The evening world., 1894-07-19
NEED INVESTIGATING.
Who Is to Blame for These
Steamboat Collisions2
Thousands Of Lives Trusted Daily
TO the Care Of the Pilots.
Local Inspectors Will Endeavor to
Fix the Responsibility.

samuel G. Fairchild. Local Inspect or
of the United States Steamboat In
spec.ion Bureau. said this morning that
a rigid inquiry would be made into the
CAUSES of the accidents that have re-
Gently occurred TO three steamboats, of
the iron Steamboat Company
The Company failed to make n report
of the collision last Tuesday night be-
tween the Cetus and the cepheus off
Norton's. Point; The Inspector said that
twenty -four hours more would he
granted the Company in which to lille its
The boats of the Iron Steamboat Com
pany are said to carry each year over a
million men. women and children to and
from various pleasure resorts in this
vicinity, and the Company admits that
during its busy season ut least 1U,0U
men, women an children pass through
its hands every twenty-four hours. The
responsibility thus assumed by the Com
pany Is enormous.
II is not known as yet where the blame
for the accidents to the boats of this
line properly belongs, but the fact is
t mho Ss on ne
meal great loss OF life.
Fortunately no lives were lost in the
collisions OF three steamboats, OF the
though one man was severely injured
in the Cetus-Cepheus accident.
The latest accident occurred about SO
o
going down the North River with sixty
hive passengers on board. She co,lded
with the cattle boat Gen. McCallum. OF
the Central Stock Yard Company. of
The McCalhm plowed hole ten feet
deep into the hull of the Pegasus. Just
starboard side. The McCallum was IN
The collision occurred several hundred
feet out in the river off East Sixteenth
among the passengers they We're safely
landed at the White Star dock: The
ty-seventh street. Brooklyn. The dam
age to the boat is estimated ut $1,000
The machinery. was not injured.
The report of the accident filed with
the local inspectors by Capt. Halsey, of
til. Pegasus, Is as follows:
1.-THE Pegasus left the foot of West
Twenty-second street for pier J.. When
off sixteenth street. near mid-river. I
saw ahead one light on the starboard
bow. which l and my pilot. Mr. Dalton,
thought belonged to steamer going
he answered with one. / then saw that
the Gen. McCallum was coming head on.
Then l blew two more blasts. and again
he answered with one.
- ordered the engines reversed and
steamed at full speed ustTn, striking
the Pegasus and crushing ten-foot
lights displayed on the Gen. McCallum."
Capt Vandenberg of the McCallum.
had not made u report to the inspectors
at noon to-day.
1t was said by one of the attaches of
the steamboat inspection office that
Capt. Halsey should have blown one
short blast on the whistle, to be an
swered by the other vessel, both boat
passing to the right or port side of each
other Instead, Capt. Halsey blew two
whistles. rule applicable when two
vessels are supposed to be "far star
board of each other"
The captain of the McCal1um. who
evidently understood the first rule men
toned, answered with one whistle to
Capt Halseys two blasts.
Capt. Vandenberg may he held &C.
countable for the absence of side-lights.
The Iron Steamboat people say that
the McCallum was 1T fault and will
calm damages. But little information
could be obtained at The office
Two of the seven boats of the Com
pany are laid up. the. Cepheus and the
Pegasus. The Cetus. injured last Tues
day, was put in commission yesterd ay
The Company has abandoned the Rocka-
way Beach route for the present.
Manager Rawland, of the Company,
said to-day that an investigation was
being made. The accident off Norton's
Point was, he said, simply due to the
fog, and was unavoidable.