Page:Federal Reporter, 1st Series, Volume 4.djvu/265

 EEENMAK ». STEAM-BOAT NAEBAGANSBTT. 261 �go her length in starting, and this wlien her speed bas been of course constantly accelerated. 'It is hardly possible, tberefore, to conclude that, considering her having reversed her engines on this occasion and corne to a deàd stop within the 308 feet, that sbe was less than two minutes and a half in moving forward 308 feet. Probably she was consider- ably longer. In two minutes the City Point must bave gone 1,560 feet. The testimony as to the bighest speed which the Narragansett attained varies from a mile and a half to four or five miles an boar. These are, of course, but judgments upon a point very difficult to determine from mere observation, but it may probably be safely ooncluded that her average speed did not exceed three miles an hour, or one- third that of the City Point. Upon this supposition, while she was going 308 feet the City Point must bave gone 915 feet, whicb would place her below pier 29 when the Narragansett started, and about up to pier 28 ; and three miles an hour for the speed of the Narragansett seems clearly an excess- ive estimate. It is entirely clear, therefore, that the City Point cannot bave been about pier 29 or 30 when she heard and repliedto the starting whistle of the Narragansett, if that was the signal she replied to, as stated in the libel. It is probable, upon the proofs, that she was considerably below pier 28 when the starting whistle was sounded. The testi- mony of Captain Walden, of the Narragansett, is, and it ia confirmed by the other witnesses in the pilot-house, that the City Point came in view to him when sbe was at or below pier 28, as sbe was uncovered by the sbed on pier 31. It ia in evidence, on the part of the libellant, that at a point 207 feet out from the end of pier 29 the pUot-house of the Narragansett, as she lies at her pier, just comes into view to a person on the river, and at 251 feet out from pier 28 the pilot-house also cornes into view. It is most probable, upon the evidence, that the City Point was more than 251 feet from the piers, and it is, I think, proved that when the Narra- gansett started the City Point was not in view from her pilot- house, but came into view shortly af terwards ; and when the ����