Page:Federal Reporter, 1st Series, Volume 10.djvu/163

 XBB BLCE BONNET. 151 �Kilns, about seven miles distant, from 8 to half past 8 in the even- ing. The nigUt was clear, with moonlight. As the Blue Bonnet was passing the Brick-Kilns fche steam-propeller Annie, bound up the river imm. New York to New Brunswick, collidea with the Blue Bon net by the port quarter of the steamer coming in contact with the port bow of the tug. The blow was sufficient to send the stem of the stea mer to port, and she went rubbing along the side of the tug, with her engines backing and her wheel to port, until after passing the tug her bows crossed the port hawser of the tow and atruck the starboard bow of the Cato, inflieting damage from which the latter afterwards fiank. �The place of the collision was in a cove or bend of the river, which, after running about half a mile in a course S. S. W., curves to Ei B. E. for about a quarter of a mile, pastWashington. creek and the Brick-Kilns, and then bends to the N. E. for about half a mil^ past Sayresville. Towards the upper part of the bend of the rirer the creek or canal known as Washington canal runs from the river in a Southwesterly course. This canal at its mouth is about 150 ta 200 feet wide. At the lower side of the canal there is a bulk-head which extends down the river about 600 feet, and is knbwa as the Brick-Kilns. At the time of the collision the tide was flood. This tide sets up the half -mile reach past Sayresville and across the river towards the Brick-Kilns and Washington canal, part of the tide pass- ing up the canal and the rest rounding to the upper side of the bend. The Earitan around this bend varies from 350 to 400 feet wide, �The sterh of the Annie, after her bows struck the Cato, was thrown through the combined action of the tide, her reversed engines, and the collision, nearly directly across the river and towards the southern ahore, bringing her nearly broadside in front of the hawser tier of beats; and in that position, her engine being again reversed, she moved forward out into the northerly part of the stream, and so cleared the tow and went on her course up the river. �From this situation of the Anniej which is verified substantially by all the witnesses, it is manifest that she was at' the time of the collis- ion at least as far to the southward as the center of the stream ; otherwise she could not possibly have cleared the tow in the manher that she did. She was 149 feet long, and as she lay in front of the hawser tier of boats her captain says that she was 30 or 40 feet from the southerly shore. ■ * �The usual lights were carried by both vessels. Those on eaoh were ��� �