The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-02-15

stances to hold an inquest ABOUT |
O'Clock D. m, Mr.. Dayton, accompanied by
Mr.. Reynolds and Mr.. Wond, went on board
the Mariposa, and proceeded to hold an in
quest Marshal SOper was also present.
A Jury was constituted OF residents
of Honolulu who were passengers
ON board the vessel. Mr.. Dayton
also visited he scene of the accident and
inspected the damaged boiler at the re-
quest of the Chief Engineer, Mr.. Wilson
Following is the evidence taken at the
inquest;
DIR. X. ID. Johnson, sworn, stated: | am
doctor of the ship. l have been in her
seven or eight months. When the bodies
were brought up after the accident l saw
that two of the men were dead. There are
three more injured. One is seriously hurt;
maybe two. l saw them ten or fifteen
minutes after the occurrence. L could not
state whether suffocation or scalding pro-
duced death. l do not know what part OF
the ship they were in. Either suffocation
or scalding would produce death.
H. Wilson, sworn, stated: | am Chief
Engineer of the MaripOsa. This morning
had an accident about $3.50 or 10 O'Clock.
The flue sheet in the after port boiler,
middle combustion chamber, forward side,
sprung to such an extent as to pull the
sheet clear from the tubes, thereby causing
steam and water to escape and drive the
fires and everything before it. These men,
who are now dead, were killed by that acct
dent-Suffocated and scalded. According
to my indicator in my room there
were SO pounds of steam on. We are al
lowed 90 pounds of steam by certificate.
Our boilers are horizontal tubular boilers.
At the time of the accident l was on the
upper deck. The Third Assistant Engi-
neer was on duty at the time. James
Brown, water tender, was on duty then
I was not minute from my room, and
looked at the indicator on the clock when
this accident happened. Not being able to
get to the stop valves after the accident, the
water was run out of the other boilers.
The boilers were tested May 81, 1885, and
have three months to run; certificate good
for one year. That certificate Is perfectly
safe at 80 pounds of steam.
]. p. Warfel, sworn, stated: am Third
Assistant Engineer, and was on duty,
standing at the throttle, at the time of the
accident. The engine was stopped in same
position as now. The engine had been
standing three or four minutes. We were
just verging on 80 pounds of steam. 1t is
about Is feet from the gauge up to the
superheater. The true pressure on boilers
at the time was 81 or 80 pounds. The
water stood between the second and third
water cock, nearest the third. There are
four boilers. On the passage up we put
two braces in the middle connection of the
forward end of the after port boiler. We
had some leaky tubes. The ends of the
braces were burnt off, and new ones were
put in only few days ago. There were
no other defect in the boilers. Nothing
was done to the boilers in Sydney beyond
being cleaned. The tubes were expanded
after the braces were put i'll.
s. n. Haines, sworn stated: ] am First
Assistant Engineer. / was in the upper
4raefii' sarvvsrys on duty, working in and out
of port. When l left the engine room
there was 81 pounds of steam; the water
was no lower than two cocks. / assisted
in repairing the boiler. / saw no defect in
the boiler. The two dead men were lying
about four feet apart. One was lying in
freroom to the after one. The other was
lying in the center of the fireroom 1t was
about five minutes after the accident when
reached the fireroom and saw them.
James Brown, sworn, stated: The fire
room pressure was "a, the engine room 80.
The after boilers were two cocks full the
forward ones three, filled with fresh water
John Whitemarsh, one of the deceased,
who was working his passage, was singing
a song, the other one listening. 1 said,
1--WE are off, " and the accident happened.
had just looked at the gauge. l met the
Chief Engineer at the safety valve after
the accident. have no idea of the cause
OF, escape except the drawing of the stay
bolts.
w. ii. EergI..SS99iiif, First Officer, testified
so-s2s Nationality of the deceased and in
jured from the shipping articles as follows:
James Brown, watertender, Scotland; Geo.
Reilly, fireman, Ireland; Tom Hansen, fire.
man, Denmark; Eugene Shannon, coal
passer, Massachusetts,; Richard Carol,
coal passer, Illinois; and John White
marsh, passage worker, England.
THE VERDICT.
Having heard the evidence and viewed
the bodies of Richard Carol and John
Whitemarsh, the jury returned the follow
ing verdict: That the aforesaid persons
came to their death about 10 o'clock a. IN.
on the 14th day of February, 1886, on board
the steamship Mariposa, off the port of
Honolulu, by the springing of the flue
sheet and thereby pulling the sheet clear
from the tubes, causing steam and water
to escape, driving fires and everything be-
fore it and causing the deaths of the afore-
said persons either by suffocation or scald-
ing or both; and that in their opinion said
occurrence was accidental and not due to
the negligence of the Captain and officers
the said Coroner and the jurors of this in
quest have hereunto set their hand and
seal the day and year aforesaid. (Signed):
David Dayton, Coroner; J. NJ. Monsarrat
J. NJ. Dat, NJ. w. McChesney, E. r. Miles,
G. P. Castle, c. Gertz.
A copy of the finding of the jury was
furnished to Captain Hayward by Deputy
Marshal Dayton. who remained on board
until the vessel was ready for sea.
Convention with Japan.
Mr.. r. w Irwin, Consul General and
Hawaiian Charge d'Affaires for Japan, ar
rived by the City of Picking. He brings
l. -.