The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1888-10-18
A CORONER's INQUEST
To Inquire Into the Drowning of Johr
Carter.

| 1ueT6 was an Inquest n6iu yeSter-
day afternoon to inquire into the
cause of the death of the late John
William Carter, who was drowned
from the steamer TOnqui1l, on the
evening of Sunday, the 14th inst.
In the absence of coroner Surpre-
nant the inquest was conducted by
justice of the peace G. A. May.
A jury was summoned, consisting
of G. s. Wright, A. Montgomery, VIM.
Rehfeld, Cello Parker, o. Sovey and
r. n. Carnahan, who after a prelim-
mary survey of the body. heard testi-
mony.
| o. Sovey was elected foreman.
Dan Carroll was the first witness
sworn. Witness said: About $50
Sunday evening / was on the Michi-
gan talking to the mate; I saw the
1'Onquin two boat lengths from Dev-
Inns dock; saw something fall off.
When 1 looked again saw the captain
throw a line and heard him say:
Charley, catch the line The man
in the water couldn't hold it. Cap
tain threw the line three times, and
asked: Charley, why don't you catch
the line? The captain then got a
pike pole, after the man went down,
and fished for the body; the fireman
came out, when the captain shouted
to stop; he came out after stopping
the boat. The boat was going ahead
when man fell off and when captain
threw the first line. 1 have made
statement about skiff that was at
tached to the tug; I thought that if
they had got the small boat out they
might have saved him. 1 am not per-
sonally acquainted with the deceased.
Only one man on the tug threw a
line; the propeller was turning at the
time. I heard no noise nor anything
said at the time of the occurrence"
Mrs. N. Weiman sworn: Deceased
came into my house at 8 o'clock, Sat
urday evening to find a man to take
his place. He said that he had had a
few words with the captain and
didn't like to go back: he staid till II
o'clock and then said If no one goes
in my place 1 will have to go again
tomorrow The name OF the de-
ceased is Jno. William Carter; he was
a native of 16. Heap street, Bradford,
York; he was born there July Doth,
1868. He said he was sorry to have
| to 90 back, as he expected some more
row. He was not drinking man; he
had boarded with me two years and
six months. Book of deceased re-
tanned in evidence) He had been on
the boat four or five days. He was a
steady worker"
II. Lurch, was the next witness
sworn:
II knew Carter: he was working on
the Toa4uin. He asked me last
Saturday night to go on the 1'Onqui7a
in his place. He said he had had a
row with the captain and didn't like
to go back. Don't know what the
row was about. He asked me three
times to take his place. When he
found no one to take his place, he
said he was going to leave, but had
promised to stay in Kelly's place till
Kelly got back, and didn't like to
leave till then. He said he wouldn't
stand any more monkeying from the
captain. 1 was one of themen that
grappled for the body of deceased.
We used stretching hooks and several
fathoms lead line; used a hundred
stretching hooks; two OF us were in
the fishing boat and one in the skiff,
and we went with the food tide; we
made two drifts but couldn't find the
body, but at the first drift at ebb we
got the body; the blood poured from
his nose, ears and mouth when we
lifted him from the water. We took
the body to the captain of the Ton
quin and asked him il that was the
man. He said yes. Deceased was a
friend of mine and we wanted to see
his body recovered and buried. I
had some suspicion as to how he
met his death and 1 wanted to see
how the body looked"
"Saw man on the wharf next
morning, a man whom / believe was
the engineer. l asked if they found
the body yet. DO you know the
man.? said he. L said yes; the en-
gineer told me that deceased said he
would go ashore as soon as the
steamer landed"
, wharf said that he saw the captain
} throw him line and that he took
hold and let go again. That he didn't
see the captain go out of the pilot
house; he thought the captain didn't
seem to care much about the matter
but went on shortly after; he thonghi
il the skiff was used Garter might
} have been saved.
DIR. A. l.. Fulton was the next wit
ness sworn.
r II found cut over the left eye and
1 to the side of it and another cut OF
bruise on the corner of the left lower
lip. The cut over the left eye
looks as if it might have been made
about the time of death. just before
or very shortly after The wound
could have been made by falling
overheard or striking the side of the
, boat, but not probably by the pro
peller. The wound appears to be 6
{ clear cut"
, VIM. Rehfeld, one of the jurors
thought it was that the propeller
| struck him.
DR.. Fulton resumed: "The wound
on the lip was inflicted sometime
after the wound on the eye. 1 found
, no other wounds. The bleeding wal
occasioned by some internal injury
:. the blow might but was not apt tc
/, have been struck by blow from
: fist; it being a smooth clean cut"
81 August Schlessinger, was the mex
| uitnpsa sworn.