The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-12 00:00:00

THE BIRKENHEAD.

(From the Portsmouth Times and Naval Gazette.)
It is with sorrowful feelings and with a heart full
of sympathy for those bereft of friends and kindred
by the dread stroke of fate that we take up our pen
to comment upon the rueful and appaling loss attend-
ing the wreck of H.M.S. Birkenhead. Fain would we
shun the task, but the service look to us for some in-
formation, and we have gone to some trouble and ex-
pense in the endeavour to show a desire to fully meet
their wishes, as our supplement will amply testify.
The loss of the ship is accurately and circumstan-
tially detailed in the morning papers, therefore it is
unnecessary we should recapitulate those details.
But we are in possession of da'a touching the cha-
racter of the Birkenhead which the daily journalists
are not, and can assist in doing that which the me-
tropolitan press has taken but a partial view of in at-
tempting to establish, viz.,---5 cause for the happen-
ing of the harrowing disaster. Most of our brethren
journalists have, with more or less precipitancy,
placed the blame on the Master Commanding
(Mr. Salmond), and attach the cause of the catas-
trophe to his supposed hugging of the shore to save
time and distance in the discharge of his important
duty. We do not believe such to have been his cul-
pability. We know the Birkenhead to have ever
been a most dangerous vessel to steer, in consequence
of which vital fault she had been very nearly lost on
more than one occasion previously. We know from
the best of evidence personal acquaintance
that her compasses would not act under the com-
monest circumstances, and were always, or nearly
always, in error ; we know the Birkenhead has been
swung round the entire circle at Spithead three times,
and heir compasses have never showed the shadow,
even, of a movement -We know, further, that on
another occasion, whilst at sea, so utterly impossible
was it for the Master to navigate the ship owing to
the at'raction of the iron upon the compasses, that
the Master was compelled for safety to take them up
into the mizen top to endeavour to steer the ship by
them !

With :such facts as these (for they are facts, and
have all been duly reported to the proper authorities
-
at the time) staring us in the face, and many more
which we could adduce in support of our reason
[See the letter of " G. H. G.," and a paragraph
quoted from the Shipping Gazette, in another
column] for believing
there was something wrong
with the ship more than with her commander, we are
inclined to put a very
reports of others as to the apparent want of discretion
on the commander's mitigated construction upon the
part in the matter of the route
steered.

It is impossible to describe the sensation this
has occasioned in this port, to
which nearly all the
melancholy event
screw belonged. The dock-
yard has been the
exhibitions of grief, :end scene
a"
Admiral-Superintendent
by
of many heartrending
numerous have been the
applications for informationt
widows and orphans.
The Port-Admiral
and
in
and readiness to
render all the information their power, and to alle-
viate as far as in their
have evinced the utmost
in
ability lies the distress occa-
sioned by this unlook dfor calamity. The Birken-
head was an iron esteam-vessel, of 1,400 tons, built by
Laird, of Birkenhead,
for a
battery of guns, she a steam frigate, but so far
from being enabled to carry
could not carry her coavvlshli whas consequently converted
troop service en-
joyed a good reputation,
into a troop-ship, in
many officers who have
sailed and held appointments
saimo complement being 131.
character she never
rcvaienetestify.
complement She
which
of January, on which day
she victualled as her own left this port last on th..2e is
ranked among the most
Salmond ranked
Navy. His latter
129 persons, her apportioned
As a navigator Mr.
skilful of the Masters of then
services were in the
the Vengeance,_ 84, tineßetribution steam-frigate, and
eel-
the Earl of Harwicke ; then
Lushington and
Woolwich, from which ship en the Fisgard, 42, at
command of the Birkenhead on he was appointed to the
on the Bth of February,
1851.
The melancholy intelligence
Tuesday afternoon, and caused
ence was published on
spread over the port, aa I a sudden gloom to
Salmond and Mr. W. Brodie, the additional master,
Master-Commander R.
were well known and greatly
ser-
vice. Mr. W. Brodie had b respected in the e
to a sister of W. Bunnett, Er but recently married
Portsea. Mrs. Salmond is residingof the Bank, Hard,
grief we will not attempt t • at Gosport. Her
o intrude
engineer, Mr. W. Wytelham, irle upon. The chief
veers, were also known to manyand the assistant-e
Many of the officers who in this quarter.
were drowned
known to the officers of the garrison h were well
Rolt, of the 12th Lancers, was the
son ere. Cornet
E3q,, the contractor, who has become
of Peter Bolt,
the borough of Woolwich, a
oolwich, and all feel
a candidate for
" feel deeply
loss he has sustained•
for the
Although no amount of pectin-
pecuniary benevolence
compensate for the loss society and can
sustained by this frightful accident., the country has
the noble spirit manifested by the yet we rejoice at
guished in the service, in their
.desire lant
and distin-
manifested to alleviate by their so
spontaneously
poignant distress which is the natural sea some of the
consequence of
such a large bereavement. On
Wednesday,
day the dire news was officially the very
Admiral Sir Thomas Briggs, „econfirmed,
Commander-in-Chief at this port, *MG" the
and his views were most war proposed,
by Rear-Admiral-Superintendent Presa Y espoused
they, together with the captains, o,:, and ships'
tt, C. 8., that
f 6
companies of her Majesty's ships and ye"
Spit-
head and in Portsmouth harbour, should in ssels at
demon-
stration of their deep regret at the loss of the Birken-
head, subscribe one day's pay towards the pecuniary
relief of the widows and orphans of
the
seamen and
marines who perished on that melancholy occasion.
We are proud to add this call has been
acknowledged by all the officers and most readily
fleet at this port, in a most eager and crewse of the
manner, and we hope the " good intent" vgntaneous
here, but that every inhabitant of this port not stop
will contribute their mite also towards the at least,
8 the same
object.

it a letter I
will tend to
TO THE EDITOR OF TUE PORTSMOUTH TIMES AND
NAVAL GAZETTE.
have Si r,j—u
slt bege
itvoe
ds send
my othueacn
aepxet,raacft fir
throw some light on the cause of the late disastrous
loss of her Majesty's ship Birkenhead :--
" It is supposed that the compasses Were much out,
tho weather being very unsettled, and the atmosphere
surcharged with el:ctricity. Other iron ships in the
bay (Table Bay) experienced a great variation in their
compost'. The captain of the mail steamer says his