The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-07-19
need INVESTIGATING.
Who Is 10 Blame for These
Steamboat Oollisions2
Thousands Of Lives Trusted Daily
10 the Care Of the Pilots.
Local Inspectors Will Endeavor to
Fix the Responsibility.

Samuel G.. Fairchild. Local Inspector
Of the United States Steamboat In
spection 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 a. report
of the collision last Tuesday night be-
tween the Cetus and the Cepheus off
Nortons Point The Inspector said that
granted the Company in which to file It's
The boats of the Iron Steamboat Com
. psny are said to carry each year over a
4 million men. women and children to and
n from various pleasure resorts in this
Y vicinity. and the Company. admits that
men, women an children pass through
Ms hands every twenty-four hours. The
Responsibility thus assumed by the Com
II ia not known as yet where the blame
for the accidents to the boats of this
line properly belongs. but the fact Is
that hat ess on ho the part
meal great loss Of life.
Fortunately no lives were lost IN the
| though one man was severely injured
| in the Cetus-Cepheus accident.
The. latest accident occurred about $50
Soing down the North River with sixty
dve passengers on board. She ,coilided
with the cattle-boat Gen. McCallum. OF
the Central Stock Yard Company OF
'e Tss M G plowed hole ten feet
deem into the hull Of the Pegasus, Just
s stsrboard p side de- The Mccalilm was IN
The collision occurred several hundred
street. Although there was panic
landed at the White Star. dock: The
ty-seventh street. Brooklyn: The dam
age to the boat is estimated at 5000.
The machinery was not injured.
the local inspectors by Capt. Halsey. OF
the Pegasus. is as follows:
"The Pegasus left the foot of West
of Sixteenth street, near mid -river.
saw ahead one light on the starboard
bow, which I and my pilot. Mr. Dalton,
hSHhtt beS to wo sq an
ne answered with one. 1 then saw that
the Gen. McCallum was coming head on.
Then blew two more blasts. and again
he answered with one.
II ordered the engines reversed and
steamed at full speed astern, striking
the Pegasus and g crushing s,da tenf fSs
Capt. Vandenberg Of the McCailum
had MT made 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 boats
passing to the right or port side Of each
other Instead. Capt. Halsey blew two
whistles. a rule applicable when two
vessels are supposed, to be far star
The captain Of the Mecallum. who
evidently understood the first rule men
toned, answered with one whistle to
Capt. Halsey's two blasts
Capt. Vandenberg may be held ac-
countable for the absence Of side.lights;
The Iron Steamboat people say that
the McCallum was at fault and will
claim 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 yesterday.
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 $
Point was, he said, simply due to the
fog, and was unavoidable.