The Press.
London, England, 1856-02-09 00:00:00

THE "JOSEPHINE WILLIS."

connected with the loss of this
unfortunate ship have created an unusual degree of
painful interest. The ship left Gravesend on Sun-
day morning, was standing down Channel with a fine
fresh breeze on the port beam, when, off Folkestone
on the evening of the same day, about eight o'clock,
a steamer's lights were seen ahead. The chief officer
on board the Josephine Willis, who had charge of
the deck, went forward to examine the lights, and
put the helm a-starboard, bringing the ship to the
wind, to let the steamer pass to leeward. The steamer
Mangertcn, of Limerick, was coming up Channel at
full steam, going about eight knots. The ship's lights
were seen from the deck of the steamer about the
same time, and unhappily the steamer's helm was put
to port, thus bringing her head directly round against
the ship as she came up to the wind. The vessels
rapidly neared each other—neither righted their
helms, each trusting to the other to do so, till at last
the crash came, the steamer cutting the 3hip almost in
two just amidships, and the ship striking heavily on
the steamer's port bow. The result is told in few
words. The collision was so tremendous that, while
the steamer was much damaged, the ship was ren
dered a perfect wreck, and, rapidly heeling over on
her beam ends, in a short time foundered. Then
was to he seen such a sight as those who
have ever witnessed a wreck at sea will readily
recal. One hundred and six passengers and
crew crowded upon deck—there was a rush for
the boats—some were lowered, and others cut
away, the lucky first few getting off in them.
Hencoops and spars soon floated off the ship—there
was a struggle for self and life on all sides—those
who got safe off in the boats thought the perils they
had escaped sufficient without a second risk to save
the lives of those they left behind, and upwards of
fifty poor wretches were pitilessly left to perish
miserably within sight of land, and within reach of
assistance.
The steamer the moment after the collision backed
astern and got clear, and, after striking the ship, ap-
parently fearful of having much more to do with her,
ran about a mile and a half off to the eastward, hove
to, and sent a host back with two hands to render
help. Between the boats of the ship and the one

THE Ci

135

boat of the steamer some fifty of the passengers
and crew were saved. The last of the ship that was
seen was about ten o'clock, as she lay on her beam
ends. Very shortly after she settled down and went
to the bottom, carrying with her about fifty six souls
left on board. The steamer being much injured, and
making a great deal of water, the captain ran in-
shore, and made at once for Ramsgate, where she is
at present under repair, and tinder seizure by Admi-
ralty warrant for the loss of the Josephine Willis.
On Tuesday a coroner's inquest was held at Folke-
stone on the bodies of two of the crew washed ashore.
The evidence of the chief officer and look-out man
of the Josephine Willis is clear. The steamer's
lights, they both say, were first seen right ahead, the
ship's helm was put to starboard, and the steamer
putting her helm to port when close aboard, of course
ran into them. The look-out man was of opinion
that there was no one on the look out on board the
steamer :

There were about twelve of us on the forecastle, and we
called out to the steamer as loud as we could. We did not
see any person on the bridge or on the forecastle of the
steamer on the look out I am confident I did not
see any person on the forecastle of the steamer on the
look out. We were hailing her two minutes, and there
was ample time for her to have cleared us, if there had
been any person on the look out and had heard our cries.
The evidence of this man, Sheen, of the conduct of
the captain of the steamer is worthy of notice. After
the ship's boat, with some of the passengers and
himself, had reached the steamer, the second mate,
who was in the boat, said to the captain :
" Are you going to render any assistance to the ship?"
The captain replied, " Yes, I have got a boat alongside,
with two bands in her." The mate said, " Two hands are
no use ; they could save no lives." The boat, however,
went to the ship, and saved the chief mate, four or five
passengers, the carpenter, and, I think, two of the ship's
company. We all asked the captain of the steamer "if
he was going back with the steamer ;" but he did not do
so, and still allowed her to drift up with the tide. She
was not steaming. I did not go on board the steamer.
When I asked the captain to go back, he said he must
first lighten his vessel forward, and pump the ship. After
we put the passengers on board from the life•boat, I heard
an order given for her to go ahead, which she did slowly.
The steamer did not come back. We asked him to put
back several times, and he seemed annoyed at us, and
used bad language.
"But why," asked a juror, very properly, " did you
stay so long with the ship ? "
Witness : Because the captain of the steamer told us
not to go back until he could take his steamer with us.
The steamer gave us a line, and towed us to the eastward
away from the ship.
Captain Bourchier, of the Mangerton steamer, next
gave his evidence. After detailing the single fact of
the collision, in answer to a question by the coroner,
Captain Bourchier stated that he hung on to the
ship about " ten minutes," but stayed alongside
about three hours :
We had to back at full power to get clear of the ship.
We had four boats, and I ordered all of them to be lowered.
We had backed her out, and then turned ahead and came
under the stern of the vessel. Our quarter boat then went
off and brought some passengers, but I can't say how
many. Our vessel stayed alongside her three hours. On
going down below I found my vessel stove to the water's
edge, and water was coming into the fore compartment.
When I last saw the ship, at ten o'clock, I could just dis-
tinguish her masts, at which time we might have been a
mile or a mile and a half to the eastward of her.
The boatswain of the steamer, in charge of the
deck at the time, did not hear the ship hail, and
asserts that he was on the bridge and had a look-out
man on the forecastle, He first saw the ship's lights
at about a mile distan't.
Mr. Henry Ray, one of the passengers saved,
stated :
We were about half an hour getting to the steamer, and
T asked the captain as to whether he considered his ship
in a sinking state. He said that he must move some of the
cargo aft from the forehold, and I went below to assist.
The life-boat remained alongside some time. I should
state that the boat in which I left was in a leaky sinking
condition, and when about two hundred yards from the
steamer we hailed the lifeboat, and we put the ladies into
her and then got in ourselves, and towed our boat after us.
After I got on board the steamer, and while the life-boat
was alongside, I asked the boatswain of the Josephine
Willis why he did not go back to the wreck with the life-
boat and endeavour to save some of the passengers. He
replied that he was afraid of his boat being drawn down by
the sinking of the ship; he also said that he thought the
steamer was in a sinking state, and that he ought to stay by,
to render assistance to those on board.
By the CORONER : I heard the cries of some of those on
the wreck as late as eleven o'clock. (They were seven
passengers, who had taken to the rigging of the topgallant
yards, and were rescued by lugger X L, which landed them
at Deal.) The captain of the steamer gave his orders in a
cool and collected manner.
At this stage of the proceedings it was proposed to
adjourn the inquiry, in order to procure the evidence
of other passengers. That was accordingly agreed
upon, and the investigation was adjourned for a week.
Several bodies of the passengers have been washed
shore at Wilmer.


136

ritcraturt.

A Narrative of the Siege of Kars. By
Huniphry Sandwith, M.D., Chief of the

Medical Staff. London : Murray.
IN the last chapter of his narrative Dr. Sand-
with has a few sentences on the moral effect
which must be produced in the East by the
loss of Kars :
That the loss of Kars is a blot on a year otherwise suc-
cessful for the arms of the Allies cannot be denied: an
injury has been thereby inflicted on the prestige of England
which we must all regret. Sebastopol was doubtless a
grand triumph, calculated to produce a vast political effect
throughout Europe and the West; but Asiatics scarce
knew of its existence, whereas scores of wandering der-
vishes and fakirs from the regions of Central Asia, Persia,
and Northern India have visited liars, and are thoroughly
aware of its importance. These men take the place of
newspapers in the East, and their reports must exercise a
damaging influence on the reputation of England.
This paragraph is the more weighty, as Dr.
Sandwith carefully, perhaps prudently, avoids
all allusion which could in any way compro-
mise our authorities either in the East or at
home. He throws all the odium of the dis-
grace attending the neglect of Kars on the
Turkish officials. Ho makes no mention what-
ever of the urgent entreaties for aid addressed
by General Williams to his Government, and
leaves it to be inferred that succour was
expected only from the efforts of the Divan.
This is the general impression sought to be
conveyed ; but the facts of the book lead us to
another conclusion, and show " the reason
why " the fall of Kars " must exercise a
" damaging influence on the reputation of
" England." We did too much or too little.
We should have left Kars to its Turkish de-
fenders, or we should have afforded it efficient
support. By sending General Williams as
British Commissioner, and by encouraging
him to take the defence of the place upon him-
self, we made the struggle our own ; and
when Kars fell, the influence of England in
that quarter of the world paled before the star
of Russia. With ample notice of the inten-
tion of Russia to reduce Kars, with sufficient
time to have afforded it relief, we yet took no
step to save it. Of the indifference of our
Government no explanation has yet been
given, nor can we in this " Narrative " find
any kind of hint to explain the mystery. The
presence of General Williams and his staff pro-
tracted the defence—it attracted the eyes of
the East to the siege , but it did nothing—
which is the vital point—to insure the arrival
of the succour without which it was notorious
that the town must fall. The apathy of our
authorities is the more remarkable, as com-
munication of Kars with Erzeroum and other
places was never completely interrupted. Our
Government must have been kept fully in-
formed of the exact state of things in the town
—of the amount of provisions on hand—of the
extreme date to which resistance could be
protracted. They must have known with
absolute certainty that unless the garrison was
succoured towards the close of November, it
had no resource but to surrender to Moura-
vieff ; and, knowing this, they took no direct
measures for its relief, but were content to
devolve this urgent and most momentous duty
on Turkish officials, whom past experience
had shown it was impossible to rely on.
So far back as the summer of 1854, intelli-
gent minds perceived the importance of the
war in Anatolia, and the necessity of affording
aid to the Turkish arms. Had measures for that
purpose been early adopted, the war might by
this time have borne much greater fruits than
we can now hope to reap from it. No one can
glance at the map south of the Caucasus,
without perceiving that the progress of Russia
is most to be apprehended in countries stretch-
ing south and east of that region. It is hence
that she is enabled to bring Persia under her
influence, to threaten the Asian empire of
Turkey, and to disquiet the minds of our
sensitive Indian politicians. The danger
in the latter ease may be remote ; but this
much is clear, that just in proportion as
Russia is enabled to push forward in a direc-
tion south and east of Georgia is she enabled
to narrow and weaken that barrier which sepa-
rates her from British India, and to Russianise
the independe4 §Atte§ of Tilrtary,