The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1893-05-17
Verdict of the
Coroner's Jury.

The Inquest on the body Of P. w
Larson, the victim of the fish trap, was
continued yesterday, and at O'Clock
the jury answered to their names. The
examination of witnesses was pro-
ceeded with, and Louis Hauffe was
called. He deposed as follows: l am
@ fish trapper, working for Mr.. Nc
Gowan, and have charge of the traps.
They are situated on Chinook Beach,
below the. MCGOWAN cannery, the first
about 300 feet below and the other
about 900 feet below the first. There
are no traps between these and the
cannery; the law requires that each
trap shall have a light, I guess; was
instructed to have lights on these
traps by Mr.. MCGOWAN; always put
lights on them, and had them on
during the night from the 14th toI the
18th of this month; put them on every
night; about Or10 o'clock I go out to
see If the lights are burning, and If so
/ go to bed; the lights are fixed to burn
all night, and generally do so; in the
morning 1 take them away refill them
and trim them; they would continue
to burn until my arrival in the MORN
ing; yesterday morning when I took
the lights down, the first one was not
burning, but could not tell how long 1t
had been extinguished; after retire no
one else looks after the lights, which
may have been out from 10 o'clock
during Sunday night, but I have the
word Of the watchman that he saw it
burn at 12 O'Clock; the watchman is
Gus Quinn; 1t is not any part Of the
watchman's duty to re-light the lamps
should they go out; on this particular |
night the light was lit as usual this was |
the first time 1t went out, and think 1t |
was caused by the heavy driftwood.
Charles Dahl was next sworn and
business is gill-netting; was near Nc
Gowan's cannery on Sunday last; the
nearest fish trap is about 200 yards
away; have known Andrew Wilson
olnCC Culudy ICbOuCu
1im he was on the lead Of the trap
nearest McGowan's cannery when he
vas rescued; saw no light on the trap;I
vas in the neighborhood of 1t from
oetween and 10 o'clock Sunday night
Until next morning, and was in such
| position that 1 could have seen a
light had there been one; pulled around
he trap twice, once in the first part
If the night, the second time at day
oreak in the morning; recovered the
body of drowned man in that trap
against the lead; the body was that
If P. w. Larson; 1 picked up outside
Ind pulled in and dropped anchor at
ten minutes to 10; could not see the
trap until got close up to it; was get
ting pretty dark and was looking for
q light; knew thre should have been
one on 1t; was the first one in to
anchor there, unless others were fur
ther down; have seen light on the
trap at other times before this; there
was a light on the corner trap; could
not say that the light was out on any
other night previous to this one; no
ticed a lantern there in the morning.
There were no other witnesses eX-
and the jury then retired to
their deliberations. After an absence
of nearly an hour they returned the
following verdict:
1--WE the undersigned jury, find the
deceased to be p. w. Larson of Astoria,
Clatsop county, Oregon, aged AZ years,
and that he came to his death on the
night between the 14th and 18th of this
month by drowning In capsizing with
his fishing boat against trap owned
by p. J.McGowan &. Sons of Chinook,
Washington, located nearest the can
merry of said company.
And we further find, according to
testimony given, that the accident was
caused by the negligence of said COM
pany by not having a light burning all
night on said trap, as required by law.
(Signed) GEO. KABOTH,
Foreman.