The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-14 00:00:00

Loss of Her Majesty's Ship Bombay.

• PORTSMOUTH, Monday.
The court sat, at half-past nine this morning,
being the fifth day of this inquiry.
Mr. Watts, the master, was recalled, and ques-
tioned as to the stowage beneath the handing-room
of the after magazine. There were 60 or 70 boxes
of candles stored there, as well as a quantity in the
bread-room. They were stowed in the starboard
wing. There was a large quantity on board. If a
lighted candle had fallen from the handing-room
flat it would have fallen only upon casks of. flour.

William Aldred, chief gunner's mate, said he was
in the after magazine. All the proper magazine
men were there on the afternoon of the 14th, until
the retreat was beaten. He locked up the maga-
zine. He did that afternoon send up to say that
the lights burnt badly. One of the candles went out.
It grew more and more dim until it went out. This
was the light at the fore-end. He did not remember
seeing the lamp-trimmer that day, but through the
bull's-eye saw the ship steward's boy replacing the
burnt-out candle by another. He saw no one about
the lights about the time this candle began to grow
dim. No light could have been taken away from
that part of the ship, or they would have been left
in perfect darkness. He missed no light from the
starboard side of the magazine. He had no idea
how the fire originated.
Pasco William Priddell, the ship's steward's boy,
was recalled, and said he did not take down a second
candle. He lighted the candles in the light room
with a lantern, having a piece of " dip" in it. He
did not blow the dip out after that, but took it up
in the lantern and lighted the one light on the orlop
deck, and also the four lights in the bread room.
He did not take a lantern down with him the second
time. He was subjected to a severe cross-examina-
tion, but in no particular of importance was his evi-
dence in chief altered.

The President—On your oath, can you say you
did not at any time by accident drop a light of any
sort into the hold, or any other place ?
Witness—l can swear that I did no such thing.
I can swear I never dropped a naked light in any
dangerous place whatever.

William Brennan, gunner's mate, could give no
information as to the fire, he having been on the
doctor's list. He was in the water over an hour and
a half, hanging on by a rope. He could not swim.
He was much annoyed during that time by falling
spars and molten lead. He was taken off by Mr.
Mandeville in the second trip, and then volunteered
to go in again.

The President—lt is highly creditable to you then.
Witness had on the frock he wore at the time ; it
was much marked by molten lead, some of which
also burnt the hair from his head.

Thomas James, bandsman, was in the shell-room
on the 14th, but saw no one about who was not sta-
tioned there. He remained there until the fire-bell
rang;and when he left neither saw fire nor smoke.

Henry Rogers, second captain of the hold, said
he was last in the hold oii the day before the fire.
He had never known a leakage to occur in the
breaker, or in any cask in the spirit-room. He was
on the upper deck when the fire-bell rang, and
afterwards went to the foremost pump on the orlop
deck.

James Garrahan, assistant engineer, was recalled,
and said he was stationed in the engine-room at
fire-quarters, and remained there about half an hour
after the fire-bell rang. An order passed from the
upper deck was the occasion of his leaving. The
engine-room was then filled with dense smoke, the
lights were going out, and the flames coming in by
the store.

The Court then adjourned for one hour and a
half, to enable Captain Campbell to prepare his
defence. On the Court re-opening all the officers
and crew of the late Bombay were admitted into
Court. ,The defence was as follows :
Mr. President and gentlemen of this.hon. Court
—lf anything could alleviate the great pain which I
feel at finding myself, for the first time during a
period of 20 years years of service in the navy, in
the position I now occupy before the Court, it lies
in the consoling reflection that the investigation
which has just closed has not, I would most respect-
fully submit, elicited any fact which should oblige
me to qualify the statement I am about to make in
defence, either of my own conduct or that of the
officers and crew under my command. Even this,
however, fails to compensate for the great distress
of mind which the loss of the fine ship lately under
my command, and of so many valuable lives, has
caused me. I need scarcely assure the Court that
did we not all feel that, humanly speaking, every
possible exertion was made to save both the ship
and those on board of her, and that the disaster is
not traceable to any neglect of duty or carelessness
on the part of the officers or the crew, that distress
would have been most deeply aggravated. Prior to
this inquiry no pains have been spared to arrive
at the cause of the catastrophe, and the result
of the present searching investigation will account
for the failure of our efforts, and will prove to the
Court how unavailing all attempts to unravel this
mystery must be. Our most earnest desire through-
out has been to discover the origin of the fire, and
with this view we have courted the fullest inquiry.
I trust the Courtwill bear testimony to the willing-
ness and openness with which all information has
been afforded both by officers and crew, and that it
will consider that the evidence so elicited as to the
state of order the ship was in fully justifies the eulol-
gium passed upon the Bombay by the
whose flag she carried, on the report of inspection
made made only twelve days before she was
have not hesitated to place at the
.ddisenpodeesesaltr
Court the whole of the written evitheir
from the officers and crew of
ter
given fat an
conduct at the time of the disa.s i n Yov obtainedf
the
inquiry, instituted
after-
wards, which,
am proud to laid l before
serves
under
tanyom my command
prove
cc oo nu r
mt
ah
na Idt
think
only
yose
view of beingt thboyughnlYsnelfot lrammaeddeatewlYithaand that afterwards every
was found at his statioanilduodine
officer and man
bneofobrolatinhee
fire
eaelies
broke to those
to perform
idtuttoy, he
maycontinuedb e permittedunflinchingly
to
to the fact that during the whole
doing his
inquiry there has never been a ques-
tion
courtea ihwose end.
gratificationl
saed s. to the propriety of the measures taken
to save both the ship and the crew during the fire.
The responsibility of having to decide in a few
moments at such a crisis between the possibility of
saving the ship and the moral obligation not to sac-
rifice so many lives in the attempt was the most