Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-08-08
GREYS THEORY
Ofthe Cause and Manner or the Scioto
Disaster.

Ofthe Cause and Manner or the sciotO
Disaster.
After q week of intermission-a week IN
which the public heard nothing of pilots
and blasts and cross signals-the >Scioto
casualty case came up yesterday morning
for final argument. Beside the Board OF
Inspectors and the interested parties and
their attorneys, few persons were present.
Before the argument began, the Lomas
men had one witness to examine to develop
facts in relation to distances on the river
at the scene Of the collision.
Capt. Abram Lash, of Martins Ferry,
was accordingly called. He is q civil
engineer and had made the required
measurements at the scene of the collision.
He had located three buoys, the first at q
point opposite the tramway at Minso
and 500 feet from the Ohio shore, the point
al which the Lomas was supposed to have
been first sighted. The second buoy was
where the Scioto was supposed TO have
sunk. This one was 274.S feet from the
Ohio shore. The third buoy was $50 feet
out from the West Virginia shore, and OPP
posite the north end of the Devinney ware
house. This is supposed to have been the
location of the Scioto when the Lomas was
sighted. From the first buoy to the third
the distance was 3,3S9.5 feet. From the
first TO the second, 1859; from the second
to the third, 1892. From the tramway
along the Ohio shore to a point opposite
the buoy at the Deyinney warehouse, the
distance is 3270 feet; from Burt's residence
to the tramway 1913 feet; it is a little less
than 1000 feet from the point OF Devin-
ney's warehouse to a point on the Ohio
shore opposite the collision. This was the
substance of Capt Lashs testimony.
This ended the testimony and the prepa-
tions for the finish were begun. Mr.. era.
craft was perfectly willing to submit the
case there and then. The Inspectors liked
this and professed their readiness TO 60 to
work on a verdict without argument. Eus
Capt. Dovener said he thought there were
salient points in the testimony and the
law which he could point out with adysn-
tage. A discussion grew out of this and
finally it was agreed to hear the argument.
Capt Grey was to open, Capt. Dovener to
follow, Mr.. Cracraft was to respond aud
Capt. Dovener to wind up with short
speech. This was agreed to and with the
understanding that council was privileged
to talk as long as desired, the court ad-
journed until 2 o'clock, at which time argu-
ment was to begin.
Capt. Grey opened, speaking for the Sci
OTTO. He has deep, orotund voice and be-
gan by picturing the two boats, each with
picnic party aboard. aioat on the bosom
of the stream, which itself seemed swollen
up on this, the nations birthday. Then
came the crash and the greedy waters swal-
lowed up so many precious lives. Here is
a collision, not one of those ordinary casu-
alties, with which the inspectors were every
month dealing but one attended with the
utmost Importance and followed by a ter
rible loss of life. How important was it,
then, that the author-the cause-of this
casualty should be hunted out and dealt
with.
For half hour, the Captain dealt with
questions of law, citing many cases, the
only point of public interest being this,
taken from the case reported by Wallace:
When right and custom would dictate
certain course and deviation would save
property, no pilot is blameless who will not
change his course.
Leaving law and taking up the evidence,
Capt. Grey began on Pilot Keller's testi-
mOny, saying, "by the words of his own
mouth will convict him." Keller, he said,
had testified that he sighted the Tomas at
q distance of ten hundred yards, and stood
there in fear and trembling as she ap-
preached. What did he do? He acknowl-
edges that he feared for the lives of the
many people on board, and saw the Lomas
bear down upon him. With his foot on the
whistle treadle he had said: "Why the devil
don't that fellow blow. II he don't soon
blow I'll make him." Down came the
Lomas until within four or five hundred
yards, and what did he do? Did he make
effort to avert the danger he awaited in
fear and trembling? None at all. Not
change in the course was made, not an
alarm signal blown. And when, at last,
the Lomas blew. what did he do then?
Crossed signals. Actually crossed signals
when he knew, as he said that only a
damned ferry boat pilot was on the other
boat. And what excuse did he offer? Only
the flimsy pretext of custom which he
said would entitle him to the point of a
curve when ascending. In spite of the
law and the rules laid down, he crossed the
signals at that short distance, after the Lo-
mas, which had the right, had signitied its
desire for the Ohio shore
This line OF argument was continued for
some length, and wound up with the con-
clusion that these were all admissions OF
Keller's, who had damned himself out of
his own mouth
Capt Gray then proceeded to argue that |
the weight of testimony went to show the |
Scioto had not been hugging the Ohio |
shore and had therefore less excuse for |
over. To further prove Keller's |
lack of ability, Capt. Gray cited the testi |
mony OF Capt Thad. Thomas, which was |
that during the day he had been in the
habit of warning the pilot, whenever boat |
approached, to slow down, as he feared the |
results of the swell.
Warming up with his subject, Capt. |
Gray made his theory plain which was, |
that the Tomas had checked up and was
backing and the SCioto ran herself into |
on the Tomas bow. He argued |
at great length TO prove this. Making the |
general assertion that had the Scioto an |
swered the one signal of the Tomas |
and kept to the right, there would have |
been no danger, he went on to review the |
testimony to show it had been so. Clint. |
Thomas. who was in the Sciotos pilot |
house, had no fear of a collision when he |
heard the Tomas one whistle, because ne |
expected a similar response from Keller |
and knew there was an abundance Of room |
to the right. Eut when the cross signal |
came, then came the dread. the danger and |
the fear. How could the Tomas, if the boats
were running parallel, change her course,
make q circle and plunge into the Scioto's
bow? II such had been the case the Tomas |
would have made a straight cut through |
the bow. but instead of that the wound was |
q lengthwise split, showing it was the
of theScioto that wrecked her
self.
Captain Gray continued his argument for