Year: 1860

Inquest.


| Inc Ooroner's jury at Chicago. has com.


menced the investiga lion in relation to tho


wreck Of the Lady EIgin The following ia
| some of the testimony:


John Jeryis, OF Milwaukee, tes tiffed .-Juy.
before the schooner struck, / was standing 81
the middle eangway and saw the schooner
about two minutes before the collision sha
appeared 10 be coming towards us at about an
angle OF ID degrees aboAt half a minute no.
fore she struck left the gaEgway tapt,iu
wilson was at The after gangway, and asked
some one on the schooner If they wanted 10
come aboard, the reply was they did not think
they were injured they would stay where
they were; the shooner was not dipping af,
saw light on the schooner before the colIi-
sion, but none afte wards; l went down in to


Tue coai bunker and saw the water coming in
very last L then went over to the break the
steward was there trying to stop the leak with
mattresses ; the vessel had before been lis ted
upi the Captain stood at The edge of the scut-
tie, ordering the men to fire p as fast as pos
sibie; then went aft, the captain went at
the same time and gave order that every hing
large De thrown overheard the Cap tain when


next saw him, was coming from the bow l
tneh went below to how long We could


keep atloat; when L got to the engine room


the engines had just stopped went back to
the CABIN, the hold being then half full of
water the Captain and myself then got
twenty TO twenty live ladies up on the hurr-
cane deck; the boat went down two minu tes
afterwards; there were between twenty and
thirty children on the forward part of the
hurricane roofs IL was very dark and raining
at the time; the bell commenced ringing al
most at once after the collision, and the whis-
tie commenced blowing at the same time.
hoinas Cummings, who on The Lady
ElgIn, testified a:-Sch0Cner did not strike the
steamer quarterIng, but at right angles she
run square into her; the steamer moving,
turned the schooner round; think we were
about ten miles from the shore; saw a vessels
light after we left tue steamer; thiuk we could
nave seen light mil off.
dld not See the schooner after she got clear vi
us; saw that all the steamers head lights
were up the schooner was running about due
east Wneh sna struck US there Is a rule that
the boats going 10 Milwaukee should pass yes-
sells ON the larboard SIDE; l think a vessel up-
der tnat wind and headWay cou III ha We avoided
the steamer II within twenty rods f her, by
great tXertIoui even If the vessel was but
three times her length from the steamer she
could have avoided doing seriOus damage by
putting her helm hard up had the schooner
seen the steamer half mile off, she could not
have struck her, except by gross negligence;
II seems ~ me that the helm OF the vessel III us
have been put down instead of up, and that
was the cause of the disaster; the schooner
could have laid within q mile of after the
collision with perfect safety; il was not very
dark, although raining beayiiy.


John Force, first mate OF the Augusta, testi-
He'd Al the time Of The collision, it was the
captain 3 watch, and the second mate was on
deck; when the squall came up L called the
cap tain, who got on eek as the squali struck
US; about One-third of the foyeSaiI and one
fourth OF the mainsai. were up when we struck


the steamer; when l saw the steamers light


heard the captain sing out " hard up;'' the


steamer was then crossing bow; the
schooner showed white light from 8 to II


O'Clock don't know whether she did at the


lime OF the collision or not; heard the helms


men answer 10 the order hard up,'' but dad


no. notice any change in the vesseI's course


the Augusta steers wi!d-;hat is, will not an.


sWer her helm readily il was not two min


utes at the outside, after the order, that the


vessel struck We heard noise whatever


from the steamer afier the collision.


Geo. Bulge, second mate says. 1t was the


captains watch. l was on deck; the vessels


course was south by east, under full sail ex-


cept the main gaf top-sail; we showed W ilite


light; first saw the steamers light about ten


minutes before l called the captain about one


point on the weather bow it was about TWEEN


~ minutes before the collision when l called


the captain called him because il looked Squal-


ly Wnen he came up showed him the light;


he ran forward and looked a it, but made no


remark 10 me about il; from three TO five min


utes before we struck The steamer, he ordered


the helm hard up, aud the order was obeyed


but the vessel did not mind her helm: | die


not hear any noise on the steamer after the col


llsion the wind was blowing So we could not


the other.


One of the schooners crew, who was sta


toned forward as a lockout swore thai he d. id


not see the steamers light until Just as the cap


tain ordered the helm hard up.