a deadweight cargo as 390 tons of copper ore. The new freeboard was not sufficient, being scarcely 24 inches to each foot depth of hold. They thought that the master acted indiscreetly in loading his vessel so deeply under the circumstances, and they censured him accordingly. The Court also considered that the owner could not altogether divest himself of responsibility for the loading of a ship, though she might be in a foreign port. In this case he ought to have specifically advised his captain to secure a greater freeboard in winter than in summer. The Court, moreover, expressed an opinion that in vessels engaged in ore trade some difference of load should be insisted upon during the winter months with a view to safety of life and property. 45. "PENWITH," of Hayle. Official Number 68,866. Date of Inquiry, 15th and 17th January, 1881. The Penwith, a sailing ship of 276 tons register, sailed from Cardiff for Rio Grande do Sul on the 11th May, 1880, with a cargo of 422 tons of South Wales steam coal from the collieries of the Ocean Steam Coal Company, a coal which is known to give off explosive gas very freely, but which is not liable to spontaneous combustion. Nothing was heard of the vessel subsequent to her sailing. An Inquiry was held at Cardiff before Mr. R. O. Jones, Magistrate, with Rear-Admiral Pickard and Captain Comyn, Assessors. The Court observed that such a cargo as that carried would require careful ventilation, and the Government Inspector of Mines suggested that this could only be properly done by the use of a fan or similar apparatus. In the case of a ship of the size of the Penwith it would he thought be sufficient to have two pipes placed at one end of the hold for introducing air, and two at the other end for its escape, the escape pipe being connected with the fan. In the Penwith there were no means of ventilation except the hatchways, the ventilation and other matters had been left to the builders and the master, but the Court thought the owners were not free from blame for so entirely neglecting their own responsibility. The vessel was also exposed to danger from the manner in which the cargo was stowed and trimmed, rendering it liable to shift in heavy weather; midships a space large enough to hold 40 tons of coal was left, another space being left forward. The Court found that there was no evidence from which an opinion could be formed as to the cause of the supposed loss of the vessel. 46. "PERUVIAN," of Liverpool. Official Number, 73,989. Date of Inquiry, 14th February, 1880. The Peruvian, a sailing vessel of 1,059 73 tons register, loaded a cargo at Dublin in November, 1879, consisting of 1,060 tons of old rails and 90 tons of scrap iron, which was stowed in the following manner; 600 tons were placed in the lower hold, commencing at the fore part of the fore hatchway, and extending to the upper part of the after hatchway. It went across the ship from wing to wing, and was stowed on carlines, raising the bottom of the iron about 8 inches above the ceiling, while at the wings it was 1 inch from the skin of the ship. On the between-deck beams 460 of the rails were stowed to a height of about 3 feet, extending each way to within 5 feet of the extremities of the bottom of the cargo in the lower hold. On the between-deck beams, in addition to the permanent midship stanchions, there was a stanchion on each side of the vessel under each beam of the deck, above and resting on a board laid upon the iron, and these extra stanchions were secured by cleats at top and bottom. The stanchions or shores in the lower hold from the top of the iron there to the between-deck beams were placed and secured in a similar manner, but were not put up until after the cargo of 460 tons had been stowed on those beams, thus causing a heavy strain on the beam fastenings and upper works of the ship. On the 29th November, 1879, the vessel left Dublin for Philadelphia. In the beginning of December she encountered a succession of heavy gales, in which part of the cargo broke adrift, and the masts were carried away. The vessel being thus disabled she was abandoned on the 12th December, the crew being rescued by the Acadian. An Inquiry was held at Dublin before Mr. O'Donel, Magistrate, assisted by Captains Forster and Ward, Assessors. The Court found that the cargo was not properly stowed, nor were the between-deck beams properly trimmed and supported, the cargo not being placed sufficiently high in the vessel, which caused the centre of gravity to be too low, and the shores under the between-deck beams not being put in their places until after 460 tons of iron had been stowed on the beams. The centre of gravity being too low led to the vessel's rolling and straining excessively in the rough weather, and the straining and leakage were aggravated by the improper shoring of the between-deck beams. The Court exonerated the master from blame. 47. "PHOEBE LEWIS," of Newport. Official Number, 76,313. Date of Inquiry, 1st and 2nd June, 1881. The Phoebe Lewis was a wooden vessel of 99.63 tons register. She left Newport on the 28th March, 1881, bound for Gijon, Spain, and having a cargo of 175 tons 4 cwt. 13 lbs. of steel rails, and 4 tons 15 cwt. of points and crossings. On reaching the mouth of the English Channel the vessel, which was rolling and labouring much, was struck by a heavy sea, and the cargo began to shift in the hold, subsequently it was found that the shores were all down, and the cargo was completely adrift and could not be secured. As the vessel was evidently settling down, the master and crew abandoned her, and were taken on board the Edgeworth. An Inquiry was held at Cardiff before Mr. R. O. Jones, Stipendiary Magistrate, assisted by Captains Forster and Castle, Assessors. The Court found that considering the nature of the cargo, the time of the year, and the nature of the voyage, the Phœbe Lewis was very much overladen. They also considered that although the cargo was properly stowed it was not properly secured, hence it shifted, and the vessel was consequently strained and made water. The Court found the master in default for neglecting to see that the vessel was not overladen, and that the cargo was properly secured, and they suspended his certificate for six months. 48. S.S. "PROMETHEUS," of Sunderland. Official Number, 68,949. Date when last heard of, 1st December, 1879. Date of Inquiry, 17th February, 1880. The Prometheus, an iron screw steamer of 1,043 tons register, sailed from Cardiff on the 1st December, 1879, with a cargo of coals, bound to Genoa; and since that date nothing has been heard of her. An Inquiry was held at Newcastle before the Wreck Commissioner, assisted by Captains Forster and Castle, and Mr. Ravenhill, C.E., Assessors. The Court thought that the loss of the steamer was probably due to the officer in charge having held on for too long a time on his course with a beam wind and sea, which may have caused the cargo to shift. Also that, although the vessel might advantageously have had more beam in proportion to her depth, she might nevertheless, if properly handled, have performed the voyage in safety. The Court found that the vessel was not properly ventilated, as she should have had two ventilators to each hold, one in the fore part and one in the after part, piercing the upper deck, and with a clear space under the deck between the ventilators, in order that there might be always a free current of air passing over the surface of the coals in the 'tween-decks. The Court did not, however, think the loss of the vessel was due to the want of proper ventilation, the cargo being small coal, from which very little gas would be given off. The Court notice this as another instance of what appears to be a not unfrequent occurrence, that vessels are often lost in their first command. 49. S.S. "RATHMORE," of Liverpool. Official Number, 78,831. Date when last heard of, 3rd January, 1880. Date of Inquiry, 16th and 23rd July, 1880. The Rathmore was an iron screw steamship of 1,382 tons register. On the 3rd January, 1880, she sailed from Cardiff for Bombay with a cargo of coal, and nothing has been heard of her since that date. An Inquiry was held at Westminster before the Wreck Commissioner, with Captains Forster and Curling, and Mr. Merrifield, Assessors. The Court found that no means were taken to ascertain the stability of the ship, and the position at which the load-line should be placed; that looking to the construction of the vessel, and the depth to which she was laden, it was very doubtful whether she had sufficient stability for a winter voyage; that she had not sufficient freeboard for a voyage across the Bay of Biscay; that her load-line should not have been placed at 4 feet. The Court think that these points should engage the serious attention of owners before sending a vessel to sea. The ventilation of the vessel was as follows: She had five cowl ventilators, of which four went down to the lower holds, one of them to each hold. She had also 12 ventilating bollards, her masts were hollow, having openings into the lower holds and the 'tween-decks, and she had a trunk or shaft ventilator of considerable size from the tank, forward of the engine-room. In addition to all this she had immediately beneath the upper-deck a box ventilator, about 6 inches square, running the whole length of the 'tweendecks, with the two ends closed up, but with the openings at every 8 feet, and leading finally into the main funnel at about 10 or 12 feet up. The Court observe, that although this system might be well suited for the carriage of cattle (for which it was provided), it was not clear that it was well suited for coal cargoes, having regard to the danger of explosion by the gas not being sufficiently diluted before it passed into the funnel, and to the danger of its there coming in contact with a flame or a burning cinder. The Court considered there was no evidence to show what was the cause of the vessel not being heard of. 50. "SALOPIAN," of Maryport. Official Number, 24,602. Date of Abandonment, 24th October, 1879. Date of Inquiry, 20th November, 1880. The Salopian was a barque of 260 tons register, built in the year 1841. On the 25th September, 1880, she sailed from Lisbon bound for Garston with a cargo of about 400 tons of phosphate of lime. On the 8th October the vessel encountered a heavy gale, in which her mainmast and gear was carried away, and she began to make water. On the 17th she was off the coast of Ireland, but the master declined the assistance of a tug, and refused to comply with the application of the crew to put into port. The vessel was twice blown off the coast, and on the 24th, the pumps being choked and the crew exhausted, she was abandoned, the master and crew being rescued by the Austrian barque Slavia. The master died four days after his rescue. An Inquiry into the case was held at Glasgow by the Wreck Com missioner, assisted by Captains Kennedy and Cowie, Assessors. The Court came to the following conclusions :— 1. That the Salopian when she left Lisbon was not in a good and seaworthy condition. Although built in 1841 she had never been opened out since 1867, and appears to have had no substantial repairs done to her since 1876. It appeared from the evidence of the carpenter that while the vessel was at Troon, whence she sailed for Lisbon, several rotten places were found in her, and the crew stated that even in fine weather she required frequent pumpings. 2. That she was not in a condition to carry her cargo with safety. The Court find that the master was not justified in refusing the services of the tug, and that it was his duty to have availed himself of the opportunity of taking the vessel into port. The Court consider that the master, as managing owner of the vessel, was mainly responsible for the casualty, though some share of responsibility must also rest with the other owners for allowing the vessel to go to sea in the state in which she was. 51. S.S."TELFORD," of London. Official Number, 76,978. Date when last heard of, 3rd October, 1879. Date of Inquiry, 10th July, 1880. The Telford was an iron screw steamer of 1,130 tons register. On the 3rd October, 1879, she sailed from New York, bound to Antwerp with a cargo of 84,314 bushels of grain (chiefly Indian corn), and since that date nothing has been heard of her. An Inquiry was held into the case at Westminster before the Wreck Commissioner, assisted by Captains Castle and Clarke and Mr. C. W. Merrifield, Assessors. The Court came to the following conclusions:-— 1. That when the vessel left New York her crank shaft was damaged, and although the damage was repaired for the voyage home, she could not be considered to have been in a good and seaworthy condition, in that respect at least. 2. That the cargo was not properly stowed, the grain in the lower hold being in bulk, whilst that in the 'tween-decks was in bags, so that as the cargo settled in the lower hold it would leave an empty space immediately below the 'tween-decks. 3. That the shifting boards were not sufficient, being only carried down to the hold beams instead of to the keelson, or, at all events, in the fore and main-holds. 4. That the vessel's stability, although small, did not appear to have been wholly insufficient for the voyage. The Court considered that the loss of the vessel was probably due to her being disabled by the failure of her crank shaft, and to the shifting of cargo owing to the insufficiency of the shifting boards, and to no means having been provided to feed the lower holds as the cargo settled. |