The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-21 00:00:00

THE COLLISION IN THE C,HANNEL.

The Camilla, paddle-wheel steam-vessel, Captain
Brownless, belonging to the Waterford Steam-ship
Company, left London on Wednesday, and Southamp-
ton on Thursday, for Plymouth, and on Friday morning,
at about 20 minutes before 5 o'clock, when about six
miles from the Start, which was bearing E.N.E., she
came into collision with the brig Dawson, of Sunder-
land, bound from Cardiff for London, with coals. Mr.
Bardfield, the mate of the Camilla, who was officer of
the watch at the time of the accident, states that it was
a fine starlight morning, the Camilla was going at good
speed, steering W.N.W. N., and had the lights all
right as required by steam-vessels, when he saw a brig
ahead, bearing about half a point on the starboard bow.
The helm, was put a port with the intention of leaving
the brig on the port side, agreeably to the regulations
in that case provided. It is presumed that no look-out
had been kept on board the brig, for she came directly
on for the steamer, and notwithstanding the Camilla had
been brought round with her head N.N.W , she ran
with her bow on the sponson of the steamer. It is pre-
sumed that but for the speed at which the steamer was
making her way through the water, the consequences
that followed would have been much more serious than
they were ; as it was, considerable damage was done.
The mate of the steamer went on board the Dawson di-
rectly after the collision, and found that the damage was
almost limited to the carrying away of the bowsprit and a
part of her bulwarks, and that she was not leaking. The
larboard paddle-box of the steamer was considerably
damaged, and it was found on attempting to disconnect
the engines that she could not be worked. Under these
circumstances, Captain Brovvnless engaged one of the
pilot boats to take the passengers, about thirty in num-
ber, into Plymouth, and put the Camilla under sail and
kept along by the land ; and on Friday evening the
Preussischer Adler, the Cork Company's steamer, bound
for London,fell in with the disabled steamer, and towed
her into lymoutn harbour, where she now remains,
alongside the Millbay Pier, repairing. It was nearly
midnight on Friday when these vessels arrived at Ply-
mouth. There was no noise or confusion on the occasion
of the collision, and no feelings of alarm appear to have
been excited. Several of the passengers were at the time
standing near the paddle-box, and saw the brig come on ;
the whole of whom, including a gentleman connected
with the royal naval service at Malta, unite in the
opinion that no blame can be attached to the officers or
crew of the steamer. When.' Mr. Bardfield went on
board the brig some surprise was expressed at the suppo-
sition that a loaded coal vessel should bear up for a
steamer. This must have arisen from ignorance or
affectation. By the position of the brig's light in her
rigging, to the windward of the weather of her foresail,
it is thought that she would have cleared the steamer
ifw when
ne
firsth ad
seen. been
keptlt is
thehoenfieve course
wase towedteerieg
into Dartmouth harbour by two smacks. The position
d that th e shebrig wae
in which the steamer was struck was the very best, be-
cause the strongest part of the vessel. The steamer was
at the time of the collision going at ten knots, and the
brig, it is thought, at about eight-knots the hour.