The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-19
BOTH ARE BLA1IED.
Captains Punished for Plamier-
Willamette Collision.
THEIR LICENSES ARE REVOKED.
Local Board OF United States Inspectors
Decides That the Masters Violated
Rules and Were Mt Faulg

The collision O. the steamship Willamette
with the steamer Premier in shs lower sound on
October S, resulting in the loss OF sevesal lives,
was a disaster that will long be remet16 ered in
the Northwest The matter has beeS revived
BY the action of the United states local in
spectors OF hulls and boilers revozing the
licenses of the captains OF both vesSals. The
findings of. the ms pectors, after Lengthy hear-
ing of the case are as follows:
Steamship Willamette coitided with steamer
Premier on October s. 1852, about three1and one
half miles Sc "a +. IRON Marrowstosls Point,
and nearly in mid channel The We cher was
foggy. A light breeze was blowing from the
northwest. The sea was smooth and she tide
was half food
1t appears that the Willamette left SEATTLE at
1853 a. m, bound to San Francisco, loazed with
2,llo ions OF coal-csrgo aud fuel Gait 4 A.
Hansen, master of the willamette, test lied sub.
stantialiy as follows: 1.-THE usual coufee, w. J.
N, Tor West Point was steered, and elsar ofiiug
safely reached. The course was then changed
to NN.W., thence TO NV. by n, and soint No
Point was reached and passed at a diE.ance OF
about 60 feet Then a W. by n. = :. course
was shaped and steered until shortly t>fore we
About TIVE twenty y minutes after pa..is e Point
No Point heard some fog signals fro,l an ap-
preaching steamer. The last one heaki on the
was also on the starboard bow, but seerSad to be
q long distance OF. l gave twQ blastss Of my
steam whistle and put my helm TO start oard.
stopped the engines and backed tu.i speed
astern. The ship had only been gosDg two
thirds speed-about eight knots per ho.ar. She
had swung on her starboard helm to W. spy s"
The above statement is corroborate;i by the
testimony of the second mate, who was- on the
bridge with the captain, and also by the quar-
termaster, who was at the wheel.
sailed from Port townsend towards seattle,
with freight and passengers, October s. lo92, at
1:30 p. m. The following is summary ii Capt.
Giiboys statement: "As the weather WIS Clear
ing after fog, we swung on our course =. r. by
Z. u E., Tor Marrowstone point, and -turned
the ship over TO Pilot f. G. BauChm@n, and
went below. After rounding Marrcwstone
point heard fog signal and j went O. deck.
The pilot had charge OF the ship l ASKED him
what course he was steering, aud his -answer
was, IS. E. from Marrowstone.' We Eeard
whistle on port bow, and answerefT same.
Shortly after passed the steamer City q King
stop, bound down sound-passed her well on
the port side.
ait was very thick at this time. remained
with the pilot four or five minutes, wsien we
heard another whistle on port bow. L Answered
same with one whistle, and blew two II three
this other steamer. Located it aoou. three
points on the port bow. Kept on blowing my
whistle. and there was long interval >efore
Wa on the port bow. ] ported hall point
The next time I heard his whistle iold the
quarternaster to port point and storsher !
went into the pilot house and lowered dawn the
port window. When l got the tindow
down. i put out my head ard Listened.
! heaN another blast OF his thistle.
When I heard that blast it was IN the
port bow. Told the quartermasteT to Port and
put the indicator to full speed astern. II went
out forward OF the pilot house and LOGGED Oft
the port bow for the approaching vessel; We
soon observed white water, which looked like
foam, aud at the same time the approaching
steamer blew three whistles. Soon aver she
struck US about four points on the peSft bow.
At this particular time we had swung t. about
S Sc"
This collision occurred in wide opeis chan
mel, OF nearly three miles in width ch bold
shores on both sides and no sunken s,)als or
rocks to obstruct navigation. The csstance
from Point No Point TO Marrowstone soint is
1874 miles. course NV. NV. magnetic From
Nv. From Bush 81 POINT to Ms.rows.ons point,
81 miles, course NV. by NV. 1t appesrs that
from the time the Willamette lett the wharf at
Seattle until she arrived off Point No Paint she
made her courses all right, but it is not shown
by Capt Hansen how he managed to navigate
his ship from an citing OF 600 feet from r-,int No
Point to Bush point on magnetic course Of w.
by M n, two degrees westerly deviatiosi, on a
half flood tide running in an easterly direction
at the rate OF IA knots per hour. There.can be
no question but what the Willamette WIS close
| in to Bush point, aud not more than q h-lf mile
| OFF shore.
This is made very clear by the evidence OF
three men who live at or near Bush porSt, and
her position at the latter point was clegrly de-
| fined and located about half mile OF Bush
| point 1t was not foggy at this time ena place
The ship was plain to be seen, ard She log
from shore to shore The log Signals, OF ths
Premier were distinctly heard by the people on
| Bush point, and as the sound passed t5fer the
| Willamette, all OF the signsls from the Eremiel
| must have been heard by the officers au2 look
| out on board OF the Willamette. 1t appears thai
| Capt Hansen did hear fog signals, but 1aid NJ
particular attention to them, as the weather Wal
| clear where the snip then was. But lusS ~ be
entered the fog bank, he gave one hlass OF hi'
Int ftoft at.,vx ~.
| within . mile Of each other. severas more
blasts of the whistles were exchanges be F-,re tht
| ships collided. The Willamette strusk the
Premier on the port bow, about so feet fis,m the
| stern. at an angle of 3S11 degrees, Suttins
| through to the keel Steamer Premiar had
| passed Mari owstone point i'll the usual Wy, and
| Shortly after passing Msrrowstone posat tht
! weather became foggy, and the steamer City o.
Kingston was passed we'll on the port size. A.
| the fog shut down the fog signal was kepc coins
| at regular Intervals. and The ship was kept I'M
| derfEll Roadway. The Willamette's fog sigma
| was heard aud answered, and, as II DIRE : near
| given by Capt Gilboy. The helm was put t.
| port and the ship had swung of her coarse Il
! 5. : T. when they came together.
| This being the most serious collision tlcat b a.
| ever occurred on the waters of Puget >ound
| We have given II careful consideration, arC
we cannot avoid the conclusion Il. the
collision was due to NEGLIGENCE and unsciiliui
| ness. The distance from Point No Po-nt u
Marrow stone point is thirteen and QIIarte
| miles. The narrowest place in this str>,ch is
| two and half miles. The Willamette VS. clos,
| in TO Bush point, and was steering a .ours,
| W. by y. ~ ", which would take her acr1 ss tn,
channel and across the track OF the PreiSier o.
| any other vessel bound up Sound. At ths tim,
| Capt Hansen heard the PreIniers fog Ignal
| and he certainly must have known tsat BY
| holding his course he would either creas thi
| fremiers track or go very close to her. I>e haC
| plenty OF room north OF his vessel, and, lad ht
| ported his helm, there would not have Eeen
| collision. Had he even held his W. By y: "a y
| course. We believe the ships would NOT have
| col ided, but would have passed very neap
| II seems TO be the practice on many pas<engel
steamers to make their usual time in foggl
weather, and run at the same rate OF spees as IL
| fair weather, for the reason that they get thei
| courses and time down 20 a second II fail
| weather IL may be. so far as the land i. con
| cerued, that they are safer in running at thei
| regular speed in fog, but II IS not s05wheI
| they are approaching other vessels. Rye II
| section /, 15S, Revised Statutes OF the t:n!ieC
| states, reads as follows: every steam Eessei
| when approaching another vessel as 50 in
| voiye risk of collision, shall s!ackea her speed
| or, If necessary, stop and reverse; aad every
| steam vessel shall, when in fog, go u;
| moderate speed Capt Glboy violated th
| rule, as he did not slacken his spees
| his vessel was running at her usual speed
| II further appears that Capt Gi1oy dzi 10
| understand the intentions OF the pilot - the
| other vessel, and in not giving the danger sig
| nal under these circumstances he violbte,s. rule
O' the Pilot rules, which reads fonows
| ''lt, when steamers are approaching each e.her
the pilot OF either vessel falls to uuterstaTri tn
| course or the intentions of the other. wi<e;hs
| from signals being given or answered IRON