The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-17 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER.

Leicester 8 I Monmouth 22
Doncaster

OCTOBER.

Newmarket Second Oct. 10 I Newmarket Houghton.. 24

NOVEMBER.
1 Worcester Autumn

STEEPLECHASING FIXTURES FOR 1864.

JANUARY.

Manchester ... 1

FEBRUARY.

Lincoln

MARCH.

Liverpool

The Royal Mail Steamship Africa.

The following official report has been presented to the
Right lion. the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council
for Trade :—" My Lorcl3, I have the honour to report that
I have, in conjunction with Captains Harris and Baker, the
nautical assessors of your lordships' board, held an inquiry
into tho casualty which occurred to the steamship Africa,
off Cape Race, on the 12th of October last. The Africa is a
paddlewheel steamer, built of wood, at Greenock, in 1850,
of 2,226 gross and 1,216 registered tonnage, and was under
the command of Mr, James Stone, who held a certificate of
_ _ _

competency as master, dated January 7, 1851. She had a
crew of 130 hands, all told, and was in every respect
thoroughly equipped. The Africa left Liverpool Oct. 3,
carrying the mails, 120 cabin passengers, and a general
cargo, bound for Halifax and New York. After touching
at Queenstown on the following day, she sailed again at

3 38 p.m. ; made the Fasttet at 10 20 p.m., and thence
took her departure on her voyage to America. Observa-
tions for latitude and longitude were obtained daily from
the sth to the 11th inclusive, and up to that date nothing
occurred which calls for coument. At noon on the 12th a
good observation was obtained for latitude, which placed
them in 47 11 N. ; but as n) sights had been obtained for
the chronometers, the longitude was calculated to be 50 21

W., and Cape Race was estimated to bear S. 73 26 W. true,
distant 112 miles. The weather at noon is represented in
the log-book to have been strong from S.S.V. At 6 p.m.
increasing winds and stormy weather, sea rising, and sail
was shortened. At 731 p.m. wind shifted to W., and all
sail was taken in. At 8 p.m. moderating breezes and thick
foggy weather, with rain. From noon to 6 p.m. the course
steered was W. by N. 1 N., and the speed of the vessel was
121 knots an hour. At 6 p.m. the course was altered to
W. 1 N., and so continued at a speed of 11 knots an hour,
until she struck about 9 50 p.m., somewhere, probably, in
the vicinity of the extreme point of Cape Race ; but the
exact position was never ascertained. Immediately
before striking, the master, who was on deck,
states that he saw a whitish line on the edge of the water
on the starboard bow which he knew could not at that
season be ice, and instantly gave erders to put his helm
hard a-starboard. Almost simultaneously the first mate gave
a similar order, having seen the same object, which was
also at the same time reported by the look-out men. The
vessel played off under her starboard helm two or three
points, when she took the ground. The engines wore then
stopped, and it would appear from the evidence that she re-
mained there for about 20 minutes, during which time her
head payed off to port. Shortly after striking the water was
discovered to have filled the fore peak, and also to have
found its way into the engine-room. The engines were
moved slo ply a-head, which had the effect of casting her
head more to seaward, and the captain having discovered
that the channel ahead appeared free from danger, gave
orders to go on at full speed, which was done, and the ves-
sel went off apparently into deep water ; but neither previ-
ously nor subsequently to the accident was the lead used.

After consultation with the chief engineer, the captain de-
termined to run for St. John's, Newfoundland, the then
nearest port. In proceeding thither the vessel became
almost unmanageable from the injured state of the rudder
and the quantity of water in the forehold ; but the master

succeeded, notwithstanding the stormy state of the weather,
in getting her into St. John's on the 13th, about two p.m.

and beached her in the harbour. After some repairs were
effected by means of divers, and the construction of a tank
in the fore part of the ship, she sailed from St. John's on
the 27th Oct., and, after a very stormy passage across the
Atlantic was brought safely into Liverpool on the 3d of
Nov. inst. I should here mention that the captain, who,

at the request of his legal adviser, was sworn to give evi-
dence, does not agree with the mate's entries in the log-
book as to the state of the weather on the evening of the
accident. The terms he used to describe the weather were
dark and hazy,' not foggy, a little rain occasionally, some-
times clearing up ; and the mate, in his evidence, dis-
claims any intention of implying by the entry in the log that
the weather was what would be called ' dense fog.' But
the united testimony of the witnesses certainly goes to prove
that the night was very dark and thick, with drizzling rain ;
and in confirmation of this fact, several of them give it as
their opinion that a ship's light might have been seen at a
distance of from one to two miles. In my opinion the
strongest indication of the dark and thick state of the
weather is the circumstance that the danger was scarcely
seen before the ship struck. I cannot dismiss the question
of discrepancy between the entries in the log-book and the
evidence of the witnesses without a word of comment on the
statement made by the master, that he was not in the habit
of examining the log-book--a duty which, I am informed
by the assessors, he ought to consider as incumbent on him,
both for his own protection and for the benefit of his owners,
in case of accident or loss, It is with regret that lam corn- ,
polled to pronounce the master in default. By a reference to
the chart, and from his own evidence, the courses steered
would have taken him within six or seven miles of Cape
Race, assuming that he had no lateral current, as the
compasses appear to have been perfectly correct. The
coarse, in the estimation of my assessors, is too fine in such
weather, and in a vicinity so notoriously dangerous. lam
opinion that a cast of the lead should have been taken about
nine p.m., when the computed distance from noon had been
run. This precaution would have shown the captain that
he was not justified in assuming his position to be such as
he too confidently concluded, and that instead of being, as
he supposed, 16 miles to the southward of the Cape, he was
in reality close upon the land. Tho neglect to use the lead
under such circumstances, and the navigation of his vessel
at full speed off this coast in thick weather, undoubtedly
caused this accident; and after the repeated warnings
which commanders of vessels on the North American sta-
tions have received in reference to both these points, I
am bound to visit him with severe censure. I confess
that it is painful to me to do so in this, as in every
other case, when the commander is a man of great
experience ; and Captain Stone appears to have
hitherto navigated his ships in safety for 115 voyages across
the Atlantic. The result proves that such a man even may
get into difficulties with all his experience, and shows
the necessity which is laid upon all commanders to use
every precaution in their power. And why these pre-
cautions should be invariably used in the Ro3 al Navy,
and the neglect of them visited with most severe penalties,
while in the merchant service they are so frequently
omitted, I am at a loss to understand. In the sentence
which the court has deemed it to be their painful duty
to pass on Captain Stone, every consideration has been
given to his long and hitherto successful career, and the
court has borne in 'lliad his subsequent and laudable ex-
ertions in bpinging home safely his disabled ship. This
case differs fi•om others of a recent date, in the fact that
there has been no loss of life or of the ship, and I have
t
therefore felt justified in Passing a lighter sentence. B
mses.
Ihave, with the full coucurrence of the nautiottl