Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-07-27
FINE FUN
In Determining Who Wrecked the
Sci0t0,
An Investigation More Of Legal Aeumsn
Than Anything eise-condition Of
the Scioto's Engine HIPPO
thetical Plotting.

The continuation, yesterday, of the in
yestigation of the causes which led to the
Scioto disaster, drew larger crowd than
usual to the United States court room
This accident led to the loss of fifty-seyen
lives, but the. investigation has nothing pa
thetic about it. On the contrary, the spec
tators who come are drawn thither TO heai
the sharp spats and controversies between
the lawyers-hear them taunt and belittle
each other ana browbeat witnesses-heal
them tell each other they missed their call
ing and ought to be wood choppers, etc,
There was so much of this, yesterday, thai
Capt. Wilson was moved to remark this
wasn't funny business, by any means,
and should not so be considered.
The testimony of yesterday developed
nothing of any prime importance. Capt.
Clint Thomas ocC upied the stand all morn
ing, undergoing cross-examination by
Mr.. Cracraft. The afternoon was devoted
to inquiry into the condition OF the engines
of the Scioto when she went down. Fol-
lowing is a synopsis Of the testimony:
CLINT. THOMAS CONTINUES
The first witness was Clinton Thomas,
who was recalled and cross-examined by
Cracraft: at appears since the accident
that the Tomas could have passed as her
fiji st signal indicated. / believe II we had
gone straight on our course. and she on
hers we would have cut her in two. 1t was
after the Tomas whistled first she changed
her course toward the Ohio shore. Ii we
had not stopped we would have run him
down, provided we went on as We were
heading. II the signals had been answered
straight and the Tomas swung into the
Ohio shore we could have passed, but l
could not say what l would do il l
had been at the wheel OF the Scioto. Keller
did not wait for the Tomas to answer be-
fore he rang for the Scioto TO back, though
the Roadway of our boat was not entirely
checked when the boats came together. l
think about three revolutions would stop
ont boat, and it would not take one hun.
dred wards for TO make those revolutions.
We were nearer the Ohio shore from the
time we left Wellsburg until the accident,
and do not think il was over a minute
from the time the Tomas first whistled I'M
til we struck"
Here several Hypothetical cases were put
to the witness, as to what he would do under
like circumstances, and he said II would
always, when a small boat was coming down
stream near Mingo point and our boat near
Devinny's warehouse, make the descending
boat take the Virginia shore, as no good
pilot would want the point side.
~ was not cut of the pilot house twenty
minutes all day, and / was not out OF the
pilot house ten minutes at any one time
while the boat was in motion. At no time
did lady have absolute control OF the
wheel, Keller remarked to me, some wher
between Martins Fary and Wellsbgrg,
'that the lady Miss Darlington wanted TO
learn to steer" and let her help me a
while There was also another lady in the
pilot house by the name OF Mrs. Harden,
but did not know her name at that time.
The latter lady did not handle the wheel at
any time coming up from Wheeling, as l
was not out of the pilot house
at any time after We left Wheeling
coming up. Mr.. Keller made answer to the
Lomas himself, and told me since the acct
dent that had he answered the Tomas with
one blast it would have presented the Scio-
to broadside to the Tomas, and that was
the reason he answered with two blasts.
1t would have been violation OF customs
for us to give the Tomas the Ohio shore as
it was our water, and another thing the
Scioto could not be turned as quickly as
the Tomas, as our boat is side wheel and
wheel and smaller boat, therefore she can
turn shorter than We can. The usual time
between whistles is few seconds. IL kel-
Ter waited until half the distance between
the boats had been passed before he answer
ed he did wrong, but he did not wait that
long. | can not locate the Tomas when
she first whistled, but she was some
where between our boat and Mingo Island.
/ did not see Keller drink a drop OF liquor
on that day, and if he had drank any it did
not apparently have any effect on him, as
considele ed him capable to run any boat.
Our boat did not deviate a bit after giving
two blasts" Then Mr. Gray and the witness
had little "spat." and all the attorneys
took a turn at "spouting," which was even
tually stopped by the court taking recess
until two o'clock.
Afternoon Session.
II was much after 2 o'clock when the
taking of testimony was resumed. The
crowd was larger than in the morning
and came with mouths split from ear to
ear at the witty sallies of the lawyers.
Capt Bayard Dougherty, Captain OF the
Annie L., was called and deposed in rela-
ton to the Scioto's engines. When the boat
had been raised and dragged lone of the
lawyers called it drug to the shore, he
had gone out in skiff and examined her
engines. The starboard engine, he said,
was shipped to back, that is to say, the cam
rod was on the upper pin. The rod was
off the second engine and he could tell
nothing about it. This was the substance
Of his testimony.
MORE OF THE ENGINES.
Andrew White, OF this city, had eX-
lmined the Scioto's engines and testified as
follows:
II found one engine shipped up to back
ing, and the rods of the other engine were
thrown off and We couldn't tell anything
about it. The backing rod was on the up
Ger pin, which indicated the first engine
in condition to back. II the rod had
been on the lower pin, the engine couldn't
have backed. This was the larboard en-
zine"
"Did you notice the wound in the Scioto's
hull?'' asked Capt. Gray.
"Yes, sir, | noticed it, but could tell
lothing particular about 1t. 1t seemed
square break and couldn't say whether
zines the same day Capt. Dougherty did
md at the same time"
Capt Dovener conducted the cross-exam-
nation and only asked the witness II he
vas sure one Of the engines was shipped
70 backing.
MORE or CLINT.
Clint. Thomas was recalled and asked
questions by Capt. Dovener in relation to
he distance required to land the boat, the
bearing being to show that an engineer, il
'unning from one door to another, could
lot quickly have answered the bell signals.
After This, Captain Dovener asked about
fifty questions, putting hypothetical situa-
ions, such as 'If the Tomas had done so
md so, would there have been collision"
tic, to all of which, of course, the answer
vas indicated in the question. One ques-
ion was this: when an accident
$ inevitable, must not the pilots
,est Judgment for the safety of
lis boat and passengers supersede all law
md rules" To this the witness answered
Yes"
(Which was better to do, in the presence
# danger, toot your whistles or stop your
,oat7"
"well, we stopped our boat and backed,
linking that the best"
In the cross-examinatien Mr.. Cracraft
sked a question over which he and Capt.
)oyener had an amusing controversy. The
question was admitted and was as follows:
Would any good pilot consider it good
aw 70 break Law to bring ON collision
nd then break smother law to avert it?'
Capt Dovener said .of course IL was good