The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-07-28
Were Pumping Water Out of
Tanks on River Side and In
to Tanks on Dock Side, He
Testifies to Coroner.
TO INDICATE
CONDITION OF BALLAST
Containers Might be Full or
Empty so Far as Engine
Room Could Tell, Declares
Fred s. Snow.
inv EvonlnE Herald Leased wirei


Chicago. July 2S.--What happened
IN the engine room Of the Eastland
In the seventeen minutes just before
the steamer overturned at 1890 o'clock
last Saturday morning was told at the
coro1ers inquest today.
Fred $. snow. assistant cngincr.
said that he ana Chiof Engineer j.
NJ. Erickson were busy trying to trim
the ship and restore II to an even keel
ty pumping water in the starboard or
dock side ballast tanks and az the
same time trying to empty the tanks
on the river side.
SNOW said that he had been on the
Eastiand two years and that he had
worked as engineer or lake boats Tor
ten years. but never on boats having
water ballast tanks similar 20 the
Eastland
There were ave water ballast tanks
on each side of the Eastland," said
SNOW THAT morning when the boat
vas loaded We started ia hll tanks
two and three on the dock side and
empty tanks two and three on the
river side"
why did you work on only tanks
two and three Instead of on all''
asked Assistant states Attorney sui
iivan
There we're two reasons said
Snow The intake pipe would not
m all az once and tanks two and
three were supposed 90 respond more
duickl, than the others
We're the ballast tanks fun or
empty when you tied up al the dock
that morning."
Il don't know. There was nothing
iu the engine room 60 Indicate
whether the tanks we're fun nr empty
!, was customary 10 empty the tanNs
when the ship dockcd. then We know
how much water We had
The witness said he did not know
how long II would take to hl the
ballast tanks and trim tho ship.
In response 10 question he said
he did noe think il necessary for the
engineer of such q ship 40 the East
land tn know how long u would tak'
e. nu the ballast tanks.
Snow said he did not know how
uurh wator the ballast tanks held.
The vessel nrst listed 10 the docl
side and we let water into the tanH'
on the river side. Then when ih'
Irading became heavier she listed u
the river side and We began 60 hll th'
dock side tanks and empty the por
or river side tanks
SNOW said he left the vessel whcl
the nst became sn great that wat"
poured into the gangWay.
describing the efforts to mn tn
ftarboard tanks. Snow said.
We had pumped out the por
tanks and began to hll the starbnar'
tanks. Mi Erickson said ! think
ia catching. moaning that the intnk
WAS working We had no idea tina
the tans we're not nlling.'
Peter Erickson. 1879 car-old ole
on the Eastland and brother of i
NJ Erickson chief cnglucor tcstiiic
u wts the custom To empty the hal
last tanks on the Eustldud when th
vessel dockcd ana that on "rderH ifot
the enginccr he opened the valves I
empty four ballast tanks on On
morning of the disastcr
Later when the boat listed Nei
badly they sont me ny 4" see it th
hnn' was caught ON the dock
Erickson said the Eustland ir'
uucutly caught ou the dock while III
tanks were being filled or cmpticd,
II don't know whether the boa
caught on tho dock or not said ~
boy When I got up ON the sccnn
deck the water was pouring ~ ana
had Just time to grah the dock an
climb out
WAS there much excitement
the ongipcroom while the boat WI
hsting7"
"No." replied Erickson. Nv" wei
used To the boat listing. II al"a
listed one side ar the other
Erickson said his brother the e.
ginecr since the accident had io
him he thought the boat stuck ON q
bottom or that there were too maj
people on board