The Express.
London, England, 1859-12-03 00:00:00

THE LOSS OP THE BOYAL VIABTER.

The following is the report to the Lords' Com-
mittee of Privy Council for Trade of Mr. Minefield, the
smears* of Liverpool, end Captain Harris, nautical
armor, who held the meat inquiry at Liverpool into the
lon al the Royal Charter :
_ _

My sccordance with the lestruelleme which
I received nom the Board of Trade, I have, with the ankh
nice of Captain Harris, nautical assessor, bell en
into the circumstances attending the loss Off the
steam clipper ship Royal Charter. The ship wee cepa,
ordered Mbe built by Messrs. Moses, of this town. The
builder was Mr. Cram, of Chester, and the keel wee
laid at Beadyy Croft, on the river Dee. Before
say • program had been made in he
construed= the firm of Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, sad
Co., who are managers her and now remnant the Aus-
tralia Steam Navigation Company—the registered =ears
of the Royal Charter—took bar off the haws of Mame.
Mame. At or about this time Mr. Cram failed, and the
farther =gem of the shipbuilding was conducted by
Mares. Gibbs, Bright, sad Co., on their own account.
Some ebringee were made to fit tie vessel for the
whisk was ultimately attained—ma fiddle= was = ,
9:o
her length at either end, and the original specification was
deported from in other respects. It is not easseariel to dwell
upon this pan of her history at any treat length, as, at
the time of her transfer to Mame. Gibbs, Bright, sad Co.,
her keel only was laid, and a pardon of the frame set up.
Nearly all the material had been provided by Mr. Them, and
wee on the mend= ; this, alter an ezeiniustion by the
builders employed by Mews. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., was
used in the conteruetion of the =eel. A portion of this trot,
recovered with great difficulty and expense from the wreck,
has been produoed before and teased by the Liverpool
emperation machine. It is decidedly above the average
strength of iron plating used for shipbuilding, and the
average strength assigned by Mr. FM:bairn for good
Staffordshire plate. When the ship was completed it was
secessal7 to launch her diagonally, owing to the shallowness
d the water at Sandy Croft. 'During this operation she stuck
fast on her ways, and great efforts ware neemeary to get her
=look It does not, however, appear that she received soy
Wen at this time. In proceeding down the Dee she took the
grosad off Flint, sad here her keel and the adjoining meek=
amidships received serious injury, so es to necessitate mar
give repairs in the graving dock at Liverpool. There isnot=
disormincy in the evidence, but it is probable that on this m-
om= she was strengthened by the Matthaei' two bilge keel-
son, having been originally constructed with a keelson and
two sister keelsons. Of her rigging it is sufficient to say,
that keg masts sad span seem to have been amply sufficient,
and though very large, not out of proportion to the sue of
the vessel. Her tackle Deems to have been generally good,
and her heavy rails were of ,No. I and No. 2' canvas--the
quality of commits in ordinary ships. The ground tackle
seems likewise to have been free from objection. She carried
two bower ambers and a sheet anchor of requisite size, and
all of Trotenan's model. She was provided with 300 fathoms
of chain cable of fall 2i inches in diameter, tested by the
maker, Mr. Woods, of Chester, to 72 tons. From the per-
formance of this cable Immediately previous to the Ices of the
ship, It is reasonable to amp= that the material and work-
meeship were good. Her engines, which worked a two-lea
screw, were of nominal 200.1accee power, and were able to
propel the vessel In dead water at the rate of about eight
km= an hour. Upon proceeding upon her Orel voyage
she was very heavily ballasted, as her builders apprehemled
she would be crank, owing to her narrow beam. In the Bay
of flimsy, however, she encountered very rough weather,
and put back to Plymouth. Here she was examined by the
=non officers and surveyors, who repel:emended some
repairs, to obviate her making water, as it was sup-
posed, through her deck. Theee, however, bad seething to
do with the seaworthiness of the ship.
In accordance also with their recommendadoe, she was
lightened of 400 tone of ballast, the result of which was that
her sailing properties improved, and she was enabled to pay
sad west with facility. lam =need by the witnesses Mho
have subsequently made voyages in her that she was for
from being defective In this respect, reward being had to the
greater time necemarily requisite to bring • Moir void
round. Upon her returning from her firet voyage It was
observed by the surveyor of the Liverpool Underwriters
amoelation that some of the paint bad cracked at the join*,
el the butts outside amidabipe, and that in Mom places there
were streaks of rust. This, he stated, was invariably the
mire with long iron =eels on their return voyage. It does
not, however, appear that wooden ships, alter enaountering
Navy weather, ars free from an anelogom indication of a
strain in their butts. Some mapicion, however, seems to
have and span the Made of the owners; and with a view
to giving her sdditional longitudinal streegthatiog, • MM.

PAP h. it

;

a a-a-.)a

LT WOPENCE.

aim crzger, the greater part of the length of the ahlp, we,
iotrodamd ea either side between dacha.
"After title, nothing further a soy Importance as regatta
the strengthening of the &hip mew to heve been done.
" It may be praper, at this Tina% to 'ante that, fro the evi-
deem, flume arrived at the essolueoe that the Royal Chester
ea., es the Imo, fully equal in strength to the average of
shim of her clam built at the maim date (18.56). Whether this
be sufficient is a gasmen which Its reehty dpta apt pep, at
the pmeent inquiry. Even if ft did, I should heeitate to gene-
ralise from an isolated Instance, on very itopetfact evidence,
end where somuch is left to cemetery. A touch wider induc-
tion is naceesuily applied to the subject by uuderwriiers
In the ordinary coarse of their business, and to those of the
public who may be ignorant of the feet, it may be of interest
to learn that as Uri* paribus, there is no difference in the
premium paid ter insuring wooden or iron meads of the lame_

" Upon her last voyage the Royal Charter, after no tin.
unsay quick pmsege iTUR Mebourne, arrival of Cta,eu.,
WWII Mine 24th of October. Bk. proceeded Caramel,
and pealed the Taster Light about 4 a.m. oa the 26th. About
hali.peet 4or 6 p.m. Am wee abreact of Holyhead. l; p to
that time the weather had been Bee, with a light breeze
ahead. A change then took plea, and it beanie hazy over
land. The vessel proceeded in her course, rounding
the Bkerrise at 6 or halt-past 6 p.m. Point Lynes*
Light was in sight at a quarter to 7 p.m., at a distance
of six or seven miles on the etarbosad bow. At 8 p.m. the
wind wee frees N.E. to E.N.E., vesting end blowing very
hard, and had been increasing in strength from the time the
ship pared Holyhesd. Bhe warn heading at this time eboat ,
.11. by 8. At a quarter to 9 Captain Taylor pre orders le
etar:boa rd the helm, to which theQuartermeater at the whirl

tepid, " Fs.; The a-starboard elnady." At aquarter to
slue codas were given to take a east at the lead. In
• queer of an hour they first receeded in getting
soundings with the bad-led In 18 fathoms. The screw-
props/Mr was at work, but the ship, notwithatandine, was
drifting rapidly to leeward, so denoted by the had. Shortly
after this soundings were rain taken* 15 fathoms, and about
half-pat 10 p.m. an attempt wee made to stay the ship. This
appears to have failed, for shortly afterwards the port anchor
wee let go, and 1001hreenciehanseritipayed out. At 11 15
p.m. the starboard ember was let go, with 70 fathoms of
chain. The two anchors Weight the ship up. At 1.30 a.m.
of the 28th the port chain prod outside the hawse-holes
Orders were than given to get up the stream anchor, whin.
weighed only 16 cwt., end wee stowed in the after
etiop. The art anchor of 60 cr. was stowed in the firm
hatchway. It took about en hoer to get ofilsthe stream:
anchor, and when this ter dons, at shout sr., the
starboard oar prod. Aboat 3se 3.30 SAL ship took
lb. ground ; her heel steer to her struck Int, and her
had canted round to the wmalward, broadside as to the wind
and sea. It appears that the mew stopped when tare ship
struck. The mainmast was then oat away; it fall abeam,
tad sot in the direction of the norm: -nicknamed was
eat away, but it did aril/it tilVihia ship was washednlign
the rooks—rout 6 ant, or two been that des lest a
" Abase Ti le 8 art the newel pair amidships, and •
inehnoholy lea of tl<t MIMIC Irk is the savages afforded
by the kw survivors of the Ica of the Royal Charter.
"In reviewing the evidence before me, It le toy painful
duty to nodes the apparent want el preparation to encounter
easy weather shown by the Royal Charter In her course
up Chard. the etas op Channel with her shyer =NW
on ad, end yard roes. It is true that the weather was,
Basta the warm mad thin might have been no indica-
does of the rain beau..- but It Is rain that in suer
ierous ans, sad at dm •ef year when norms may be a..
the itanachea marcher ship raid be only radar
all snug aloft,and the best equipped mail-of-weir
weer thiltly do se. Dian no enders before to. to
show whether the tarecsater pee any ishestion of
the raerbie gale. Trot etri two if net dude
of tree hetrag mmets ca Mad. it they had been
noticed, they would is roe have suggested elu-
tion. At 6 p.m. there two coasts open. The Royal
Charter wr ekes to Holyhead, and might have run he there
for refuge, or she elgpt have pat her bead to the westward,
sad kept the Irk %mad epee. At six p.m. the Morriss
were rounded, sad the rad inoreased to a gale. At nine p.m.
the wind end sae had inared so much that, though under
full steam, the rip trier to answer her Mir It was
then found that the ship re drifting bodily to leeward,
and no course remained bot to let the anchors. To the
robots ft will horn beta obsrvd that the ship held for
four hours, end it Is to be lamented that the resolution was
not hardirdy taken to cut sway the mar Had the
beta so relined, her tan dare of safety—via., 'riding at
to ha rebore—might possibly have been secured. It is
rider that, with the torroper aloft, the steam power
era Inadratte to hemp the ship wader command. Had the
rotate been imarificed at first, as they were ultimately, the
stain power might have availed the ship mon effectually.
It is very likely that tie agar el the Royal Charter no
delreeQ from this atone by the sparer= that the falling
rigging sad ern might het her seem Mae repeating the
estestrophe undsrgess by the Priam, le 1864, off Balaklava,•
but it shoed be rearnbard that the Pros woe supplied
with a three-bladed La, while the Royal Charter hod a two-
bladad one only„which could be hoisted up in a short time
tad with Hale Lbw lam well aware that in main
these snimanerstona.on the maces taken by the Royal
Maar, I may encounter some darer* of opinion: but
haying the edventage of judging from the event, I cannot
help tarring that • fair chance of safety was sacrificed by
the course pursued. I may here deo advert to what appears
a dangerous pranks, vie., to steam ahead to the sachets
in a gale of wind, and in • sea way. A gale
of wind, es Is well known, is not uniform in strength, but
there ars recesteds of ciondemitive lull. Doting these the
✓em port, not being redly ocaftelisd, he apt to shoot the
✓ip reed. After this, when evident pet sewn, the ship
drops astern, bringing up with a sudden end a severe jerk on
her cables —a kind of strain most liken to ere them pen.
It is sot imports that such may be the true explanation
of the parting of the oars of the Royal Charter. All the
evidence concurs in showing that the force of the gale era
rag and unanaphdat that cart. Nothing catrlneive
an he artier at towers solving the question whether a
wooden ship would have held together longer, or so long a
the Royal Charter. Al hr as I have had information on
the subject, I have no mend to impute blame to the We-
ber
" Clioratimnd raw er,V on the spot, though stationed
la miles off. The two par boab, according to the regula-
rs' olds* port, were in their proper erring ground off
Point Lynes. One of thane saw • blue light, probably from
the Royal Charter, end kept • rap look-out acoonfogn,
bur immediately afterwards the darer wee se great ad
the rain so thick me to make it Impossible to see from one
end of the pilot boat to the other. Tim wind also became so
high rto put out her lights nprially ; and even had she
neared the Royal Charter, then was such • sea running sa
to make to impossible to put • pilot on board.
" The ogres and sew to the last were indifferent to the
of their own lives, and solely Intent
on their
Eery VI. mg Into account the unexampled fury of the gets,
whkh trimly neutralised** powerful action of the ._a
peoprer, at that the ship was no beget under command— a
eirownstente which Caplan Taylor could not have antki-
pated—and considering also the apprehension he may base
entertained, while at anchor, that the meets would foul the
ear if they were out away, and pearly that the action of
the screw to re the cable. could not be lately intermitted, I
do not think that thia l. s case in which I could report that
the ship was lost by the default of the master.
".1. 8. MANCIPIILD, Stipendiary Magietrate,
Liver Pool•
"Liverpool, Nov. 78,1860."
" I anon In the shove
" Fix.r.rfLre, Nautical Assenor:'

The following latter was addressed to the B;ard of Trsde
by the underwriters at Lloyd's:
" Lloyd's, London, Nov. 24. 1959.
"To O'Dood. Esq.. conducting, on behalf of the Issetrd
of Trod., the Inquiry into the Lose and Contraction of
the Real Charter, at LlverpooL
" is underwriters, are were pecuniary losses
by the Royal Charter, and it having been stated in tne
public prints that her chain cables or anchors parted, and
consequently that their failure wu the primary, mum) of the
oolootroPhs,. and not hamng observed that an inquiry has
bum directed with a Mew to ascertain their effico.ney, we
res=bit_suggest for your consideration that information
is
"As to the diameter of link, length of each cable, and
weight of each; the number of anctore, and weight of each
Including stocks ; the means taken to ascertain
=etsfilleiency, when purchatied; the date of purchase ; the
trice and m•kers' = and why • third cable ersa not let
go when two hid
(Sped by n underwritere.)

-
FALLING IN or Air OLo COALPIT SEArr.—Nt ar
the bottom of MeaotteMereereet. Oldham, at Coppice Nook.
• malpit shaft wee filled up In 1649, and recently • bowie has
been built over it, the host wall of the home ermeing
directly over the spot when formerly wee the mine mouth.
The bones belooged to Mr. Basin, and was Grouped by Mr.
Matthew Ornerod, who he. a wife and six children. About
one u'eloek on Wednesday morning Mr. Tempest Whitehead,
landlord of the Plough Inn, Meachmeer-street, was awa-
kened by • sound, es be says, "like as earthquake."
He went to hie back door, when he discovered • large
bole, jut where the shaft used to be. He awoke the
Orninda, end they got through one of the windows.
and were safely takes to the Plough Inn. Large mama of
earth continued to fall in during the night, and when morn-
ing dawned it was seen that the lean of the home bad given
way In aural places, and the lower portion bent down into
the opening eerwal lathes. The gulf was plumbed with •
cord and weight, and we found to be 67 yards deep. When
the abaft wee dml was found at • dank of 60
and this seam whelk Wafted wss called the Black
The shaft was sank 64 rude further, and another
seam of coal wee arrived at. This WY rot, then • scaffold-
leg of wood wee placed level with the Stara hlioe, and the
era 04•111 of coal waa got. When that mine sea exh.uated
the shelf est filled up from the scaffolding, but the 64 yards
below remained anfilkd. The sodiabling has DOW dieea
way—Maisheater Geordies.

gpAN liT 111 HYACINTHS, aw—AU *sem
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