The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-06 00:00:00

The Charge of Scuttling a Ship.

Joseph John Mitcheson White, of 5, Ogle-terrace, South
Shields, and Robert Sutton, of 5, Robinson-terrace, Sunder-
land, were yesterday again placed at the bar of the Man-
sion-house, in the custody of Detective Sergeant Moss, to
undergo a further examination before the Lord Mayor on
the charge that they, being respectively the captain and
chief mate, did on the 4th day of October last, out of the
body of any county of this realm, and within the jurisdic-
tion of the Admiralty of England, unlawfully, maliciously,
and feloniously destroy a British ship called the Snow.
drop, then being on the high seas, with intent thereby to
defraud divers persons who had underwritten certain poli-
cies of insurance upon the said ship, contrary to the statute
24 and 25 Vie , cap. 97 sec, 43.
Mr Lewis, jun., again appeared to prosecute en behalf of
Lloyd's Salvage Association ; Mr Sleigh, instructed by Mr
Mullens, of the Poultry, appeared for White; and Mr Beard
appeared for Sutton.

The prisoner White was captain, and the prisoner Sutton
chief mate of a vessel called the Snowdrop, of Newcastle,
which sailed from London in September, bound for Cron-
stadt in ballast. The vessel it appeared was insured for a
total loss in a sum of £2,000, and in that case, in the event
of any accident happening to the vessel, the owners would
be liable for the amount of damage, and the underwriters
would be under no responsibility unless the vessel became
entirely destroyed. The Snowdrop proceeded on her voyage
until the 4th October, and on that day, at about four
o'clock, she struck on some reefs off the coast of Russia.
Mr Lewis, on the part of the prosecution, admitted the
striking of the vessel might have been accidental; but the
case which it was endeavoured to prove was that the cap-
tain, whose brother was a part owner of the vessel, know-
ing that the owners would be responsible for any amount of
damage sustained by the vessel if she were not entirely lost,
t 'gether with the mate, directed the ship's carpenter to bore
holes in the ship's bottom, in consequence of the vessel not
having made any water for some hours after she struck/ and
that in consequence of the holes being bored as they directed
the vessel filled and was destroyed.

The evidence adduced on the last occasion was that of
Craig, ship's carpenter on board the Snowdrop, who, it will
be remembered, stated that when the vessel struck she made
no water for some hours, and he, by the captain's orders,
bored some holes in her sides, the mate Sutton being present
part of the time.
Yesterday, Wm. Clay said ho was cook and steward on
board the Snowdrop, which sailed from London in Septem-
ber last. The prisoner White was master, and Sutton the
mate. The vessel was bound from London to Cronstadt, in
ballast. She proceeded on her voyage, nothing particular
occurring until Oct. 4. On the morning of that day he was
in bed, and was awoke by the vessel striking on some rocks.
It was 4 o'clock, He ran up on deck. Round the fore part
of the vessel he saw reefs, and on the right he saw a small
island. lle went down stairs again and saw the captain,
who did not know ho had been on deck, and said to him that
the ship was on reefs, and told him to get his things toge.
ther, as ho hadc.Ll,so worth in the state cabin. Witness had
the sails clewed up, and heard the carpenter, Craig, report
to the captain several times after the vessel struck that she
was making no water, Witness himself went down in the
hold about an hour and a half after she struck, and found
no water. The vessel struck twice or three times after she
went on the reefs,and bumped several times during the day.
About 6 o'clock in the morning he saw the captain in the
cabin with the carpenter. He was sent on deck to give the
men some runt, and was absent about 10 minutes, and when
he returned the carpenter was still in the cabin with the cap-
tain. At that time the ship was making no water. Wit-
ness was one of the men who went in the jollyboat with one
man, two boys, and the mate Sutton. They went out for
the purpose of taking out the anchor, They ought to have
gone round the after part of the vessel to tow the long boat,
which held the anchor, out to sea. They only went a little
way, however, as they were not able to pull, and the wit-
ness made the remark that he was only a cook and steward
and not a seaman, and the carpenter ought to have been sent
into the boat instead of him. The anchor was not let into
the water, and the longboat did not leave the ship's side.
• When witness went on board again he heard the water com-
ing in at the after part of the ship as he passed the hatches,
and he told the captain so—he said "Never mind," and told
him to go on with his work. Witness went down into the
cabin, and proceeded with packing up, and while so en-
gaged he heard hammering and a rush of water in the hold.
He did not hear the water until after the knocking. He
went on deck, and went halfway down the main hatchway
ladder, and there saw the captain and the carpenter standing
near the pumps talking. He heard the captain say " i'll
make you all right," or some words like that. Witness
said to the captain "Captain, here's your belt," handing
him his belt, and the captain seemed confused and said he
did not want it, and told him to keep it. Witness had not
up to this time seen the pumps used. Witness went into
the fore-hold to get a cask of pork to take ashore, and he
saw tho water whirling up. When witness went ashore the
captain's things were ashore, and he had not up to that time
seen any pumping. It was about six hours after the vessel
struck that he first noticed the water coming in. When
witness arrived in England he made a statement of what he
knew.

By Mr Sleigh—Witness had been in England about
three weeks. He had not been living with the carpenter
since he had been in England.
Francis Brewer said he was boatswain and second mate
in the Snowdrop. He joined her in September last. He
took charge of the captain's watch when he was below, and
took his instructions from him. During the voyage the
weather was moderate. The pumps were only used three
times during the voyage, and on two out of the three occa-
sions it was in consequence of the ship being washed out.
Witness relieved Sutton in his watch at midnight on the
3rd of October, and took charge of the captain's watch,
which was from twelve to four. The night was fine. He
received instructions from Sutton to steer east half north.
He saw a light on the starboard beam, and Sutton told
him to call the captain when the light bore south-west.
The light at that time was about five miles distant. Three
hours after the light was about 10 miles off, and bore S.W.,
and he went and called the captain, and told him it was 3
o'clock, and that the light bore S.W., and asked him if there
was anything in the road, and the captain said "No." He
was asked by the captain what course he was steering, and
he told him east half north. Witness was never in the Balt!o
until that time, and had often told the defendants so. At 5
minutes last 4 he went to Sutton, and told him the captain
had not turned out, and the vessel was going six knots
through the water. Sutton asked if had seen the land, and
he told him he had seen it all the watch to leeward, and
Sutton told him to haul the ship up a point and a half. He
was going up stairs to do so when the ship struck with her
head east north-east. As soon as the vessel struck the cap-
tain came up and asked witness what he had done, He told
him nothing, and that he had called him at 3 o'clock, but he
did not turn out, and the captain said he perfectly under.
stood what he had asked him—whether there was anything
in the road. All hands were called up, and the sails clewed
up. The pumps were sounded, and he heard the carpenter
report several times that there was no water in the ship.
The tackle for lowering the boats had been made ready four
or five days previous by order of Sutton. The anchor was
slung over the stern of the longboat. The jollyboat tried to
tow the longboat away to sea, but could not. There was
only one man in the jollyboat who could pull. The warp of
the anchor was fastened amidships, It might have been fas-
tened at the stem. Before the boat went out he saw the car-
penter with a hammer, chisel, and an auger, which ho threw
down the hold on the ballast. The carpenter then went
down the hold himself, and was shortly afterwards followed
by the mate. That was about half-past six, and up to that
time the vessel had made no water. Ho was quite sure that
amongst the tools he saw the carpenter with there was a screw
auger. The vessel was upright on the rocks, and moved,
but nothing to speak of. The weather was fine, but there was
a little sea running. When the boat returned ho was,
with other men, getting a large hawser out of the forecastle.
After that he heard the carpenter report that there was 20
inches of water in the hold. That was about half an hour
after he had seen the carpenter throw down the tools. No
order was given to set the pumps to work. Witness was
afterwards called down in the cabin, and he there saw the
captain, mate, carpenter, and steward. He was asked to take
a glass of grog, and the captain told him to get a boat's
crew and take his things ashore. Stonescar Island was
about a quarter of a mile from the ship,

The Lord Mayor—Did you apprehend danger when you
went to the mate at 4 o'clock ?

Witness—The mate told me there was a reef to pass,
Mr Sleigh—That you might be cautious ?
Witness hesitated.
The Lord Mayor—The direction you were told to steer
took you direct on to tho reof ?

Witness—Yes.
Mr Lewis —Did the boat's crew tako the captain's things?
tiV itness—Yes.
Mr Lewis—The same boat's crew could have taken the
anchor out if they had boon sent ?

Witness said they could. They left the ship about half.
past 4, and up to that time the pumps had not been used.
He visited the ship next morning with the mate and the
carpenter, and the water in the vessel was level with that