The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-09-11 00:00:00

_
children of Israel through the wilderness, has remained An officer on board the Vanguardollat the time of the
stationary, so far as human progress is concerned, recent collision has written the f
"segr arrived
following letter to a
through countless ages. The main reason for this friend in Maidstone :
, a
jythmsoornmieng,fr7enhddsl vifuentadlinavectehmate alf3teriron
must be the exclusineness which has marked their in. Dublin Bay
on
tercourse with other nations. All other peoples were to stay
barbarians; while on the other hand, the Americans,
uirp.f
.tike iftleebtancieetdiolen
Wednesday
with fireworks. &3. in
tTianessahr, oll.•Which day there was a dance on board the
The practical illustration in the science of naval who are only now about to celebrate their centenary, hoto
warfare which has just been supplied from the middle speak of the Chinaman as the "heathen Chinee,Y;etnd 11. W a.m.-we. sailed for Queenstown. At artewbelvdea/hhahnhdeoaht
of St. George's Channel, while unwelcome both to the employ him, at all events in California, upon the laivest manidtseL.aplesmoke. I finished my pipe about twentY
Admiralty and the taxpayers, will assist in the solution kind of labour. -
~ Fars vilio
was reading
wentino the ward room, and said to Dr.
of a great problem. As we have gone on constructing he newspaper, "What a thick
' friss tudd I
The month of September is one with pleasant 0 -of th en y come on." Fisher went to look out of
one description of ironclad after another, and as the
memories to more of our countrymen than any other. into na..
•ecertA:lhneddcorhieleocr, ' lir God, here's a ship right
controversy between the advocates of the turret and
It is the one in which the largest number of holidays irk
uke struck itUrwith,tearful force,i
sparstha t
and
dmoote
blocks falling
broadside systems has at times waxed exceeding hot, are made, and when, with fine weather, the. tourist e-tbaeund'doSusing great danger to us on deck. The Irmon
one prominent aim has been steadily kept in view— escapes alike the scorching heats of August, and the
.The wafer rcamecpeiLtios astern, and aenhdtwnase
room
sight of in the fog.
the effect which these tremendous instruments of war g oom in stopping .
disagreeable chills of October. How many can-heartily .
,_ ,
tir engines putting the fires out, and nearlytons' drowning tile
would have in a great naval conflict. H ow long would, . • • . ernse.cers and stokers. Amidst all the danger one nein
join in the chorns of that everlasting favourite—
one ironclad keep afloat after she had been struck - connected with the engine-room had the presence of mind
i, iir It i For snow September, lo let the steam off, otherwise the enormous boilers would
amidships by the rain of another? Would the as- . The autumn is begun, . . I liii.ave burst What the effect would have been God ale
gallant receive anything like the amount of damage she knows. The ship was now reported sinking fast, altho ' h
. And through the barley stubble 1. • •
inflicted upon her victim? An answer is suddenlyund Is heard the frequent gum" 44_
....,...iL ::011hatehgehewhaceterotight compartments had been closed. Bun
--..*t d of the shuck some of the watertight doors
unexpectedly returned from the Irish Channel. 10Dn a This always 0
nd3
so leaked fearfully,
well that it may bea
. heard t saunsletting the water into other parts of tlie
calm autumnal afternoon, during the cruises of the man a Christmas ' ship. Minute
party, and in the bleak Decembet i eot out. Unfortunately, tbwehinghhatitreedv,,earenddetliterh%ot) wei e
Reserve Squadron, one of the ships, steaming at the time brings back joyous recollections of wandering', ',) OA Duke.- None oi the boomheats, that is s 01,44 brettl
moderate speed of seven knots an hour, strikes another could be got out as the stays, ,kc had
. upon the moorland and advett
, ures upon the mountain e__ been carried away
by the collision. ' At this moment
with her ram, and in less than sixty minutes, one of aide, or of hours spent upon the sea wavesthich looked peered, lowering her boat andsending
o nti./umk e a
sag;tains t it
the finest vessels in Her 3Aajeste's navy is at the
anything but sad as they danced andel:. kled in tire possible. The
Tare sight of her cheered us up, as we had been
bottom of the seat If this is the consequence of an autumnal nal sunlight. It. is etrange-how thiss morith, guns. The scene on relleoct.kttucdanuso in theUl e froegardPiltye uthtteo i
.. . .untaward accident, and-at a lovrrate' of speed, what " was the seventh of the Roman year, should is -.ve who have witnessed a similar calamity. The booming oss
wnuld be the result of putting on full steam, and which
bretained its original na.me so long. Mere than 700 ysars . the
amminruustielfugunoL
of
the
eoise of the immense yolum ad
running into an opponent with all the force which one
jeforejhe Christian era it became th e ninth mesithi wen he captain were stranselyesfucteigelerweliutreatirioeiseaenfireom a '
'of these monsters could command? That is the ques-
Nanuary and February were added to the yea4S7 was
st s reported how fast the ship was sinking. And fast she
tion which not only naval officers, but a considerable inking, too—six inches in fifteen minutes. A ship of
proportion of the unscientific public have been •
uma Pompiliusi; yet from its derivation it would such great size going down six inches in
still appear to be the seventh. The Roman Skate hour is fearful ; and the fact of her every
yg qahuarfrehrhofshair;
. putting to themselves sincgt this extraordinary •
would have,given it the name of Tiberius, butt die Em- swill thele4erfdoeudstghueni made it worse. I now went below and
disaster. It is clear enough that the substitution peror opposed it; the Emperor Domitian gl..ve it his ill the boats. Affearusf
doingtransfer of Alies,pii balgiaci records,
wento
on
books,(ee•is..Ji
of ironclads for wooden walls, and of steam for own name, G.ermanicus ; the senate, under laiteniuus water having reached 25 feet above the bilge. The Order
sailing power, has completely revolutionised the ms,4lled it Antoninus ; Commodus ga- ait his 'SUS' afterwards rnwoawrrfeivlegnottoorytehrettreenstteorug
tint into into the boats, and shortly
system of naval warfare. In any future maritime name;D Herculeus, and the Emperor Ti' qiiilg his own I then came alongside, took as many meehbotahttc7tiltihe letbaososkh%
engagement, the alternative must be either to sink or
to swim. There can be no middle course. When the -neome Yet that original word Septeiscabr; which is werecouldocuatrroyf,
tredshwent on board the Iron Duke. All hands
old Victory, now in Portsmouth Harbour, was in the and
,0500 years old, remains to thi%daye Tiberius collision. The fogiphabdy u 1.037,5,
halbearouetd4ooffmainhiatesear the
thickest of the battle of Trafalgar, she was at one time line Da
Rmitian, Commodus and Tackle!, and all the long 0
on the deck of the Iron Duke watching for w the stood
fighting three ships—the Santissima Trinadada, a this omen emperors, have gone, vikthe name of hfeeltehde
gcraatdausattl7phoe.ver A little before to o'clock she
is month remains to us BUM—Mt tr. 14.'41W ninth mous side, to gradually ever,
keel, was the
above w whole
rot her
he nge-
vast if our-de c k e r , bearing the flag of the Spanish month of the ar and
Ye not the seeenth ;it should there- gradually sank, righting herself as she went down, stern
first,t the water being blown from the hawse holes in huge
Admiral Gravina, the Bucentaur, and the Redoubtable,
fore be properly called Noveniber. , But the associa- .pouts by the force of the wind rushing out of the ship ash
tions of November are far too glooiny to be connected bows sank. She then disappeared from view. 0 her
from the latter of which was fired the fatal shot that ~
Our fellows
laid Nelson low. But after a fierce struggle the stout •
with the pleasant t• f
times o. partridge shooting, agree- everythingwere much saddened to see their home go down, carrsing
British liner shook off her assailants an a mastiff would able they possessed. We had been paid that morning,'
excursions into the eou ' •
e glories of the and most of the offi.:ers lost that in addition
shake off so many curs; and before the night of wild . Fortunately,
harvest moon N -1- tened to who pro- I had my pay and also my watch in my pocket. At eleven
weather succeeding that tremendous wrestle 'had ' ° -13 o'clock I was sent on shore in Dal' with dispatches
posed to call the ''s .
nil At month of the year by its correct
. swept over the waters of the Nfeciiterranean, two of name, and and telegrams. I drove eight miles to ay
will ~ ana for ee: airiest to' come those who follow us two hours in bed, broke the news to somei)ubhl Dublin &aen do,ffiacfetre::
the foreigners were lying at the bottom of Trafalgar still be wri'
.ng
September in the time of barley wives, and reported the disaster to the Lord Lieutenant. So
Bay, and a prize crew of Britons was on board the you see I carried with me to Dublin the news which next
third. But the Victory was ) disabled that it was harvest, and will leave the eleventh month to the day put Great Britain into excitement and consternation."
- • name which, ' brings up roemories of fog and gloom and
with the greatest difficulty she made her way, with
the body of Lord Nelson on board, to Gibraltar, there of the an-..:ioaclaing winter.
to be refitted. Her sails and rigging were literally nef ,
MAJESTYS SHIP
riddled; her spars were torn into a thousand frag- Ter, L—
tibS OF HER '
merits. There would be no such fighting to •:ia ~. how- --1. a "VANGUARD."
ever, no long hours of thunder and red flame n-,, i •
crowding of the British tars upon the deckanen 1 Dublin
Dublin correspondent of The Times, writing from
hi
hp)ial2i; gives the following particulars of the sad
manning the yards with a long loud shout of thump}... loss of this
when the battle was over and the conquest was won. The squadron kept north of the Kish Light • in order
Those destructive leviathans which glide along the to clear the bank, and steamed steadily
surface of the deep need not now fire a single shot. Let I. o'clock the ships became enveloped icnn'a decline!
the muzzles of their guns be silent and stern as death, was
iisilacwkheinchedthaenydcoulhd not see each other. Speed
wtifeniTiaistant about eight miles
It is sufficient to put on full steam, and to drive at she from Wicklow Head nagnuahrodu, which was then
enemy right away. Suddenly there is a crash, a going at about seven knots
terrific rent is seen in the side of the opposing vessel, hard aport in order to avoid collisiro'n put
titl the
h e helmlar g
and all is over! What would Nelson, and Coning- sting vessel. The Vanguard obeyed the hell:
when the bowsprit of the Iron Duke which was
wood, and Howe, and St. Vincent have given for such about a cable length astern, was saintly observed
terrible instruments of war? e- . pointed right amidships. The al was
In strong contrast with 's uch associations as have imme-
diately raised, and the order to reverse engines was
been suggested by this incident is our last yiew of the given; but almost
got
tt
into
sere:
effective
before the
tth4e ram of
Arctic Expedition, as it enters the region of thick the Iron Duke struck the Vanguta.vred palicacs:'
ribbed ice. It was altogether a pleasant and an agree- the water line, between the main and umizefnt.
masts,
able one; the best spirit animated the adventurers; athaed made a great chasm in her side. Providentially'
they were in earnest, cheerful, and determined. So doomslnopfwtiaise built in watertight compartments, or the
Vanguard with b its living freight would
blithesome was everybody engaged in the work, that have been instantaneous.
while at Disco the crews did not hesitate to dance with for nearly an hour. andus.
inT
t7l
avtestsieml
ewasthekept afloat
safety
the dusky Esquimaux, who, although "far from the every one on board .was secured. When theter/'lb(lf
e
fact of the collision was known the Iron Duke put
busy haunts of men," appear to be a very contented
community. Thus joyfully the Arctic ships di.sa,p- otkerasnacin,ii immediately lowered all her boats, and her
crew
peered into the mysterious regions of the North. All energy and zeal exerted ersave
themselves with the utmost
c the Vanguard.
going well, they expected to reach the Pole in May, Captain Dawkins, when the accident of
our
1876, about twelve months after leaving Portsmouth. the bridge, and remained at his post uncthdtrelaewtasmoon
They were delighted with the great icebergs round igzieiriit superintending the arrangements for the transfr.;
about Greenland, and were sanguine of success. Yet and icsomurean,geand manifesting the utmost self -possession
naitnhurtoeusgihnoiri9tf tat
ome try ing scene. The Vanguard
that there are difficulties before them, it would be sank
in
59
useless to deny. They have yet far to sail, and when alone is now above water
The
other
topgallantinast
the ships can go no further there will be 500 miles of squadron continued their course to Queenstown
of the
aepn
sledge travelline before the Pole is reached. What an rently unaware of the calamity which had happiZ.
extraordinary journey that will be ! And supposing Thhise
morning,
puke reprised to Dublin Bay at three o'clock
they get to the Pole at last, and find a warm and the unwelcome
tidings. She with her all the
sunny sea, where icebergs and gleciers are unknown, officers and crew, numbering
with what interest will the account of their wanderings sustained no injury beyondgthtoe altogether
hersoo men. She
of bowsprit,
be universally read! jibbom, her figure head, their and th • r gear. Three of the
Vanguard's crew sustained injuries •
all the property
Twenty years ago a visit to London from the country on board was lost except three ' eboats, A favourite
o e captain
was not supposed to be complete without spending an dog belonging to the
evening at Sadler's Wells. Easily accessible from the her. . . .
northern and central districts of the metropolis, The disaster happened within A couple of hours after
and within sound of the bells of St. Mark's Church, the fleet had left Dublin Bay. The first account did
Myddelton-square, within three minutes, too, of the not reach
aeg
(Thursday),
until half-past two o'clock this
when the Iron Duke, having re-
crowded City-road, Sadler's Wells was a favourite turned with the rescued with a special
place of resort. The present theatre was opened in messenger was sent ashore to Coammu • mcate the tidings
1765, and is, therefore, 110 years old. Lately, however, to the Commander of the Conn guard. The foe
the tide of theatrical success has flowed more in the cabscicualtehlo theuh ships from the view of persons on shore',
the squadron had been seen shortly before
direction of the Strand and Charing Cross, and for a proceeding in
otnh.e,ii%edil2ppearance from
long time Sadler's Wells has been without a tenant, view inspired no appyrperenpsi
Put up for sale a few days ago, it had to be bought in. the Irish coast in its most rugged parts
adwgialsosee along
It will probably be pulled down, and its site appro- lug with any reverse, and no fear was felt as to
to the building of house property. It is rather their continued safety. The news of the occur-
s melancholy fate for a building in which Grimaldi rcitnceanwdas spread with electric rapidity through the
convulsed delighted audiences, and wherein Mr, only y'
a previouslyfewpoondrusced a profound impression. It was
Phelp's representations of Shakespeare's plays were so ships inspired a aseofpridtehaantr
almost
appearfance of the
much admired. Gallery, pit, and boxes have long been tremendous power which they seemed embody,
at the
silent, and there seems no alternative but to cleat away the last thought which was likely to strike theyOnnd
of an observer was that in an instant the strength
an unremunerative speculation. which every means had been used te render irresistible
Anyone glancing over the history of commercial should have received a fatal shock. Some surprise is
expressed that they left the harbour in hazy weather.
Panics could not fail to be struck with the irregularity
but the fog appears to have rather suddenly surrounded
at which these have occurred. There was one in 1793, them after they had started. quite 1 enough to
caused by the French war; another four years later, detain the Holyhead boat, which is
when, owing to the Irish rebellion and the mutiny at and the mails were not delivered liasautaniymactual,
the None, the Three per Cents, touched the lowest sequence. The ships were proceeding at night
rnatcecuoi
12 or 14 knots an hour when it came on, being desirous
Price e'er known, 448. The next was in 1825, pro-
of
speed
reduced,their time in Queenstown. The
duced by the failure of numerous bubble companies
s
and epn La; wereru nhnotivnever
not
ten
more
ae fog came on,
and of nearly 800 banks. Then there was one again
in 1847, arising from the railway mania. Ten years former rate. At 12.50 p.g a
m. the Vanguardmtanwahtaelifi tohbe.
more, and the American failure of 1857 brought about served a large vessel coming down upon them, and the
a panic in this country. Tbere was a brief but sharp helm was put hard aport to clear it. The Iron Duke
one early in January, 1859, the result of the Emperor twaasneethaennlntCes wake of lithe Vanguard at a short dig-
one
speech to the Austrian ambassador vessel had the effect of
in the course of the latter
in Paris, which proved to be the precursor ing her broadside to the former, w:imehcluosnearw, and tfurn-
of the war in Lombardy. Then on the 11th , obstruction, had made no corresponding amotion,reo but
et
May, 1866, came "Black Friday," a day of drenching continued on its tack. Before the engines of the
rain, and of financial crash in the City of London. Duke ngzsawrasd could bexversed, when the bow of the Iron
There was a lesser one in July 1870, upon the declare- struck her amidyships ewristtetshirsotiregsh f the fog, the ram
tion of war by France against Prussia. The City does her side. After the shock of then coorsiosniadtiLtovsra.in
not much look as if it were panie-atricken-juat now, Trolled and separated, but the effect was at once pen;
for upon the Stock Exchange, with money at 2 percent. tcnipetisbelae.rusTil:re shattered ship began instantly to feel
times were never duller. It is true that Turkish Bonds The emergency g was urgent,
urgaentte,rriabnll gash in her aide.
have, in City phrase, .. given way" consequent upon the strained to save the lives of tchvoes
every nerve e
on
WAS
l
events in Bosnia and the Herzegovina, and there is no Had a heavy sea been running at the i board.timea
doubt that to the holders of such securities this rising hadthe Iron Duke lost sight of her colleague, the fate
For many years Turkish 1
teeneveirnyzeblon board—over 300 men—would have
is a very serious matter. F
suseet ed.
lAsdt is, the nation is spared
Bonds were looked upon its amongst the best descrip- the grief whichY
tions of foreign investment which the City afforded. Iron Duke got as near a acsawainasitcyonws
would otccasistign. The
They regularly paid 10 per cent., and were held by of prudence, sharpened as it was by so terrible aa warn-
many in the middle classes to whom such a return for tag, and, the launches and every available boat of
their money was not looked upon in the light of a troth shirpsedhaving been rapidly lowered, all hands were
to h
speculation, but as being more like a permanent in of
sat
an t
y of the property
Duke. There was no thought
e proprty on board the Vanguard.
some, at all events as
permanent as the integrity of the Every moment n
was precious, and the energies of all
Turkish empire itself, on board both Ships were concentrated upon the
The extracts which are published from time to time ovilveors, object—retheinperdeservation of the lives of the sur-
by the Indian papers show what a great amount of in- more. All else that
thtleaecylotlli_aelsnetldielyiawore and nothing
terest is felt there respecting the visit of the Prince of depths of the sea, but is not, it is hopesd,geirrneeeoinvteoratlr
Wales to that splendid dependency. It has been well lost, as efforts will, it is understood, be made
as soon as possible to raise the sunken
ship.
and truly described as Hardly had the anxi
ous task of
"The brightest star that shines been accomplished, and the last man
resfcuirrlig the crew
In our commercial constellation," been received on board the Iron Duke, t Vanguard
and with what longing eyes Russia looks upon it is abled vessel whirled round two or three times,et e disd-
pretty well known. Such an unwonted event as then stuhdedennly sank in nineteen fathoms of water, and
the visit cf the Heir-apparent has never happened only
yve the ewaterdoftohmerartl:pgeallant-mast now appears
h IA the disaster.
in the history of that country. Na wonder then The spirit of both crews was scene
yteisted ill that
that the princes, chiefs, and peoples are all trying hour, when the hearts of
many who w
looking forward to it with a curiosity which quail at the sight of an enemy might have slinriEll
within
(jUi)nt
they have never before experienced. Tne.4. Governor- them at prospect of such a doom as seemed almost
General is looked upon by the natives as a very great were never more e admirably
and courage of the service
proved. The
and
engine-room
functionary indeed. He has an income from the of the Vanguard)fi rent began
State of 230,000 a year, a large retinue, and a princely were stopped. Captain Dawkine wasnearntnet engines
residence. In fast he is well-nigh the absolute ruler pressing upon his men the necessity of eparesleurviirnag.
of two hundred millions of human beings. But there
order and self-command and in pointing out the fatal
consequence of any confusion, and his expostulations
have been many viceroys, and dasky myriads have were effectually seconded by his officers.
gazed upon them. So far, however, they have not.
The accident . occurred between the Kish and the
their future Emperor, and great is their anxiety Cd •
seen o lin lightships, about fifteen miles from
to do se. Mr. Bright, in the House of Commons, some War Roads in Dublin Bay, where the mqtuhe Man•°f-
weeks age, spoke of the courtesy of the Prince of Wales been anchored. The Iron Duke remained squadron
anchoron ad
as a quality which his Royal Higlaness possessed in a near the spot for some time, and returned to Dubl
• between two and three o'clock this morning. The
remarkable degree. The truth is that the Prince Ina
Vanguard w known • where she was
favourite wherever he goes, and the charm of his for years stationed as the Kingstown,
p, and much sym-
manner is likely to go a long way in conciliating an path), is felt for Captainugil Dawkins, who won the respect
estranged and !i, ,is rrace and esteem of all who came in contact with him by hi • s
.
frank and genial manner.
Twelve months ago the Chinese were said to be busily g
The Iron Duke is a double-screw armour-plated ship,
preparing for a war with Japan. That, however, 3,787 tons burden and 300-horse power, armed with 14
blew over; but now we have them making themselves guns. The Vanguard had a 1 a ao 14 guns, and was of
disagreeable to our representative in Pekin in a way the same
class in strength and power as her consort.
which would not be tolerated in an European Power. She was only 13 tons less in tonnage. . . . The total
It is singular how little progress the Chineae have nu
was
teuriloft .her officers and men was about 360. She
made century after century while other peoples 52,900, tutßwiritkirlead by Messrs. Laird, and cost
h
have advane,ed enormously. They claim that the board her value is estimatefined
fiati
00. She is a
Celestial Empire had an antiquity of from 80,000 to sister ship to the Defence and Iron 5/2,
__. .e. She was to
100,000 years before the birth of Chritt, which it will have been stationed age' 'in in Kingstown for the
winter. . . .
be seen is a period to which neither the memory nor
the records of man could run. But there is no doubt
thet the Celestial Empire existed 2,500 years anterior
to the events recorded in the New Testament, and
that there were astronomers amongst them more than
four thousand years ago I They knew all about the
art of printing countless ages before the first press was
set up in Westnaininster Abbey. The Chinese were
a flourishing community 1,500 years before David
slew Goliath, the champion of the Philistines. Yet
this busy community, which was well acquainted with
.he arts of civilization when ufosee was leading the

DUBLIN, Sept. 6.

The Admiralty steam tender rkid, Captain Thompson,
arrived on Saturday evening at seven o'clock at the scene of
the wreck of the Vanguard. She left Devonport on Friday
afternoon, having on board two divers, a number of la-
bourers, and the Master Attendant, Mr. Roe, and the fore-
afloat of the Shipwright Department of the Navy. She
kined at anchor during the night, and to-day the divers
'came over in her commenced operations. These, how-
eve.., require to be conducted with the utmost caution, as
the vessel is scarcely accessible on account of the rigging,
with which she is literally covered. This will have to be to
a great extent removed before it will be possible to get into
the interior of the Vanguard or to make a proper inspection
of her condition. It has been ascertained, however, that at
the place at which she was struck by the powerful ram of
the Iron Duke there is a hole 151 t. perpendicularly by 411.
laterally. How far inward the damage goes has not yet,
however, been ascertained. The divers will resume their
operations to-morrow,

On the sinking of the Vanguard in so brief a space
of time, The Times has published the folic:lt/in g letter :---
" What a commentary on our naval power is the
sinking of the Vanguard in less than an hour. We have
spent millions in trying to make our ships shot-proof that
men may tight in security behind iron walls. For years a
controversy has been raging between scientific and practical
men on the question of armour plating versus guns. Armour
has been heaped upon a ship's side until she can carry no
more, monster guns have been constructed beyond the
power ot human hands to work except by machinery, and
what is the result? A fighting machine is perfected at
the cost of half a million, and one tap from a friendly oon-
sort sends her to the bottom with or without all hands, as
the case may be. I say one tap, because it requires no
scientific knowledge to snow that a ship need not go half of
seven knots an hour to produce the catastrophe which has
occurred. It is not long since a fleet of ironclads was lying
at anchor at Maderia, when ohs dragged her anchor
and slowly drifted on to the beak of another, with a result
which might have been almost as fatal as the one which
has jest occurred. A few months since a large merchant
steamer scarcely in motion touched the prow of the Belle-
rophon ironclad, and went to the bottom. .There are other
examples, but what are we to learn from this misfor-
tune? Theoretically it was pretty well known what the
result of one vessel running into another under such
circumstances would be, but this is a practical illustra-
tion, and so will come home. Some few naval men have
held to the doctrine that ramming would be the most
effectual way of destroying an enemy's fleet, but who can
doubt now or believe that a gun will ever be used in action
except at such a distance as to be harmless upon armour?
Who can doubt now, if two hostile fleets meet, say twenty
on each side, that more than one ship of them will be left at
the end of half an hour? It is all very well to say that the
ship which is most expertly handled will escape. What
amount of expertness could keep the Minotaur or the Agin-
court from being run into by a ship half her length, but of a
weight sufficient to sink her with a comparatively gentle
tap? Or what amount of skill, indeed, could for any time
prevent ships of equal size and weight from running into
each other, if they were so disposed, in such a maie as
would arise in a sea-fight. These are grave considerations.
and facts which cannot be controverted. But what is the
remedy? Can any one country return to its wooden fleets?
That would not be possible. In time of war, therefore, we
must accept the position, and comfort owselves in the cer-
tainty that irfleets ever are to meet in action the war can-
not be a long one, for in a short time no ships would be left
to run one another down. Is there a remedy in time of
peace? Shall our ironclads, alter having proved their
efficiency, belaid up in the basins of Chatham and Portsmouth
until they are wanted ; or shall they roam the seas at
all times and seasons in such formations as fleets of 20 or 31
sail of the line used to sail in, when collisions, if they
occurred—which they seldom did—were attended wills the
loss of a jibboom or a boat at the davits, or at most some
bulwarks or top hamper?
- - -

"In the present instance there is a fleet commanded by
one of our best flag officers and by the most skilful and ex-
perienced captains whom the Navy can produce. There
could not have been'any lack of vigilance of seamanship—no
one can doubt that. Where are we to look for the cause of
the accident? Is it steaming in close order under a fog?
'Probably so. But a fleet must sail ia some order, and fogs
cannot be prevented ; moreover, it is generally considered
safer to keep a ship under command in a crowded sea than
stationary.

"I am reminded of a practice which used to prevail in
Canada to economize labour. In clearing a forest some
score of trees in a line were cut partly through. The
leading tree was then felled, and, falling in the right
direction, took all the rest with it like a pack of cards.
There is some analogy in fleet-sailing. Given, a fleet of
ships sailing in two lines in pretty close order; the leading
siaip of one line, to avoid some danger, suddenly changes
her course or checks her speed ; she is pretty certain to be
run into by her next neighbour astern, in one or other of
the lines, as the case may be, and there is no reason why
the whole line should not share in the manceuvre. Ills
needless to say this could only occur in a thick fog.
A fog is the seaman's greatest enemy. On the darkest night
a fleet's movements may be regulated by signals almost with
as great facility as in the clearest day; but a fog frequently
comes on with no warning, and which no eye or light can
penetrate. Signals under such circumstances are probably
more a source of danger than of safety. Personal judgment
—rather instinct—is a man's sole guide, and that but a weak
one under the circumstances.
"This calamity, however, may have one effect: it may be
thought expedient that ironclads, with or without beaks,.
should steam in no formation during a fog, but each look out
for itself.—Your obedient servant, A NAVAL OFFICER.
"Sept. 3."

The Times has also published the following letter.:—
"Having, during the past month, spent many anxious
hours in navigating the narrow waters of the Irish Channel
in foggy weather. I feel more than ordinary sympathy for the
officers in command of Her Majesty's ships Vanguard and
Iron Duke on the occasion of the recent collision.

'Ol all the perils of the sea, a dense fog is the most
bhffiing. Experience and seamanship are of comparatively
little value at a time when it is almost equally hazardous to
proceed or to heave to, and when the danger to be avoided
remains undiscovered until it is too late to take necessary
measures to prevent collision.
"There are, however, some precautions, in addition to
those enforced under existing regulations, which might
with advantage be adopted. In the case before us, I
venture, with diffidence, to suggest that it might have
been practicable for the Vanguard to communicate to the
ship next astern that it was necessary to alter course and
to steer across the line which the fleet was following. It
might be kid down in a General Order that where a fleet is
formed in a particular order of sailing, as In the present
case, in line-ahead, and one of the ships is compelled to
pass out of her station, a corresponding signal should be
given, as a warning to ships astern. The firing of a small
gun would be a convenient method. If the helm were put
hard-a-starboard, one shot; if the helm were put to port,
two shots; if the engines were stopped, three shots might
be fired. I cannot but believe that the lamentable loss of
the Vanguard might have been prevented if some simple
rules had been in force for giving timely warning to the
officers in command of the Iron Duke of the alteration in the
course of the ship next ahead. That a gun is a most effective
fog signal all seafaring people are unanimously agreed.—l
have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
Greenock, Sept. 4. THOMAS BRASSEY."

We (Times) have received the following particulars
as to the position of the Vanguard and the possibility
of raising her, so far as thescircumstanees have been
ascertained as yet by the divers :

"About five miles from the east side of the Kish bank, and
tof,the southward of the centre of the bank, in 19 fathoms,
white sandy bottom, lies liar Majesty's ship Valvivard, with
her bow to the bank ; in fact, lying right across the channel
To protect passing vessels from coming into colliqon with
her masts, Her Majesty's ship Warrior is anchored about a
quarter ot a mile in shore, and a temporary lightship, showing
a green lfght at night, has been placed about the same dis-
tance to the east, and Her Majesty's gunboat Orwell and
several Itevenuecruisera are in the vicinity to warn off passing
vessels.
" The Vanguard is lying on her starboard bilge at an angle
of one loot in three, her maintopmast head is 2411. above
the surface, the foretopmast head about 1511., and the mizen-
topmast was broken off just awash; her mainmast is 10ft.
10in, below the surface. The topgallantmast snapped off
when she struck the bottom in going down.
"The Vanguard was struck by the prow of the Iron Duke
just abaft and under the corner of the port battery; the
lower plate is damaged and backing injured ; the injury is
about 1511. perpendicularly and 411. wide at centre, termi-
nating at a foot wide at top—a most decided impression of
the Iron Duke's rain. The inner skin, as far as can be ascer-
tained, is not thought to be injured. Her topsails are loose,
and with the loose ropes streaming out with the tide form
the great danger at prasent to the divers, and, until they are
cleared away, little can be done.
"The first operation must be the removal of her masts,
when her guns, anchors, cables, and valuable stores in all
probability may be recovered, her small inclination render-
ing such attempts more feasible.
"The strong tides running Are a great hindrance, and will
only allow.about four of five hours' work per day, and then only
about two and half hours at one intervaL Could fine weather
be insured, there is no doubt she might be floated into ,
shallow water by stages, and when once her upper declo
could be got clear, she might, and in all probability
will be floated; but the year is so far advanced that
much fine weather can hardly be expected; and as all ap-
pliances must be on the heaviest scale to be of the slightest,
use in raising her, some considerable delay must be expe-
rienced before they could be got ready, and when ready the
winter will be upon us, and the winter season in the Irish
Channel is a wild time.
" The expense under any circumstances must be heavy,..
but the value of guns and stores is also great. The white
sandy bottom will greatly assist the divers by the better
sight it will aftord."

An officer of the Iron Duke is said to have made the fol-
lowing statement: —The speed of both vessels (the Van-
guard and the Iron Duke) was not more than four and a half
knots an hour at the time of the disaster, the commander
and officers being on the bridge, and a sharp look out being
kePt by all on board. SO close was the Iron Duke to the
Vanguard that the breaking of the water on the bows of the
Duke was heard by those on board the Vanguard before the
vessel was made out. The officers declare they never saw so
dense a fog The Vanguard might possibly have floated in
safety after the collision if the door of the bulkhead of the
after water-tight compartment had been closed, but this
massive iron door was open at the time, and no one in the
confusion thought of going down and shutting it. By this
clutnnel the water gained admission to the engine-room.

N. , ouloa

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