New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-30
VIEWS OF THE OWNER AND CAPTAIN.


VIEWS OF THE OWNER AND CAPTAIN.
CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION NOT AsCERTAINED-IHE
LOSS.
Two gentlemen sat conversing III low tones III
front of the warehouse No. 232 West-st yester-
day afternoon when a TRIBUNE reporter called
One of them, gentleman with weed on his black
,,I hat and an expression that told of recent be-
reavement and heavy load of sorrow, was +. II.
Smith brother of Alexander NJ. c. Smith. who died
last week and whose successor he is IN the owner
ship of the Riverdae. The other was Mr.. Fletcher,
OF Fletcher, Harrison g. Co., manufacturers OF the
boilers OF the wrecked steamer
81 don't think there any more bodies In the
wreck" said Mr.. Smith, in response to question
Are all the officers and crew accounted lori"
EVERY one They were all reported hero this
morning. The correct list of officers is John T.
Smith. captain Daniel Tallmsn. engineer; Nelson
Magee, pilot Harry Skiddle. clerk; j. n. STAR,
mate and eleven members of the crew.
"What is your theory as to the cause oil the ac-
cident ~
THAT is impossible to say till we have raised
the wreck and examined the boilers. There was
no fault or flaw IN them that we ever knew OF. ana
have no idea how the explosion occurred"
What does your engineer say about itp
THAT ii is perfect mystery to hun. lie says
he does not even know which of the two boilers IT
was that blew up"
"How about the water in the bolersT
"They are always filled at the dock before start
| ing up river"
"What was the pressureT
"The engineer assures me he running under
pressure of only twenty-five or twenty-three
poupds. whereas the allowance was forty pounds.
The accident is as much a mystery to the engineer
| as it is to us"
Another gentleman at this point said; "Iallman
was a sober, industrious and trustWorthy man. nc
| hadn't drank drop in years"
| WAS he educated as an engineer or did ne Work
| his vxav nm from the boiler-roomf' was asked.
"He was good mechanic and entirely reliable"
| was the rather eyasive answer.
| When asked what he considered his loss TO be-
| Mr.. Saith said that it was hard to say.
81 suppose $50 600 would fully cover the loss OF
| the boat itself, without allowing for any salvage
for the machinery onwork and other parts OF the
| wreck which nav yet be recovered The value OF "a
steamboat depends largely upon the Use To winch IL
| NAV be put and under some circumstances DOat
may be worth $4,000 more to one man than TO
| another Yes" (rehecryelyJ Il suppose would
| have taken S25, 900 for the Riverdae."
"Wbat part of your loss is covered by insur-
ancei"
"None whatever. We had insurance against fire
| and collision. bnt none against explosion. Marine
| insurance underwriters Will not take that sort of
| risks There is "A company in Hartford which in
| snres boilers against explosions on land. but | do
| NOT know of any company that will do the same
| thing for steamboats,"
| "How long will it take TO raise the wreck !"
| "Tbat is impossible to say. We are making all
| ARRANGEMENTS as rapidly possible and the work
| will he prosecuted without any unnecessary delay"
| In conclusion MIR Smith said: II am glad To
| oive Won all the facts IN my power. lou are Tue
| only ewspaper man have talked with. Some Of
them have made extrayagant MEASUREMENTS Ia 70
| GARD TO the accident; all ask ~ that thcy won
| Aid 10 my affections by the publication oil 1alse-
| hoods" r A., G. ,;t
| MIR Thatcher senior partner OF the trm winch
made the kiverddles boilers when asked ms oplh,
ION "a 10 the cause of the explosion SAID that he ad
| none The boilers only four years Ola, were
| of the best material and were considered perfect
| in every respect III there nao ever peen
| any trouble with them since they we're
| put into the Riverdale he was not aware OF It,
Enthlng but an inspection of the boilers themselves
could satisfactorily settle the real cause OF The dis
! aser -, ~ r. A. p;.,or,i
| said. IN our officers and men accounted for,
| ard I do not think there any more bodies OF
| passengers in the wreck"
What do you believe to DO the cause OF the ex-
| poslonP oL ohou+ .ho, as1do
| which is nothing at all" ...
| "What was the approximate value ot the freight
| on your boatT -, . T ,.
| and that Yesterday was no exception. IL was made
M of general merchandise and good deal OF iIult
| We cannot know the actual loss III freight until we
! recover the clerks book from the wreck from
which his bills of ladnR were made np' or until we
| hear from all the Shippers"