The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-04
STILL DRAGGING ALONG.
ANOTHER DAY OF TIE ST. NICHO-
LAS INVESTIGATION.


the First Bells We're Rung.
The Investigation Of the St Angus inc
creek drawbridge disaster was resumed
before the United States inspector of steam
boats yesterday morning.
The first witness called was A. c.
Lewis, a colored passenger on the st.
Nicholas He testified that he heard no
bells rungs, but he saw the bridge tender
wave the white light and thought that
something was wrong. He coYroborated
the statement of the other passengers with
reference to the position Of the red lights.
Thomas Maxwell, another colored pas
senger, who had his leg broken in the acct
dent, swore that he saw three lights on the
bridge when the boat turned into the creek.
There was a white light IN the center of the
bridge and red light on each end. He
heard the bridge tender warn the boat
back, but he didn't think the boat Stacked
Its speed.
THE ENGINEER NOT AT HIS POST.
Steve Armstrong, another passenger,
gave a new feature 10 the investigation.
He heard three OF four bells, but the gu
Rineer was not in tine engine room at the
time, bat in his own room, about eleven
feet away standing with his head and one
foot out of his room. The engineer hurried
TO the engine room, but with
in one or one and half
minutes after the bells rang the collision
took place. Armstrong had only time TO
take two or three steps before the boat
struck the bridge. He stood near Capt.
Boulineau after the accident and he didn't
think the captain looked like man who
bad been drinking.
Henry Gibson was next called. He had
lot H. Dox ln-Fr
roborated the statements of jenkins, the
bridge tender, and Of Brown, his assistant,
relative to the position in which the lights
are PLACED on the bridge The lights, he
said, are in range when the bridge is Open
The crowd being forward on the St Mich
olas would make the boat easier to handle.
He had taken boats through the bridge and
at one time two sckOoners at once, and had
no trouble.
sUPT. COBB's STATEMENT.
Supt Cobb of the Tybee road testified
that the lights on the bridge at the
eastern and western ends of the draw are
arranged the same as when his predec 7ssors
we're in Office. He made no change in the
signals when he took charge Of the road.
The rules and regulations of the Savannah.
Florida and Western railway principally
govern the Tybee road. A red light in the
center of the draw aud one on the eastern
abutment indicates that the brid @ Is open
The train blows four whistles to stop at the
bridge, and if the bridge tender signals by
waving the white light up and down three
times, IL is a sign that the bridge Is all
right, and the train blows two short blasts
to start ahead. In case Of danger the bridge
tender waves a red light Supt. Cobb said
that he had gone through the bridge with
Capt Boulineau on the Pope CatlIn from
Thunderbolt for Savannah under charter
and no accident had resulted. The lights
were arranged then as now. Mr.. Cobb said
that the collision knocked out tho eastern
side Of the bridge from % inches TO 2 feet
His instructions TO the bridge tender were
to open the draw within five or ten minutes
Of the train schedule.
Raymond Noble, the pilot, was recalled.
He was asked about the bottle yesterday,
aud he said that he did not see any one
drinking from the bottle. He said that
Capt Boulineau is a good pilot, and sober
nan.
THE WHITE PASSENGERS STORY.
Alexander Egan, the only white passen-
ger, testified that he saw light on the
bridge half "a mile away, aud tho boat
slowed down a mile from the bridge, run
ming at the rase Of four and a half to five
miles an hour, and when within eone-eighth
of a mile lie discovered that the bridge was
closed He saw but one light. As the boat
watchman hallooing and saw him waving
a light. lie did not think collision would
take place, as be thought the boat would
stop
Capt. Bouhneau was recalled and gave
the number Of watchmen on the boat He
said that he could have stopped the boat
had he known at first that the draw was
not open. but he had every reason to be-
heve that the draw was open. When he dis
OF fbn Aiefn - f.,4
the bridge was closed, it was then too late
to stop.
Capt. e. NJ. Fitzgerald of the schooner
Charlotte testified that he had had a great
deal of trouble with the bridge. A red
light on the western abutment, and sta
tionery light in the middle of the bridge in
die ties, ne said, that the draw is closed.
The witness said that there never was a
light on the eastern draw to show
that the bridge was closed, aud that
all statements by Others of the lights
being III range to approaching boats, are
untrue. He had often been unable to get
through the draw, and had TO "come
about" and put back. He explained that
there were two different currents i'll the
creek which make the passage hazardous
He had seen the same lights displayed when
the bridge was closed as when open.
Capt. E. D. Fitzgerald of the coaster
Tangler had had great deal of trouble at
the bridge, and Ike admitted as did the
other witness, that he had some feeling 10
the matter. He knew nothing of the ar
rangement of the lights, but wouldn't trust
his boat to go through at night
AN EXPERTS TESTIMONY.
Capt. James Coke is apilot, aud last year
he saw but one red light on the bridge, the
other had smoked up and didn't show. On
his arrival at Savannah he had
reported the matter to Capt. Purse, presi-
dent of the railway company. Capt. Coke
said that two red lights set on the east side
of the draw and one in the middle show
that the draw is open He never saw the
bridge at night when it was closed and
could not describe how the lights are then
displayed. He said, however, that the Ii ghts
do not stand in range when the bridge is
open without there has been recent
change. He explained that the st. Nicho.
las, not being a double engine or double
screw, she 81 as difficult to manage at low
water, and he thus accounted for the acct
dent. he said that the damage might have
been greater if Capt Boullneau had run his
boat into the marsh, as the stern
would have swung around and
struck the abutment. The only
thing Boulineau could have done was to
have run his boat backward all he could.
Capt Coke said that ne has gone through
the bridge when there was a red light on
the western abutment, and a red light and
white light il the center of the bridge.
This closed the testimony for the day,