The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-07-15

Ing boat the choice OF way when he though,
she should have taken the other side from
that indicated by the whistle. In such cases
he had sometimes floated ashore and let her
hare her water. He always gave the. de.
scending boat the course she asked for. n,
1t was not more than half minute from
the time he first noticed the scioto till she
appeared TO be quartering toward the Ohio
shore. Had sle answered the one whistle
with one there would have been no difficulty
In keeping straight up the channel. Had he
preferred TO keep the channel. re-
Hoffman said that after the collision Keller
came into the pilot house, and said, Joe,
you blew one whistle. You know u Is Gus
tomary TO run this shore going up. always
do from Wheeling up Then some talk
passed about the accident, and Keller said he
would rather have lost his own life than baye
had II happen. s6
Pending this Witness cross examination,
the Inspectors adjourned till 2rN.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION
was opened with Thomas Johns on the stand.
The crowd had rather diminished, though
quite respectable number OF spectators
were In the court room yesterday afternoon
at times. Mr. Johns is II man Of SO, mud
lives ut Martins Ferry, where he has mining
interests. lie was passenger on the l.omas
on the memorable occasion. lie was leaning
against the cabIu talking with friend when
the boa, first signaled. His face was turned
rather W. the river, and he turned and saw q
boat coming up the river lie noticed moth
Ing unusual as 10 the distance, but turned
again and recommended his conversation, not
again noticing the ascending boat until She
| responded with two blasts. lie noticed then
| that slu u vary p,t,pl, than ub I,a
first saw her, but still paid no particular at
teHtion 10 her, but went on talking. lie no
tlced that the Lomas whstlcd twice very
sharp and quick, aud the man TO whom he
was talking remarked that he believed
the boats were going 10 come togeth-
er. lie ran forward TO the front OF
the cabin deck, and threw one arm around
one OF the posts. Tho boats struck almost
Immediately. lie could not locate the Tomas
ut the time OF her frs. signal, though he
thought the other boat was good ways Oft
He thought the boat he was on was much
nearer the Ohio shore tlian the other, and
the Scioto seemed much nearer the Virginia
shore, TO the left OF the I.omas's course.
| When the Scioto answered she seemed nearer
the centre OF the river. lie thought the
Seioto swang of tie toward the Virginia
shore just before the collision. He con.
|
the first signal and the answer, say from q
minute TO Il minute and Il half. Being fami.
liar with the usual time elapsing between
whistles, he was struck by the length OF time.
The witness should think that had the two
boats kept their relative positions rs he first
saw them, they would have passed with at
least 100 yards of water between them. A.
the time OF the Scioto's answer she seemed to
be nearer the middle OF the river but to the
left OF the Iouias still. lie heard bell ring
in the engine room but could not say what
1t was for, and noticed that the boat Was
rocking, though he did not know what caused
this. lie remained in his position till the
boats were separated after the collision, and
he also observed that the Scioto's wheel next
the Lomas, her larboard wheel, was moving
forward, though lie could not tell whether
the current or the engine was moving it.
Cross-examined by atr. Dovener: Was in.
terested in the ltainey Coal Works, above
Martins Ferry. but lived in that town. Did
not sell coal to steamboats, or deliver il in
Martins Ferry; shipped to Cleveland ex.
clusively. Thought the Lolnas struck the
SciOto about the head Of the ash-box, nearly
opposite the front OF the boilers and did not
think she plowed thirty.fiye feet through the
hull. Did not believe the Tomas struck the
Scioto three feet from the latter boats stem,
but was pretty positive the hole would be
found about opposite the ash-box The guards
OF the Scioto were higher than those OF the
Lolnas, and the latter ran in under. The
SciO.o settled in about two minutes, seeming
TO settle toward the Ohio shore. lie was
talking to Joseph Medill, OF Martins Ferry,
at the time the boats whistled. He saw the
wreck the morning after the accident, and
was OF the impression that her head had
| ~ ~ ~ ri ill., nk,N Oh 4 IL,
time OF the collision he thought the Scioto
had sufficient momentum TO carry her q little
forward after she was released from the
L.omas. though the motion Of the Lomas
might have deceived him in regard to this
Joseph Hoffman was recalled, and said his
license as pilot extended from Cincinnati
to Pittsburgh. aud he had had seven issues Of
his papers. lie was asked his opinion Of
TIE CONDUCT OF rrLor.LoYG,
and said that he seemed to want to do every
thing he could 10 avoid collision, and lie
thought he did right and rs well rs any other
man could do. Long backed her ''all that
Was In her," and let her lie so that the other
boat could take which SIDE she preferred.
That was the right thing TO do, and no one
else could have done better In the Witness
conversation with Keller after the accident,
he had told him that notions and customs
we're what played thunder with people, re.
lerring TO kellers statement that he had been
accustomed 10 run up the Ohio shore. Had
Keller blown one whistle instead OF two, and
governed himself accordingly, there could
have been no collision. He thought
Keller was under the influence OF liz.
nor when he came into the pilot house:
smelt liquor on his breath; could not say he
was drunk. Keller bad taken the wheel,
but Captain lugltbrisht objected; witness
Thought very strange OF III himself. The
Witness idea in allowing Keller to take the
wheel was to ascertain certainly il he was
intoxicated. lie had seen Keller 20 on
watch once when he had been drinking
rather freely. Down on the wharf. In front
OF The Huseman House, Keller had tackled
him about piece In the paper, and said be
intended 10 sec where it came from. Wit.
ness admitted to him then that he said some.
one had Gone great wrong. and that after
the Investigation he would not be surprised
II somebody would be arrested for man.
slaughter. Keller answered that he did not
know about that, though II lie had answered
with one whistle il was possible there would
have been no collision.
1.-The witness further said that the Scioto
Was loaded with excursioIists; that her prin.
cipal freight was htDan beings; there were
- 'eihe Huhpei vi persons on her, Uhucf
The circumstances, he thought the proper
course for the pilot would have been to keep
US far from other boats rs possible. He wa.
accustomed in descending river to blow
for his preference Of sides, and If the ascend
ing boat did not respond accordingly he
would blow an alarm signal, back, and then
give bis signal. II the other boat still did no,
agree, he would lie still and let her pass be.
fore continuing his course.
He did not consider the point at Mingo n
short bend" in the meaning OF the rule re.
quiring warning whistle. At any poin,
where you could not see boat at distance
OF GOO yards on the other side of the bend
from your own boat, n whistle should be
blown. He thought the point near the COLI.
sion was not such point.
Long was the pilot for the excursion trip
on the Fourth. Hoffman was not in charge,
butts simply accompanied the party TO heIp
steer II necessary. II witness had been at thu
wheel the collision might have happened
just as 1t did. lie was in the pilot house
when Capt. Hiram Smith was steering, mos,
OF the time. ~
Mr.. DorenGr asked Hoffman about nm ac.
cident which occurred In bnrpe M Tan,