The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-03-26 00:00:00

ME STOrRIIRIDGE OBSZRVER.

of the Bombay, whom he pointed to and spoke of as
"that man," and otherwise expressed himself in a
manner deeply to be regretted. As the case proceeds,
however, he assumes altogether a mile appropriate
bearing; and as the wish of all must be to elicit the
exact tiuth with regard to the misfortune, his search.
lug cross-examinations can do no harm.

CAPTAIN EYRE.I3 ACCOUNT.

Japan papers of a later date than the one from which
the foregoing account is taken, contain reports of the
evidence given before the Court of Inquiry, held al
Kanagawa, respecting the collision between the Barn-
bay and the Oneida. Captain Eyre 'e evidence, as re-
ported in the Japan Gazette, was as follows
_

Captain Eyre stated : Am In command of the steamer
BnroireY ; was in command on January the fitth, at ni
p m., in sight of the lighthouse. saw a bright ILYA half
a ',Ant on port bow. Shortly afterwards 1 niade out
two side lights, green and red. I ported the helm and
kin t porting until I shut the green light in. The pilot
and the chief officer were standing by ire. On shutting
out the green light my pilot said, "We are well clear."
My answer was, "Port stLIL" The steam vessel then tarried
00, Almost Immediately afterwards I observed the coming
vessel putting her helm hard-astarlaiard, crossing by bow
with full sails and steam. I stopped my encines ; when she
came nearly ahead of me I put my helm hard-a-starboard to
clear her, immediately alter striking Mr behind the mizen
gear, our starboard Imw striking her °nth° starboard quarter
—the shock not being more than a graze. I turned [Mind to
see what damage was done. I had Rent the chief officer
down to see if we were making water. I said to the i hot,
" I don't think much harm is done ; if thee is we aindl
soon see signal rockets." Sly engines were stopped about .
ten minutes; the chief officer came and reported the ship •
snaking water forward. I then said, .1 see no signals of
distress ; go ahead." Nor slid I hear anything; and as
the ship was making water I made speed for Yokohama.
While looking at the vowel astern, 1 asked my pilot,
"Supposing that ship hurt or I should require it, where could
we go for safety / "The answer was, "Not the slightest fear;
the spit is near; you cannot get down " Even after I came to
Yokohama I thought little of the difillslon. I had not the
slightest li:ea of the harm done. I did not know
what ship it was. I said when it passed me, "That is an
auxiliary screw." . . . The ship was about 100 feet
distant when she crossed my bow; another twenty and
I should have cleared her. Ido not think I was going
at more than seven to eight and a half knots. The
wind was against me, the night IVVI dark. When
i I first 118 w the bright light I think the ship was a mile
distant I can't tell the time elapsing from then until the
collision. The ship evidently atarboarded her helm ; she
insist have been going at the rate of fourteen knot.. After
• finding the ship coming right down upon me I atarboarded
my helm to clear her. I was on the bridge the whole time.
. . . Aly engines were stopped a couple of siderite* before
the collision, when I saw the collision was imminent. When
I started I was looking astern through nip glass to the
spot of collision, and continued so for a good quarter
of an hour. I (int not hail the ship. I was too busy
at the time to avoid the collision The CollellAtioll was
very light. On may bow were hanging afterwards the other
ship's gaff azid a boom. I was not at all entangled in
the ship. The Bombay is an old iron ship, her plates • quarter
of an inch thick. A spar from the other ship has perforated
both sides of my ship, and is sticking In breken olf. It is
below water mark.... When two ships cs qte in collision
during a dark night I am not aware that it is customary for
the One to ascertain if the other has suffered damage; per-
haps in the open sea, not in close proximity of land. Blue
lights and rockets are the proper signals of distress.
also gun.ftring it you are within healing distance. I
did not send up rockets, as 1 wanted no help. I can-
not say that it is a recognised practice that ships do not
communicate after a collision, unless the one sends up
rockets or tires the gun. My instructions as captain of •
mail steamer are to stop for nothing but to save life. IL was
at that time nip firm opinions that there was 10 danger. The
pilot said, "The Spit is close to, if there is any danger
This is the first accident I ever have had. Whea two ships
collide, I do not consider it usual to communicate sir stay by
each other unless you think the other seriausly damaged. I
did not think the other ship was harmed. I asked the pilot
If he thought so, and he said, " No ; there Is the Spit."
Mr. Loggia, the chief officer of the Bombay, also
corroborated the captain's statement.

mation in which we hold our learned literary and
scientific men; of the religious training and education
gia en by the mothers of the land to their children;
how much they were intrusted by & certain class of
mothers to the care of servants ; what was the interest
people of the no-called higher classes evinced toward
the servants in their employ, and of the education and
training received by them; of the intellectual educa-
tion received and deemed essential, and of the accom-
plishments usually attained by the young daughters of
the better classes; of the mingling of the various
grades, and by what rules society generally was
governed. These and many other similar questions
were ached and answered when the hour had passed,
vet all the information the Queen and her husband,
Prince Albert, wished had not been given.
A second interview WWI appointed, and Mrs.--
went again to the Cantle. At its close the Queen said,
"Madam, my country and your country are of one
blood. We are bound together by traditions, by the
past, and by like hopes and aspirations. God grant
, there be no unkindness between us; (then, turning to
her husband, she aided,) sad there will never beau long
,as we can avert it." These interviews, nought by the
Queen to learn from a true woman of the home life of a
people so connected with her own land, tells us of a
good woman, of a true Christian, whose interest goes
out to benefit, if possible, all who speak the language
of her own realm. I thought of en in those dark days,
when distrust and wrong came between these two great
nations, of that sad and widowed soul—of the good
Queen, and of the hour when (parting from Mrs.—)
she took her hand, then laying the other upon the arm
of her husband, her supporter, her strength in her many
trials and cares, said again, " There shall he no distrust
between my country and your country if we can avert
it." Only one of that trio now liven. Prince Albert
and the American lady have both panned away.

have conversed with the colonists," he adds, 'in
every direction, and I may literally state that
my entire journey was a march of pleasure
and triumph, marked by cordial expressions of
kindness from people of all nations equally with our
own." Meanwhile the importations of British produce
into the Republic are steadily increaling, and many
public works are projected likely to be beneficial to
our iron industry, while, on the other hand, the suc-
cessful solution of the_problem as to the feasibility of
sending live cattle to Europe is of special importance
on the future prospects of our food supplies.