The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-07 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE BARQUE DALEMAIN.

The following official report has been addressed
to the Right Hon. the Lords of the Committee of
Privy Council for Trade

" MY LORDS,—In compliance with your direc-
tions I have held an official inquiry, assisted by
Captains Harris and Scott, as Nautical Assessors,
into the circumstances attending the loss of the
barque Dalemain, on the Arklow Bank, on the even-
ing of the 14th of October inst. The Dalemain was
built at Maryport in the year 1851, and registered
at Liverpool of the burthen of 275 tons. Her owners
Were the Messrs. Hutchinson and Co., and she was
manned by a crew of thirteen hands, all told. She
'as commanded, on this present voyage, by Mr.
William Glaister M'Williams, who holds a certifi-
cate of competency as master, dated 28th of May, I
1861. The Dalemain sailed from Liverpool on. the
11th day of October, about noon, laden with a cargo,
principally of wines and spirits, bound to La Union,
in the province of Guatemala, in Central America.
She appears to have been properly equipped and
seaworthy. At midnight on the 11th she passed
the Skerries at a distance of four miles. As she
opened the Irish Channel a gale of wind came on,
and the ship beat about on various tacks between
the Welsh and Irish coasts, first sighting one and
then the other, till 4 a.m. of the 13th, when the
Stack Light was seen bearing E. a S. at a distance
of 12 miles, as entered in the log-look. The gale
still continuing, the vessel was wore round to the
N.W, till noon of the 13th, when the latitude, by
an indifferent observation, placed the ship 53 30
N. About this time the gale moderated, and the
vessel headed to the southward, but the weather
continued thick and hazy. At 6 p.m. the gale came
on again, when they shortened sail and wore to the
N.W., and at 7 30 p.m. they sounded in 50 fathoms.
At 2a.m. on the 14th the weather again moderated,l
and they stood to the southward, making but
little way. From 8 a.m. of the 14th till noon
land was indistinctly in sight, which was sup-
posed to be Bardsey, At noon on the 14th
the master sent for the chief mate, and
in consultation they decided that the land
so indistinctly observed must be Bardsey, although
the dead reckoning placed them to the north-
ward of that position. The wind at this tirre was
light and variable from the southward, but increased
in strength in the afternoon, and sail, which had
been previously made, was in consequence again
reduced to double-reefed topsails and foresail, the
ship was kept to the S.W. by W. or W.S.We as
the captain states, breaking off to W. by S., and so
continued till just before she struck upon what was
afterwards discovered to be the Arklow Bank, the
weather being very thick and squally, with heavy
rain. Immediately before striking a east of the
lead was made by the master and second mate,
which gave, as alleged, 32 fathoms. The helm was
put up for the purpose of wearing the ship, and so
urgent seemed the necessity of taking this step,
that it was taken before all the people had come
down from the foreyard. In the act of wearing
the vessel struck. If these soundings had been cor-
rect it is difficult to discover the necessity of this
hasty proceeding, as 32 fathoms are not to he found
-within three or four miles of the Arklow Bank, as
appears by the chart. Reverting to the assumed
position of the ship at noon of the 14th, it is clear
that the land then seen must have been Holyhead,
and not Bardsey
up t
which is confirmed by working
reckoning till noon of that day—the
bearing and d.
e dead
mate, to
havlesta,euce, as stated by the master and
with those of been Bardsey, precisely agreeing
take caused the l‘oqllead. This unfortunate mis-
reality been Barc4sva of the vessel, for had it in
cleared the Tu,kar - the courses made would have
actually Holyhead' Zit crees the land seen being
courses and the distance
run placed her °n th:
twoidettd
at
tlow
might have been
was
tozenaring of
Bank. This error
cast of the lead, when the be"°° of
the 14th by a
Had th* b d
island of Bardsey the supposed
then were, 66
they would have found, wile Is een one
re th
fathoms ;whereas, had it been %vet
Waver,
by
they would
have obtained only 49 fathoms:lBY'
unusualtaken.
the chart. No cast was, 1,,
The master, in his statement, urges the
severity of the weather which be experienet.
the Irish Channel, and that by constantly wearilln
the ship he may have lost his position. He inatanaegs
the Bencoolen and the Sunshine, two vessels that
left Liverpool in company with him on the 11th
iil9tant, that the former was lost and the latter
dismaEted. Pe rnllnng every allowance for the
d;f6pulties he had to contend with, the evidence
shows that the gale vvos not continuous, but that
there were short intervals of moderate weather, par-
ticularly on the morning of the 14th, when the
Welsh coast was indistinctly seen, and Holyhead
mistaken for Bardsey. The fatal omission to take
a cast of the lead at that time constitutes, in my opi-
nion, his default,' which resulted in the loss of his
ship. While thus constrained to pronounce Mr.
M'Williams in default, I am guided by the conside-
ration of the great risk to life and loss of property

caused by this disaster. Taking, however, into on-
sideration the severity of the late gale, tho difficul-
ties of his position, and his unremitted at ention to
his duties (with one exception) both i,efore and
after the accident, I felt disposed, in c onjunction
with my assessors, to deal leniently wl i h this case ;
I have, therefore, to report to your lordships that I
have suspended the certificate of Mr. Wm. Glaister
M‘Williams for three calendar months from this
date, which certificate I herewith beg leave to for-
ward to your lordships. I cannot conclude this re-
port without bringing to your lordships' notice the
meritorious conduct of Davis, the chief boatman of
the Coastguard at Mizen Head Station, to whose
exertions a portion of the crew of this vessel are
mainly indebted for the preservation of their lives.
—I have, &c:,
" J. W. O'DONNELL, Divisional Magistrate.
" We concur in the above report.

" HY. HARRIS, Nautical Assessors.
!‘ ROBT. SCOTT,
"Local Marine Board, Custom-house, Dublin,

Oct. 30, 1862."

ACCIDENI ON THE HAMMERSMITH
AND CITY EXTENSION LuLII74Y.

Last night, shortly before 12 o'clock, a rumour
was current in the City to the effect that an appal-
ling railway accident had happened near Kensing-
ton, by the falling of a number of arches. It was
stated that 14 arches had fallen, and that 10 men
had been buried in the ruins. On proceeding to the
spot indicated as the scene of the catastrophe, it was
found that the report of the falling of the arches
was unhappily correct, but that the loss of life was
not so great as had been at first supposed. The
scene of the disaster is at Silchester-road, Kensing-
ton-park. At this locality the Hammersmith and
City Extension line, which is not yet completed, is
carried along on a series of arches. The exact num-
ber could not, in the confusion and darkness of
the night, be ascertained. From statements made
by the persons who were on the spot, assisting to
clear away the debris, it appeared that the wet
weather had injuriously affected the arches, and
that the authorities of the line had given instruc-
tions that they should be shored up and otherwise
made secure. A number of workmen accordingly
commenced the shoring about half-past eight o'clock
yesterday evening. They had scarcely began the
necessary operations when 14 arches gave way,and
seven men were buried in the ruins. It is supposed
that some persons were wounded, but no particular
information on this point could be ascertained.
A gang of labourers was at once procured, and
they set to work to get out the bodies of
the men who had fallen victims to this calamity.
At one in the morning, when the writer of this re-
port left the Beene of the accident, six men had
been got out, and they were all dead.

COLLISION ON THE LONDON AND
BRIGHTON AND 2HE SOU2H EASTERN
RAIL WAY.

A collision occurred yesterday morning on the
line used by the South-Eastern, and London,
Brighton, and South Coast Railway Company, be-
tween two passenger trains going in the same direc-
tion. It appears, from reliable information, that the
tidal train of the South-Eastern Company was
timed to leave London at 7.55, and that there is a
train of the London and Brighton Company timed
to leave at eight. Although there is only an inter-
val of five minutes between the two trains, no in-
convenience under ordinary circumstances would
arise from that fact. Yesterday morning, however,
a dense fog prevailed, and the lines were in such a
slippery state, that when the 7.55 train arrived at
the incline, just beyond New-cross, it " slid," and
could only with great difficulty ascend. The eight
o'clock train of course was also affected, so far as its
speed was concerned, by the state of the line ; but it
was proceeding at a slower rate than it would other-
wise have been, having received a caution at the
extra signal erected on the bank that there was a
a train immediately before it. The 7.55 train, how-
ever, was labouring hard, when, notwithstanding
these precautions, the 8 o'clock one overtook it,
and, owing to the fog, was too near to stop entirely
before running into it. The collision, however, was
not a severe one, and the passengers were more
frightened than hurt, and, so far as we can learn
with two exceptions they proceeded to the end of
their journey ; some shaken, some a little scratched
or bruised. Those who did not go on were able to
return to London and proceed to their hotels or
homes, and it is believed that not a single serious
injury was sustained, and the ordinary traffic was
not interfered with. In consequence of the many
inquiries at the office of the Accidental Death In-
surance Company as to the condition of the chief
medical officer, Mr_ Alfred Smee, who was known
to be in one of the trains to which the accident
happened, we are requested to state that that gen-
tleman was so slightly injured as to be able to at-
tend to the other sufferers. Some members of Mr.
Smee's family and other friends who were with him
did not escape without some severe cuts and con-
tusions.

711 E ACCIDENT ON 711 E LONDON,
CHATHAM, AND DOVER RAIL WAY.

The coroner's inquiry into the circumstances
attending the death of James Vaughan, who was
killed on the above line on Tuesday morning, was
resumed yesterday afternoon by Mr. James Lewis
and a jury at the George Inn, Rochester.

pa
Chatham,rn
odan esohat
wb y
thinkh e
u
Mr. Bishop, superintendent of the company, and
Mr. Claringbull, assistant engineer, attended the
inquiry. The jury having assembled,
William Hale said he was employed as guard on
the luggage train on Nov. 4 ; the train passed the
Rochester station shortly after nine o'clock, and
the whistle was sounded as the train passed the
curve. At that point several men stood by and saw
the train pass. Witness heard the whistle of tne
tuhpe train,train.
whistle beforew ar them,t
hebutus
ua
lcouldone t
onot
warn
the workmen of danger. That morning the lug-
gage train was behind time.
Charles Mitchell, plate-layer, said—l was en-
gaged with the deceased on the viaduct of the rail-
way on the morning of the 14th inst. The deceased
was working about 20 yards from me ; the rest of
the gang were close by, working on the linew;hTtishhtee-
deceased was the
announcedl nearestl looked
oke d roiits towards
nadp
goods down train
ling. We were all at work on the line and saw
the train go by.
train coming, and I called out to the men to get out
of the way. I got to the side. Ido
de-
ceased heard me. He was standing in the four feet
way, and the engine knocked him down. I did not
hear the whistle of the up train. I don'tthink there
was time for the deceased to get out of the way, as
the engino with the train was close upon him.
The other man who was injured was
ghtn workingdthhaet
very near the deceased.
man about the middle Theof buthffeerbaccaku, a
was thus thrown forward across the rails. Some of
the men got on the parapet, and others stood be-
side it.

Mr. Samuel Claringbull, assistant resident engi-
neer, stated that the viaduct where the accident
happened is built of the ordinary width, namely.
25 feet; there is a span of 4 feet 6 inches from either
rails between them and the parapets. The steps of
the carriages project 1 foot 9 inches over the rails.

George Pile, the foreman of the gang of the
plate,
layers who were at work on the morning
of the
4th inst., was called and stated that he heard dis-
tinctly the whistle of the up train coming up. Heas
was
time about 40 yards from the deceased. There
time for the deceased to have escaped when he called
out. All the other men got out of the way. The
whistle was given at the usual spot on the trains
arriving at the curve. The man injured was hurt
in trying
hearing the
to get the deceased away. Previous to
whistle the semaphore signal was down,
which notified that the up train had left Chatham
station.
Thomas Potts
train, whic , engine-driver of the up passenger
h was due at Rochester at 9.4 a.m. on the
morning lathe 4th inst., after
Chatham, observed thatleaving
the tunnel at
the distance signal was all
right to go into the Rochester station. The steam
was shut off. On approaching the eurve the
smacur curvel
l
whistle was
when t blown, as usual on arriving at the
he down goods train passed, and wit.

ness observing the men on the line both alarm whis-
ties were given. Perceiving, however, that the two
men nearest the engine did not take any notice the
engine was reversed, and the break was applied,
but too late to save the deceased. There was plenty
of time for the men to have got out of the way. The
alarm whistle makes a great noise.
The Coroner having briefly made some comments
on the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of ac-
cidental death.

ALARMING ACCIDENT ON 711 E CALE-
DONIAN .RAILWAY.

A very alarming
with fatal accithoughdent, unat-
tendedconsequences,
occurred on
Wed-
nesday morning, shortly after ten o'clock, near the
Gartcosh station on the Caledonian Railway. The
10 a.m. train left Airdrie for Glasgow with a larger
complement of passengers than usual, on their way
to attend the Glasgow weekly market. All went
well with the train until it approached the Gart-
cosh station, when, without the slightest previous
warning, except an insignificant check to the speed,
the passengers experienced a violent shock, and
were hurled upon and over each other and against
the carriage sides in much confusion. The train
having come to a dead stand immediately after the
shock, the alarm occasioned by the accident speedily
subsided, and the injured persons were taken from
the carriages and their wants attended to so far as
the means at hand permitted. Information of the
occurrence having been transmitted to the Coat-
bridge station, Mr. Dickson, the station-master
there, procuring the services of Dr. Wilson, pro-
ceeded to the scene by a special engine, when Dr.
Wilson rendered valuable assistance to the cut and
bleeding passengers, Upwards of 20 were unable
to proceed on their journey, and were sent back to
Airdie by a special train procured from Coatbridge.
Those who were either uninjured, or had so far re-
covered from the shock, were able to gopn to Glas-
gow. Thomas Harper, the guard, got dreadfully
bruised on the side, from being driven against the
handle of the brake, and it is suspected that some
of his ribs are broken. The engine-driver and
stoker escaped uninjured. The immediate cause
of the accident was the breaking of the coup-
ling between the first passenger carriage and
the engine. So soon as this occurred, the
engine, losing the drag of the train be-
hind it, started off in advance. When this was
observed by the engine driver he shut off steam,
and applying the brake strongly, brought the engine
to a stand very quickly. The train of carriages,
preserving a very high rate of speed, then ran into
the tender, and caused the smash. As an instance
of the force of the concussion it may be mentioned
that the head of one of the male passengers was
driven right through a panel of the carriage in
which he was sitting. None of the carriages left
the rails, but some were injured to such a degree as
to necessitate their being shunted into a siding at
Garnkirk.