The sun., 1901-06-16

He reported the Northfeld leaking starte'
quickly 70 beach The boat Snd beS the ulsrn
that point and the point Of collision. all thu
alps being nll Of crnft OF some description
there. | assisted in rescuing lives to th'
gI extent Ae unable & to Eye the ,d SinoIn snrn
made to save lives and property"
| Capt Petria said he had no comment &c
make on the collision further than to say
rs S the nns g
boats violated. This rule r reads So :,
When steamers are approaching each
the diagrams Of the fourth and tifth situa-
tons. so as to involve risk OF collision. the
vessel which has the other or her own star
other which Inter vessel shall keep her
| course and speed. the steam vessel having
the other OF her starboard side indicating
| by one blast OF her whistle her intention
70 direct her course to starboard. and two
| blasts u directing her course tn port, to which
the. other shall promptly respond But the
giving and Snswrring signals BY "a, vessel easel
the obligations and duties Of the respective
| vessels"
When this rule and the reports Of the two
around the Battery, they were inclined 70
the opinion that Capt johnson Of the North
field, rather than Capt. Grifl,n, was at fault.
the e Staten island Rapid pi Transi, Company.
was asked whom he thought was to blame.
he said
VII III. say that ns don't think Rule applies
Mr. Clark added that he and officers Of
The, staten Island Rapid Transit Company .In!E,,r,yy
the cause OF tie collision and. shortly before
| S O'Clock yesterday afternoon, had come TO
the conclusicn that the, officers and crew OF
Scs se werS spenSsd S%ees' as spS nqs
| Mr. Clark's rttention was called to a st'te-
met attributed by an afternoon paper to
Can't Grirn Of tho Mauch Chunk. In which
| Capt Grinr was reported IA saying:
| y cannot see how any one can blame me
| for TIE accident My bort was coming into
her slin while the n WITHHELD was leaving hers
almost e. a law. that the bent coming into the
| s!iD always has the right Of way The out
| going bpnt must wait until the Incoming
bcrt /, fairly in her slip and past all danger
| The Staten Island boats have. been per-
sstent and old violators Of this rule So
| fragrant has been their offending that have
| pers pnally made complaint 70 the staten
| Island ferry company Officials against the
action OF the boats, and the Northheld in
particular, IN leaving their slips too quickly.
| tcndent Of the line, and were in writing and in
| due form warned him that there would be
| n sinking case some day If there was not a
Mr. Clark said: Il have Just received n
| telephone message from the Jersey Central
| people asking me not 20 credit certain stlte-
| ments printed In the evening papers. in which
| they were reported to have cast aspersions
on us and our men inasmuch as they have
| evidently sounded truce | don't care TO
mako any st1tement other than this. III Capt
Griffin IS correctly reported his statement is
untrue
Robert W. De Forest. general counsel for
the Central Railroad Of New Jersey refused
10 talk about the collision at ALL further than
TO say that the story Of the accident. from
which the above statement accredited
Mr. Sl Clark ' was asked @ fth il the Sorthiieid was
not a very old boat lie admitted that she
was built in 1863. but said that since then
she had been almost rebuilt lie believed
she was fitted with watcrtight compartments
fore and aft
iGugy r. Irving, President Of the Staten
Island Chamber OF commerce. when asked ,,,,
Of the sinking Of the Northneld rested and
what action the citizens. OF Staten Island
should take for relief said.
Some two wears ago, the Chamber Of
Commerce. through committee and by reso-
lutiorS. called the attention OF the Depart
ment Of Docks and Ferries TO the evils in
the ferry service. which the citizens have
for many years been irving to have remeiieu
The committee even went so far as To express
to the Commissioners their belief that three
or four of the boats used upon the RaIid
Transit ferry were not thoroughly sound
and seaworthv
The Commissioners have taken no action
and | think that the responsibility for the
sinking Of the ferryboat and the continua-
ton Of the poor service rests entirely with
that board.
anv ferry boat. but the old boats used on the
Staten Island ferry were built at time when
yater;ticht TG,ompartmepts had not been
yide1 with modern safeguards the boat would
probably not have sunk and So many lives
would not have been endangered. The only
thing that the citizens Of Staten Island can
do i to demand from the department Of
docks and ferries that Staten Island have
better ferry service and better boats. be-
lieve that tho department has full power
to remedy all Of the evils complained OF in
the ferry service and certainly they have
the power 70 prevent The operation on the
Cornelius g. kolN, Secretary Of the Staten
Island Chamber Of Commerce said that Mayor
Van Wyck, IN his inaugural message. prom
isei that the Improvement OF the Staten
Island ferry service would be one OF the first
things TO receive his attention. Since that
time something had been done. for the i'm
To every borough except Richmond and
nothing had been done for Staten Island
The accident he thought. was ample proof
that the demand u tho citizens Of Richmond
borough Tor better ferry facilities is reasonA-
bic and Just
Jeremiah Y Wright whose body was found
held the place Of note teller at the Oriental
Pauk. 1922 Bowerv. for several wears past
he was ~ vears old and lived with his wife
and his son. J ; Wright, at New Brighton.
Staten Island lle was the son ~ the late
Rev Dr d G. Wright Of Poughkeepsa
Mr. Wright spent the greater part Of his life
in POughkeepslc and reno cd TO this city
and son he leaves three married daughters.
Mrs A "A Ahreus of this city. Mrs T. y
Belknap ,of Poughkeepsie and Mrs C. A
be taken 70 Poughkeepsie, probably on Mon
day, for burial
The Baltimore and Ohio ferry from the foot
Of Whitehall street 10 Communipaw is run
ferry and for the usa Of which no franchise
has ever been granted The railroad COM
pany simply started 's boats from The slips
4nd rn has never pad % cent Tor me priylege,
duriJc he adminlstratlon ~ Mavor Strong.
and soon the city officials began to make In
quiries about II and its rights suit was
brought In tho supreme Court to restrain the
company from operating the boats. and then
the officers of the company said that they
were anxious 10 pay a fair rental on the fran
established according TO law The npplira-
tion was made according TO the provisions Of
the Charter - tho Municipal Assembly. and
Tint bod y never acted upon IL
the sinking Fund called on the Corporation
Counsel - tell him what rights the company
had and why the ctv's interests were not pro-
tccted The Corporation Counsel in answer
information s1ih that on finding that the
Municipal Assembly did not intend TO act
on IN" application for y franchise he had
begun 70 press the application for an in
junction IN the supreme Court. and that the
company had Immediately moved the case
into the ntcd States Circuit Court on the
transportation line, and that therefore. the
COMPANY beng engaged IN interstate COM
mercr the state court had no juri-diCton
The raso will come M for nrgtir1cnt soon and
I hp 'tr a. ~