Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-06-05


speed; the jingle bell means full speed
one bell means run half speed and
another bell stops the engines. The
captain said he holds u tirst.cla
pilots license on the Delaware River
and Bay. The captain said he could
not get out of the way of the skiif. If
he had backed the engine he would
have thrown his bow to port, which
would have cut the small boat in two
and the only thing to do was to steer
around, which resulted in the skiff
being struck a glancing blow. The
captain did not notice whether the
fishermen turned their boat before it
was struck. He said there was no way
in getting around the skiff when the
fishermen gave the last signal, which
appeared to he correction of their
former signal, as to where their nets
were. The fishermen were not taking
in or letting out their net. They were
laying to their net. He asserted that
il the correct signal had been given
first he could have cleared the skill.
Alexander Hommelow, one of the
seamen on the yacht, was the next
witness. He testified that he was at
the wheel and the captain was on the
bridge, about six feet away. He was
about 30 feet from the bow. He saw
the fishing boat first about four or five
yacht lengths away, which was from
400 to GOO feet away. He was steering
N. e. Is +. The small boat was half a
point on the starboard bow and when
the captain signalled he steered just II
little toward the Delaware shore, the
skiff heing toward the Jersey shore.
On another signal from the captain,
hard aport, when 30 feet away, he
steered hard aport. Witness saw one
of the men in the skitf. He gave a
signal toward the Jersey shore. That
was Just before the captain gave the
order hard aport. Soon afterward the
man he saw jumped overheard toward
the Jersey shore. The yacht was going
at half speed when the skitf was first
sighted, running about eight or nine
miles an hour.
Andrew Keihlman, boatswain of the
yacht. saw the skiff when it as about
half the yachts length ahead. He
saw the men in the skiff and they were
making some signals. The yacht was
then going to starboard and the fish,
| ing boat was dead ahead, about 10 fee'
away, He kept an eye ON them anc
when 10 or u feet ahead both of th'
men leaped overheard. Witness did no
| know whether the fishing boat woult
be run down. 1t appeared to be onl.
a moment from the time the fishing
| boat was rs feet ahead and it wa
| struck. He saw the yacht strike tn
skiff glancing blow, which broke tw'
boards and the gunwale The men hat
| Jumped out before the collision, prob
| ably half minute before. They jumped
across the yachts bow toward tn
| Jersey shore. The men in the waite
were on the starboard side. The fisher
men said somethingIbefore they jumped
| but witness did not know what tho
said. Witness was amidship when h
heard one bell given and about fiv
minutes after that he went forward
The one bell meant to go SLOW ii
thought the yacht was running seve
or eight miles an hour. When the boa
is. running at full speed she goes abou
10 miles an hour. As soon as the yach
stopped, which was within a short dis
tance of where the collision occurred
witness and another man lowered
boat and pulled for the fishermen, bu
they sank for the last time when h
was within about eight feet of thel
and they did not appear to be swim
ming. The fishermen had their clotf
ing on, but witness could not tell ju;
how they were dressed. Witness har
the men cry out before and after the
went overheard. Witness alleged thi
the men were waving their hanus bot
ways before they went overheard.
DIR. j. w. Bastian, coroner's phys
clan, testified that he examined ii
, bodies of Samuel and Harry Rodma
after they had been taken from Il
water and he found that the men hs
/ been drowned. There were no mari
/ of violence on the bodies The exam
J nation was superficial, but was co
} sidered sufficient. He found Il SC
over the right eye of the young mi
4 and found that it was an old scar. IL
: skin was not parted on any part of t
: body. There did not appear to be a
Q bruises, but as the bodies were d
3 colored by the water it was difficult
: tell. He did not find any broken bone
o DIR. Frank Weidemann, who is t
/, family physician, testified that
n identified tne bodies. He mad hea
It that one of the young mans legs h
q been broken, but such was not the ca
i Paschal Pedrick, Jersey farmer a
d fisherman, said at the time of the G
h lision he was near the Jersey sht
10 nearly opposite New Castle. He v
If in a boat in the river about 600 I,
J. away. He saw the Rodmans. TT
A. had been at the place where the Q
ss lision occurred about an hour bef
~ the collision. just before the collls
le he saw the Rodman's standing up
as their boat They were then about
n feet from the yacht. He did not not
90 them making any signals, but he'
Id them cry not to run into their bo
,h They had made the same outcry vi
be about 200 feet away, but saw no sign'
Nv He saw the collision, being nea
CO abreast of the boats If he had b
ld watching all the time he could b
in seen any signals, but was not watch
mn all the time, Witness thought
,e. Yacht was going very fast; in his ju
id ment, about 10 miles an Eour
~ GOULD not tell whether the va
is changed her course. He could not
mt that the yacht slackened her speed
be heard the crash as if something Y
lp- breaking. He thought the yacht
is 200 feet after the collision, carry
Ir. the skiff on her bow that distance,
at when she slowed down the skltf fios
lse away. Witness tried to save the
in the water, who appeared to be sw
,ad ming. He saw their heads about
Inp minutes. The men from the "
HE reached the place where the tlsherl
arm we're drowned before witness did,
Of ness then went after the skiff and
.st- ii in tow. He then talked with
pht CAPTAIN of the yacht, who asked
an names of the fishermen, but wit
FIVE did not know them, altro9gi
was thought they were from DelaN
ne. When the yacnt strugM ny ene sAiH ~
ow. latter boat ilsteI. Lns niet ait