The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-22
THE ST. NICHOLAS CASES.
Capt. Boulineau, Master of the Vesse
on the stand.

NSpS. DoU4lneau, Master OF the Vessel,
on the stand
The interest manifested in the st. Nicho-
/ las damage cases was somewhat revived
yesterday in Commissioner Chrissy's court
when Capt. Boulineau was called in behalf
OF the steamboat.
/ Capt. Boulineau was master and piIot of
the st. Nicholas at the time of the collision
with the st. Augu,tin br idge, and his evil
dence Is considered very important He
was Kept On the stand all day, and under
| went rigid crosse xamination at the hands
OF 1. p. Ravenel, Esq. attorney for the
Aoellants. CapJ. BoIhneau gave clear
and succlnct statement of tue details of the
collision, and his reasons for running iuto
the bridge. His direct evidence was as fol-
! lows:
Il left the dock on July % and ''hooked
up" about $50 O'clock. After ran from aft
forward | let 60 the line, and as then
swinging out with the stern hue. | saw a
steamboat alead of me and | blew one
whistle to her. 1 found it to be the tug
boat Forest City. After getting the boat
stralg in tie river l tod the pilot, Ray
mond Noble, to look out for her until
changed my clothes. l came back in the
pilot house just as we reached the lower
end OF the Savanl ah, Florida and Western
railway wharf l told Raymond Noble
that would look out for her, and that be
could get down and turn in He wanted to
know who would take the first watch after we
got through the bridge. l told him we would
not stand any watch at all, aud that would
take her Ia all the bad places and he could
taze her in all the good ones, and that |
would take pillow and sleep in the pilot
house-lay down in the pilot house-and
that 1t would never do to stick her with all
| that crowd on board. His answer to me
p0ulI "a "a bAy ternf Iaa nod rlo
as good as anybody. Ny answer to him
was would prefer to take her in all the
bad places, so If she was to stick | would
know myself how it happened. When |
got abreast of Fort jackson I passed the
steamer ]. w. Sweeney. / blew three
whistles TO her when passing her. First
blew one to get to Starboard, and when
| abreast of her I blew three She
had just come through st. Augustine
creek bridge. In about eight minut after
passing the Sweeney, | told the striker in
the pilot house to blow for the bridge. He
blew three whistles, and the last one was 50
long that put my hand on his arm and
stopped him, and asked him if he wanted to
blow all the steam off the boiler. You,
gentlemen, all know what negro will do
when he gets hold of the whistle. When |
got down to the crossing in the north chan
mel, at The mouth of the creek, 1 blew three
whistles again. and she "hooked up" then,
that is, going at full speed. When SD
! struck the underground, that is, when she
got on top of the underground, sucking
the DO tom, she touched and ran away with
me, that is, she took to she ering, first on
one side and then on the other, on account
of the shallow water. When
found that she touched the bot
tom l slowed her down and ran her
| That way until wIJnin 800 feet of the bridge
and then l discovered the bridge was closed,
md / I-,ll- -
back, and then | rang the jingle, TO back at
full speed. / struck the bridge right in the
| center of the eastern draw, and carried
| away the forward deck and two hog
braces. The lights on that bridge-the
first | could see of it was after when |
opened the mouth of the creek. There was
small sloop anchored close to the point on
| the western side, with a white light on her
mast. She lay about quarter of a mile
on this side of the bridge. Coming down
to the bridge, near her, ! opened
| another white light in range with
the bridge, which was a vessel anchored
in Freedman's Cut, which l afterwards
found out to be the sloop Mercedes. She
was ancnored quarter of Il mile to the
southern of the bridge. The first time I
saw the light on the west bank was when
the bridge keeper was on the trestle, on the
western side, waving it. He did not put
his foot on the bridge proper until after /
discovered that the bridge was closed. He
arrived at the bridge in the center of the
draw about the same time that l struck it.
That is about all l know"
The position of the lights on the bridge,
as Capt. Boulineau saw them, on the night
of the accident, was a red light on The
center pier and red light on the eastern
abu ment. Capt. Boulineau emphatically
denied the assertion that he was under the
influence OF liquor while OH the wharf. He
refuted the statement in very strong Ian
guage.
Commissioner Christv will not hold
court to-day on account of the day
being a legal holiday, but will resume
the examir alton Monday morning. Mr..
Ravenel, counsel for libellants, left for
Charleston last night.
Take simmons Liver Re guInfor One dose