Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-29

change in the lights around tine Assateague
and Winter Quarter shoals. lie knew the
latter light to be red, forty five feet high and
visible twelve miles" No information had
reached him of any substitution. His table OF
compass ceyiations WAS correct ana AZ hand.
Then followed some questions as to the habit
OF the commander in regard 70 the use OF the
lead and log. The latter had always proved
reliable on previous trips. 1t was patent
log"
The light that appeared to be the shore light
looked red. After awhile it looked ''pinkish."
On subsequent nights-he remained at the
wreck nine days-he observed it TO be red on
several occasions. not always.
THAT RED LIGHT.
Lieut. Com. Dayton asked il the red was
similar to the red of a ships port light The
answer was that lit red. and red that il
entirely lost its character as a white light"
WAS it SO red that if il had been low enough
You might have mistaken it for a vessels
Light"
Yes"
In response to a query by the Judge advocate
witness described Assateague light a white
light, set well back from shore visible eighteen
miles.
The steamer was not always sailed according
to the courses set down in the log, for they
might have been wrongly recorded in the book.
len per cent of correction should be and was
made for the patent log. She underran that
much. Six degrees easterly deviation was
made for the course sailed, as set in the last
night orders.
LIEUT.. NOEL AS WITNESS.
The next witness was Lieut. York Noel, ex-
ecutive officer of the Despatch. He told a story
OF the last trip Of the steamer down the coast
He described the first course run from Scotland
light ship, south, 5 degrees west, being re-
iieved by Lieut. Mulhgan. The vessel
passed Five Fathom Bank light ship
at pm. and steered S0.24 west.
and on the run to Eenwick Island the log was
corrected and found to be 10 per cent fast. At
the island the steamer was sheered of to clear
a schooner, but brought back again in five
minutes When the necessary distance for
picking up Winter Quarter shoai light. at 80
am, red light was reported to witness by
lookout, who was in the rigging. few minutes
later he saw it himself. Ii was red. The quar-
teTmaster was asked and he verified it, There
was no other conclusion possible than the light
was Winter Quarter sLoal Ii was a trife to
the west-perhapsa point-from what had been
expected. as his course was running, and he
shifted his course TO 80. 40 west to clear it we'll
The witness was called to the chart TO point
out his lines and he explained that this course
30. 4Ow would carry him west of the light
ship. rs the light afterward turned out to be
Assateague light. and the Winter Quarter light
must have been either of station or else not
showing, as there was but the one light visible.
hELlENED BY LIEUT.. MCLL1GAN.
At about this time, witness said, he was re-
lieved by Lieut.. Muhigan. whom he told to
sail for Cape Charles light. He also said:
You are safe as long as you do not pass in
side of the light ship" There was plenty of
water outside. He then left deck and turned
IN and shortly after awakened BY the
grounding of the ship. The red light Was still
visible. but closer, and be was confused by the
apparent contradiction of things. He Was still
convinced that it was the Winter Quarter shoal
light ship.
SORT OF A POOH BAH.
Il was executive officer, navigating officer
and watch officer" said Lieut.. Noel in reply to
question.
"A sort of Pooh Bah" remarked Commander
Brownson.
The run recorded in the log book is the
actual reading Of the patent log The deduc-
ton was always made in working up the dead
reckoning. AL record of the correctness that
must be made in accurately plotting the run
was lost with the ship, bnt witness has an
accurate memory OF them. From the time the
ship grounded the rough log was written mp
afterward. The checks on the patent log were
obtained by landmarks, as the vessel always ran
IL sight of land. The ship ran at a rate of nine
knots from New York down. With that speed
Ii was impossible to get bottom with a nine
pound lead, and SO no soundlngs were taken.
There WAS plenty of water.
When the last log reckoning was taken the
set was to the easteriy.
TIE AGE OF THE MOON.
''what was the age of the moon?' was the
ungallant question of the judge advocate.
She was in the end of the second quarter,
and the tides we're. therefore low and weak"
was the explanatory reply.
The witness said that he expected to sight
Winter Quarter at 1:20 am. at the latest. He
fnx az ~.
before that He sighted the red light at rs.
1t was abort one and half points west of the
expected place. The wind had freshened a
little since leaving Fenwick Island, but from
about the same quarter. There was a misty,
hazy appearance over the land ever since the
moon had set, at about $50.
The light was great deal redder than
many vessels carry that pass for red lights.
There was no doubt about its redness." The
witness said this in response to question. The
chief cuartermaster. The lookout on the FORE
castle reported the light some minutes after
witness had seen it. 1t was reported thus:
Light hor
Where away?'
'Three points on the starboard bowr |
There was no necessity for the lookout TO say |
it was a red light, for witness himself saw il |
thus. After the light was passed the lookout |
was continued with u man at the hfe-poat |
station.
AN UNRELIABLE LIGHT.
II was shown that in the opinion OF several |
navigatcrs of coasting steamers this light was !
one of the least reliable on the coast The /
fault was attributed to a peculiarity in the /
lens Of the lantern. These letters we're sub
mitted in evidence.
The witness stated that from am. to d.
N. Lieut.. Mulligan and he alternated in four
hour Watches From P. m. to a m. the time
was divided into two watches Of six hours each.
Az navigating officer of the ship he ultimately
received all documents about lights. charts,
&C., including the light house tooard notices
to mariners" When the red light was sighted
the ships position was plotted few minutes
later aud the course was changed. log read
ing was taken then.
The night orders we're followed until the
red light was sighted and then, finding tie
ship out Of position, the course was
changed. The commanding officer wou,d have
been notified, but witness thought to regain his
position in few minutes
At this point the court adjourned until 10
o clock tomorrow. having taken SO much testi-
mony that it was thought that the stenoRrapher
would have his hands full transcribing his |
notes In time.