The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-03
WERETHELIGHTS WRONG
THE TESTIMONY IN TIE ST. NICH-
OLAS INVESTIG ALTON.


nails on the Bridge-The Testimony
of the Passengers Very Euch Alike
The Language Capt. Boulineau is
Said to Have Used-The Location and
the Meaning of the Lights the Prin-
cipal Points Brought Out
The investigation into the cause Of the
collision Of the steamer st. Nicholas with
St. Augustine creek drawbridge, was
resumed yesterday morning before the
United States inspectors Of steamboats,, and
continued until o'clock in the afternoon,
when, without exhausting the list Of wit
nesses. an adjournment was taken until 10
O'Clock this morning.
Capt. Usina was recalled yesterday, and
gave a list of the licensed officers on the
boat at the time of the accident, Capt.
Boulineau, in command, a mate, engineer,
and two pilots. Capt Usina said that he
was only purser of the boat, ana not sub
stantially in charge of the vessel, and had
nothing 10 do with the navigation of 1t. the
pilots were Boulineau and Noble. When
he was master OF the vessel on that route he
kept in view schedule of the
Tybee trains His duty as purser
was to pay all bills Of the boat, hire aud
discharge any part of the crew and transact
the boats business. He merely called
Capt Boulineau's attention 10 the fact that
the bridge was closed and gave no orders.
Capt Usina was asked by Col. Garrard II
he had any idea which had the right OF
way, the trains or boats, and Capt. Uslna
answered that his idea was thai steamboats,
always have the right Of way.
- Mai. c. Williams, agent OF the line, was
sworn. He knew nothing Of his own
knowledge Of the accident. To the ques-
ton Of Col. Garrard as to who are the
owners of the steamboat Mr.. Richards OBJ
jected, and the objection was sustained
Inspector Laird stating that the inspectors
were not inQuiring into matters OF owner
ship.
THE BRIDGE TENDERS STORY.
David Jenkins. the colored bridge tender,
was called. He testified that he was in the
shanty when he heard the st. Nicholas
whistle. and be, with his assistant, John
Brown, started for the bridge. Jenkins car
rying the white light in his hand. On his
way to the bridge he heard the
train whistle. When the boat got
around the bend so he could see
her he began to wave her down with the
white light because the train was coming
at the same time but the boat was first In
sight, and about half a mile Off He waved,
and "whooped" and "hallooedn for her to
stop until she got to the bridge, and he was
standing in the center Of the bridge with
the light in his hand when the boat struck.
The shock jostled him against Brown, and
he told the latter to take one Of the red
lights and flag the train down, and tell
Conductor Harris Of the trouble. When
the boat got within about 800 feet Of the
bridge jenkins heard a bell ring, but the
boat was coming right along. One bell was
all he heard and he didn't know what that
meant There was a red light on the Savan-
nah end of the bridge and a red light on the
Tybee end. Brown took the light from the
Savannah side.
In answer TO a question by Mr.. Rich
ards, Jenkins admitted that he might have
said at the coroner's inquest that he used
one of the red lights himself, but it was a
slip of the tongue, as he had waved with the
white light AS a matter of fact the
train always stops at the sign
board before going over the
bridge and never goes over without being
signaled. Trains slack up and wait for a
signal. jenkins said that he could open
the draw in four or five minutes, and that
he had plenty of time to have opened it
after the steamers whistle blew but the
train was coming at the same time. That
prevented him from opening the bridge,
and he did not have TO flag the train down
because it always stops. He stated that the
train got TO the bridges little over two
minutes after the collision.
STOPPED THE TRAIN.
Brown went about 100 yards before he
met the train to stop it. jenkins couldn't
say how long it was from the first time he
saw the st. Nicholas, half a mile dists Mt
until she struck the bridge. He thought he
had been heard on the boat aud that she
would stop. The reason he assigned for not
opening the bridge when Tho train was
coming was that Superintendent Cobb had
told him not to open the bridge in case a
train was approaching. He would have
had plenty Of time to have opened the
bridge, but Il was against orders
and he wouldn't have had time
when the boat got up within SOC
yards, for ii was inside of two minutes when
the boat struck. Jenkins explained that The
red lights are hung out on the bridge at :
o'clock in the afternoon and are not re-
moved until day light the next morning
red light is hung on the Savannah OF
western side and the other light on the
Tybee or eastern side when the draw bridge
Is closed, and when a steamer signal is gwen
for the bridge he goes TO the center TO open
it. The white light is taken along to light
the way on the bridge, and the night of the
accident was The ilrSt time that he ever had
to wave boat down. The red lights are
so placed after the bridge is opened for the
night, that they indicate the width of the
draw jenkins heard the small bell OF
"jinglen when the boat was about 200 et
off. y
To question by Mr. Richards he said
that he does not wave a white light - {
boat TO let the pilot know that everything
is all ready and the draw is open all right K
go through. When the bridge is open he
halloos to come ahead and stands IN the cen
ter of the bridge. After the bridge is oper
for the night he goes to bed. He only uses
the white light before the bridge is opened
for the night and to signal the train to show
that the bridge is all right for crossing. Hi!
instructions from Supt. Cobb were never
TO open the bridge on schedule time.
MIGHT HAVE SEEN HIM ON THE BRIDGE.
When walking from the shanty acros
the bridge, ony one on the boat could hav,
seen him with the white light in his hand
and he couldn't have walked across if tn
bridge was open, as they could have seel
from the boat. He had one light on tn
abutment or trestle on the Savannah sid
and hung the other light on the Tybee sid
80 that the lights showed right across th
channel until the last train passed. Afte
the last train passes and the bridge i
opened for the night one of tn
red lights is removed to the center
of the bridge and the other is on th
Savannah side where they remain unit
morning. The reason he sent Brown to la1
the train was that he was not willing x
take anv chances He saw the stearna