The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-09 00:00:00

The Wreck of the Steamship Stanley,

The second day's inquiry into the loss of the steamship
Stanley took place in the Town hall, North Shields, on Wed-
nesday. The magistrates were Mr Alderman Joseph Spence
and Mr A. S. Stevenson, and the nautical assessors, Captain
Harris and Captain Baker. Mr Hamel represented the
Board of Trade, Mr George Kenny appeared for Mr How-
ling, the master ; and Mr T. Crawford for Main, the mate
of the ship.
Alexander Reid, an able seaman, gave evidence as to the
vessel making for the harbour, her wreck, and the state of
the sea when she gtt upon the rocks. He said the reason
why the crew had not fastened the rocket lines to the mast-
head when they were thrown over the ship was because
they (the seamen) were afraid the mast would come
over the side, the ship was rolling so very much. The
master called up the crew twice to fasten the hawser to the
masthead, but it was not done, The crew never answered
the master.

. William Young, a pilot, called by Mr Kenny, gave evi-
dence. Ile said—l have been 26 years under the Trinity-
house at Newcastle as a pilot to take ships out and in of
the Tyne. I know the channel quite well. On Nov. 24
I was in my coble inside of the bar, above the black Mid-
dens, about 200 or 300 yards, when I saw the Stanley take
the bar; and, according to my practical experience, she
took the bar in the mid channel. A vessel running be-
fore the wind easterly, with a high sea, always take a cant
to the north or the south according to the sea. This I
have noticed from my experience. When I lost the star-
board light of the steamer—namely, the green light—l
thought she had taken a cant to the northward. There is
a strong northerly current sets to the northward on the
ebb tide. She was then inside, off the first seabreak ; just
inside of the old Sparrow Hawk. I considered then that
the sea had taken the vessel on the starboard quarter, and
the tide had caught the port bow. This would make her
go against her starboard helm, and being a long ship she
would have very little chance to recover. If I had charge
of the ship as pilot, I should have brought her in the same
position; and if I had been there myself the same thing
might have happened to me, whether in daylight or dark,
whether by a light or a flag. We never stop for the lights,
so long as there is water for the ship. There were 20ft.
water, or a few inches more when the steamer came over
the bar. I looked at the scarp—our mark. The bar is
now seven to eight feet better than our old marks. The
scarp• is 131 ft„ and adding seven or eight feet to this
makes 20ft. or 21ift. There was ample water for her to
come in, and she was in the right channel. Since the loss
of the Stanley three barques have come on shore near the
same place. Two of them came there in the daylight. She
was sailing in and had no pilot. I believe that if the Stanley
had not been a screw she would have got a pilot, as sho;was
supposed to be a Tyne screw waiting for her own pilot, most
of those having a pilot of their own, and refused to take
those merely offering themselves. The pilot steamer ran in
a short time before—about a quarter of an hour or 20 minutes
—with pilots on board. If the screws were free to all the
pilots there would not be accidents with them on the bar.
Mr,R. Philipson, solicitor to the Newcastle Trinity-house,
gave evidence that the Trinity-house of Newcastle could
not compel shipowners to take pilots in their turn, or to
make them employ pilots at all.
Mr F. Pattison, the keeper of the lowlight-house, was
examined at some length about the harbour lights. He ex-
pressed strong opinions that it would be a dangerous thing
to keep the harbour lights burning all night, irrespective of
tide, as he stated a ship's difficulties arose in an easterly
gale inside the bar, and opposite the Black Middens upon
the last quarter of an ebb tide;
The inquiry then adjourned.