St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-17
cases of drowning on the river where
the bodies had never been recovered.

eases vi drowning on the river Wnere
the bodies had never been recovered.
rs that boat daugerousg
YES. il is dangerous. 1t has not got the
right Hare. Ii Is not wide enough on the
bottom; that helps it TO tip, for the load is
generally i'll the STERN
'Is there any more difficulty in tipping n
boat like that i'll current or in still water
III Is more apt To tip in current.
1.-TWO persons and a child could tip up that
boat very easily If it was not properly han
dled:''
suppose that boat was being rowed up
stream near the wing by u man the size of the
defendant rowing with these oars, and in the
middle seat sat Il little girl, while III the bot
tom OF the boat was woman weighing / 10
pounds; suppose it was very dark night.
and this boat was turned with its bow
towards the west shore, and the little girl
should see something i'll the water and reach
Tor II, and fall on the gunwale of the boat,
half in, half out, the woman springs up to
rescue the child. and the man does the same,
would that boat be apt to tip over or not
YES, sir, it would. The current would tip
boat very easily
His experience taught him that when
persons were suddenly upset in boat,
each person would try and save him
self. In drowning persons sink from
one to three times. He had almost
drowned on two occasions, and lost his
senses very quickly.
CroSS-eXamined by Mr.. Num-:
"A man who had taken water in his lungs
and windpipe and was rescued would make
some noise when he comes 10 the surface in
trying to get rid of the water: he would
cough and strangle would he not?''
II think they would strangle under the
water
Did you ever see person who had been
under water and taken water i'll their lungs
who did not cough and straugle when they
came to the surface?'
They make more or less noise"
"A man who had been under water twice
and then reached a sandbar would be apt to
shout for help would he uot?''
Eyes, think he would
Mr.. Mum tackled the witness on his
record. He had been charged with as
Sault and battery twice, and was fined
S15, and got a pair of black eyes.
This answer of witness caused a deal
of laughter, which was instantly
checked by the judge, who threatened.
II 1t was repeated, to have the court
cleared.
The witness in straightforward man
uer proceeded to relate the family
troubles which had led, some years ago,
to his being charged with assault, and
another case, where a man who was
drunk had threatened him and had shot
him in the neck, and he had defended
himself.
Saw the Test.
Theodore Boadwin, laborer. was
the next witness called. He testified as
follows:
Il have worked on skiffs for the last fifteen
years saw the officers making an expert
meht with the boat. l was on the stea mer
Ruby at the foot of Robert street and was
about $50 feet from the officers They went
out and tipped the boat over by swinging it
from side to side. They tried to leap out of
the boat about four or five times know
that boat and consider 1t dangerous. can
tip it over alone.''
Mr.. Munn-Have you ever been in that
boat?
mo, sir, have not"
Abel GadboiS, a butcher, said:
Il know that boat and saw Moriarty and
the officer make the test. They rocked
the boat and tipped it over the first time The
second time they jumped from end to end of
the boat and she shipped water. The third
time they jumped out of the boat, but 1t did
not upset.
Shifting Sands.
Capt. Edwin Bell testified that he was
seventythree years old, had been in st.
Paul for forty years, and had been en-
gagged in steamboating for seventeen
years. He had engaged in the building
of dams IN various rivers and had seen
the dams on the Mississippi built. He
was well acquainted with the bottom of
the river; it was composed of shifting
sands which formed into reefs. very
seldom parallel. A reef is highest at its
center, and the drops on the reefs vary.
At Pigs Eye there was a current of two
and half miles an hour. that was be-
fore the wing dam was built. The cur
rent there was very dangerous. He
conld not say how a body would be car
ried by the current, he had never see II
one; but he knew that logs were car
ried OH the bottom of the river
He knew of persons being drowned
OIL the river, whose bodies
had never been recovered. In his opin-
ion the body of the child would, in
dropping over the reef, be caught and
covered up by the sand which was con-
stantly changing. He was we'll ac-
quainted with skitfs, and in his opinion
the boat in court was dangerous one
to use i'll current. The boat had no
bearing, the bottom ''flared" to nigh,
and it had no ''Skag" which would keep
it steady. The bow also had no stern
piece to cut water. Any boat running
at an angle into current would be liza
bic to upset. The manner in which
counsel described the accident, i'll his
opinion was correct.
1t being O'Clock, Judge Kelly an
nounced that he would, as usual, adj
JUN DIT Iudt ilouT, anu pTocttueu 10
caution the jury not to converse about
the case. The spectators in court arose
from their seats and prepared to leave
while his honor was speaking, but they
were speedily brought TO standstiil by
the judge rapping loudly on his desk
and in stern tones saying:
Are the ladies and gentlemen aware that
they are in a court of justice or do they
think that they are in an opera house? Let
every one sit down Immediately until court
is adjourned.
This rebuke of the judge upon the
conduct of the sensation hunters was
commended by every person who had
business in the court room.
Capt. Edward Bell will take the stand
this morning at 10. when his eXamina-
ton Will be resumed by Mr.. Erwin.
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