The San Francisco call., 1904-08-13
CAPTAIN IRVINE
IS SUSPENDED
Punishment Is Melted Out
Also to Mate Wilson and
Engineers of the Colon
DRUNKENNESS ON BOARD
Chief Sullivan Is Disrated
for Four Months and His
Men Suspended for Three

United States Local inspectors
BolIes and Bulger rendered a decision
late Yesterday afternoon in the matter
of the wreck of the steamship Colon
on Remedies Reef on the coast of Sal
yador April IL, 1904. Captain Will
liam A. Irvine, master of. the steam
shin was adjudged guilty of negli-
gence and unskillfulness and his IL
cense as master and pilot was sus-
pended for twelve months. The Ii
cense of j. Wilson as chief mate was
suspended for four months. Third
Maze ]. w. Taylor was exonerated
from all blame. The license of Will
liam D. e. Sullivan as chief engineer
was suspended for four months, and
those OF NJ. D. Sullivan, J. Nj. Camp
bell and Daniel Farley, assistant en-
gineers, were suspended for ninety
days.
CAPTAIN IRVINE BLAMED.
The value of the steamship was es-
timated at $4,000, and that of the
cargo at 100000, part of which was
landed safely. The annexed quota
tions from the findings explain the
reasons that. actuated the inspectors:
, Had Captain Irvine taken a cast OF the lead
when he came the bridge at :52 a m, OF
stopped the ship and waited for daylight, as
more careful master would have done II
would have shown him the position OF the ve5-
sci. Captain Irvine says his reckoning OF the
/ positiun oi the steamer on this morning was
based entirely the verbal order of forty
seven revolutions or the engines per minute
which ne gay" to the chiet engineer while ",
ing al san jose de Guatemala. He testified
that he did not at any time see that his or
der was obeysd in regard 10 the revolutions
that he did not take any account of the dis
tance run from San Jose by the log, and that
he did not place any reliance in the report
of the third mate, Mr.. Taylor, as to the dis
zrs-s frr4y, tI,a Tfohf Tx
a m as he had confidence in Mr. Tay-
lOr ability. BY his own reckoning the vessel
was "A to "a miles frcm the beach.
After careful consideration of the testi-
mony taken in this case We ma tnat Captain
William 4. Irvine was negligent and unskillful
in navigating the steamship Colon April IL.
1904 in trusting altogether TO a verbal order
given to Chief Engineer William d. e. Sui
livan two and a half hours before the steamer
left San jose de Guatemala, and in not TAX
ing measures to ascertain after the steamer
was under way that such order had boen COM
Mr.. Sullivan was under the influence OF liquor
at the time he gave him the order TO make
forty revolutions. Also in not taking
account OF the distance the steamer had run
by the log from San Jose de Guatemala al
4 52 a. NJ and in disregarding the report Of
the third mate Mr.. Taylor which was given
steamer from the light, by not taking
soundings stopping the ship Until daylight,
as he should have done under the circum-
After a careful consideration Of the evidence
in the case find that J. Wilson, chief mate
Of the steamship Colon, was guilty Of misbe-
havior on the night Of April 8. 1904, In giving
instructions 20 the stcrekeeper, H G. Stevens
to furnish l.auors and beer TO the officers and
crew OF said vessel; for not stopping the store
keeper from giving out any more liquor wher
those present in the room had become some
what under its Influence; for his par
ticipation in drinking with the licensed officers
and Tor not informing the master OF the vesse
Of the condition Of things then existing or
board especially the steamer was lying
in an open roadstead under steam and might
have put to short notice