The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-07-17
THE PILOT HOUSE
AND irs FEMALE OCCUPANTS
IL the seIotO.LOsls cslllsioa-N ltuss,ss TstifJ
10 S.sIug . Woaaa HsldinE the Wheel.
TAs 9ssstiOa Of castoa Against bales
pteidsd Against the Defense.

Special Dlpateh 10 The Intelligence.
FARkxRBuRa. W. Va, July l6.-Thia
mornings session Of the United States
Court was occupied in arguing the motion
to exclude from the jury the evidence oi
witnesses testifying w to the custom oi
pilots in passinga certain point in the river
at the scene OF the scioto .Lomas disaster
in other words the object was TO settle the
point whether pilots are to be governed by
custom or by rules. The question was ar.
gued at length by the counsel pro and con,
and numerous authorities were cited. The
decision Of Judge Jackson was short but
pointed. He held that pilots were, under
the act Of Congress, bound under all cir
eumstanees to obey the laws and rules by
such act provided. and that the great
question in this case was to find out wheth-
or the pilots OF both boats used all their
efforts In every way shape or form to avert
the collision. II they did not they were
culpable.
He went on 10 say that II the Lomas had
como right on without trying to avoid tue
Scioto, and the Scioto did not use all her
endeayors to keep out Of the way Of the
Lomas, even then the pilot Of the sciolo
would not be excusable.
woxEs IN THE PILOT HOUSE.
After dinner the Jury were brought in
and the hearing OF the evidence continued,
the first witness being Miss Nellie Flem.
ing, who testified to being on the scioto, on
the hurricane deck. She saw two women
in the pilot house and one man. One oil
the ladies' had hold OF the wheel and 1t
seemed hard work for her to manage ii;
these were all she saw in there, although
there might have been more.
DR.. VIM. Henry-Was on the Lomas;
about the time we saw the fire works the
Lomas whistled one blast and the Scioto
responded with two. The Lomas then re-
piled with two. The boats, when the first
whistle was sounded were about bali a mile
apart, the Lomas nearest the Ohio shore;
one half the distance was closed between
them when the Scioto blew two. blasts. The
Scioto at that time was near the centre OF
the river. Some little time elapsed be-
tween the Scioto's two blasts and the
Lomas' response-about q quarter OF q
minute. The Scioto was parallel with the
Ohio shore, when she struck the Lomas
,se was turned toward the West Virginia
shore.
VIM. Rhodes made the round trip on the
Scioto; was on tine hurricane deck; saw
women In the pilot house with the men ;
saw woman handling the wheel alone II
appeared to be hard work for her; Keller
was leaning over theside OF the pilot house
out OF an open window; the woman was
there when went down into the cabin ;
her name Is Lizzie Darlington Keller could
have put his hand on the wheel from
where he was.
THE WOMAN STILL THERE.
Casper Celles was q fiddler; saw one lady
in the pilot house, but saw no men; she had
hold OF one Of the pins on the wheel; she
was still there when l went down; l did
not stay on the hurricane deck long; saw
number Of dead bodies.
Miss Ella Mumford, Of Pit.sburgh-Was
= y the Seioto, on the hurricane deck sew.
~. ~ times; saw women In the pilot-house
eho,, t,-o hours before the accident, they
M.ys 49, Mis- Darlington, Eta Gisser, Gertrude
Dennis and Mrs; Melvin; never spoke to to
them. but have .Enown tnem H. iol yeafs s,oS oS
sight; saw Miss DARN sson at me wnee,, aa, a,so
the woman was at the wheei alon Sas as
wet to my shoulders; ssw NJ Whs.y, .r,,. NV
saw great many drunken mea-'"en'y'
Mics Terry was on the Lomas: She was
on the Ohio side belonging to Mingo. ana
the scioto was on the West Virginia SIDE;
seven or eight hundred yards away, tue
Lomas blew one blast; the scioto was about
four OF. Eve hundred yards away when l.tias ghe
blew twice, and the Lomas answered with
two blasts Immediately. Thought they
were going to land together. The Lomss mas
had stopped puiipg ne Inc nc se'oIo aSs Sss Sss
under full headway. The Court then 3D.
iourued