heard the cross signal Inc hurried out with il,
lilo was talking TO Nose Mccain, the engi.
neer, when the Tomas first whislled, md
McCann WAS still standing at the wise bench
When witness left the engine room. lie
heard no stopping or backing bell rling willie
there. He thought liz went from the engine
room forward to the stairs and up the two
flights to the hurricane roof in at most n
minute, probably less. MIR. Doyener drew a
number Of rough drafts OF the position OF the
boats when they struck, the shape OF the
shore, the hull Of the Scoto and the hole
made in her, and filed these us exhibits
illustrating the text OF the testimony of the
Captain. The Captain also told OF going Ia
the lSTELlAGENcEE ofllce and making state.
menl OIL the night Of the accident As the
statement was printed, tho captain was rep,
resented rs saying that Il. J. Long was the
regular pilot. This, the witness said, was n
misunderstanding on the part Of the reporter:
he did not think he said that. lie Ind mo
recollection of asking Hoffman togo along on
this trip. lie had asked Long to 90 with the
excursion, expecting that he would SMELL Mr..
Hoffman MS pilot. lie llud not employed him
under n salary to steer The boat however.
Captain lnglebrisht WIS sill on the stand
when, at IL o'clock, the Inspectors adjourned,
In the afternoon u. Walker Peterson. the
civil engineer, was put upon tho stand, and
examined concerning
THE Plat OF THE SCENE OF TIKI ACCIDENT
nnde by him for use in this investigation,
and which had been pronounced incorrect
hv thn rpi, nsnl inr nuu NJ u,,a--.