Page:Federal Reporter, 1st Series, Volume 2.djvu/257

 250 FBDEBAL BSPOBTEB. �)t the boat, was in charge of the engine; he was killed by th& explosion ; he went on duty at 6 o'clock that evening. Mark Davis was fireman on duty at the same time. �John Sherman was second engineer, and was relieved by Moultrie at 6 o'clock. When Moultrie relieved him he told Sherman that when the latter came on watch again that night he should keep a strict lookout for everything, and to be sure to keep his eyes on the pump and to see that it continued to work. �At the time of the explosion, Moultrie, the engineer, was in his UBual position, in f ull view of the glass and water-gauges. �The explosion was preceded by a humming or whistling noise, and water and ashes came from under the port boiler and were blown forward. �The testimony touching the character of Moultrie, the en- gineer on duty when the explosion took place, was conflicting ; some of the witnesses spoke of him as a sober, careful and competent engineer, and very faithful and attentive to his duties. One witness, however, stated that about two weeks before the explosion he saw him on the wharf at Savannah, while the boat was getting up steam, so drunk as to be unfit to run an engine in any steamer, The witness said he spoke to Mr. Benson, the agent of the boat, about the condition of Moultrie at that time, and Mr. Benson said the company in- tended to get rid of him as soon as possible. �The evidence showed that the boilers and machinery of the boat were in good order and repair just before the explosion. The boilers had been repaired and inspected in August pre- ceding, and a short time before the trip on which the explo- sion occurred had been cleaned out, and were apparently Sound and good. The pump was a good one, and had never been known to fail. �There was a glass water-gauge, and there were water-cocks for ascertaining the quantity of water in the boilers. The evidence showed that it was necessary to try the water-cocks, as well as to examine the glass water-gauge, in order to ascertain the height of the water in the boilers; that it waa ����