The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-02 00:00:00

THE GREAT BRITAIN.

LIVERPOOL, TIIIIRSDAT.—No report of an official cha-
racter has been received here to-day from the parties in
charge of this unfortunate vessel. Yesterday evening
the steam tug-boat No. 1 was dispatched to Dundrum
Bay, with a considerable stock of cables, cordage, and
other means and appliances requisite for the attempts
.which will be made, on Saturday and Sunday, to get the
ship oft: It is useless to conceal the fact, that an im-
pression is pretty generally entertained, that the position
of the vessel is much more alarming than the extremely
barren reports which have emanated' from those con-
cerned would lead the public to inter. _ _

Public anxiety respecting the cause of the disaster re-
mains unabated, and Captain ilosken's report to the
directors of the company to which the Great Britain
belongs, is still being looked for, in order to settle the
disputed question, whether the light on the Calf of Man
was or was not seen.

Captain Claxton, one of the directors of the company
to which the Great Britain belongs, has published the
following letter, addressed to the secretary of the com-
pany. In another letter the captain says—" To the
poor as well as to the rich in the neighbourhood the
grateful thanks of the directors are due, for nothing can
have exceeded the-desire to alleviate the misfortunes of
all concerned that has been manifested by every one in
the locality."
Great Britain, Dundrum Sande, Sept. 28.
Dear Sir,—On my arriving on board this morning,
after looking at the position of the ship, and Captain
Hosken's dispositions for getting her afloat at the proper
time, I sought and, as I expected, received from him a
candid and clear detail of the circumstanoes which pre-
ceded the unfortunate occurrence. For the information
of my colleagues, and the rest of the shareholders of the
company, I hasten to convey to you the result of that
inquiry, which I have no hesitation in saying has satis-
fied me that the confidence which we have for so many
years placed in that most excellent man ought not in the
slightest degree to be shaken by an event so deeply
affecting his character as an officer and a seaman.
The first officer has charge of the ship's log, and
from him I obtained the following extract:
" At 12h. 50m. p.m. discharged pilot. At lh., abreast
of the Bell Buoy, speed 11 knots, wind southerly ; set
maintopsail and topgallantsail and foresail (foretopsail
had been previously set); course N.W. by N. At 4h.,
fresh breezes and thick hazy weather. sh. 30m. saw the
land on starboard bow indistinctly through the rain.
7h. 30m., in mizen spencer. Bh., fresh breezes and very
thick, with constant rain ; trimmed sails to haul up N.
by E. ;in topgallantsails. Bh. 15m., observed Calf of
Man Light bearing N.N.W. half W., altered course to
N. by W. Bh. 30m., in first and second reef of foretop-
sail and single-reefed the maintopsail. At 9h., squared
the yards. 9h. 30m. in foresail, while taking it in saw
land on starboard bow; stopped engines, put helm hard
a-port, reversed engines full speed ; ship came up to
N.N.E., afterwards to N.E. and stopped ; clewed sails
up." (Then follow details of proceedings as to after oc-
currences, when she was thumping and in the breakers.)
The following note appears to have been added to the
log, probably when the excitement was over ;—" At 7h.
the captain remarked to me that the ship ought to be
well up to the Calf of Man lights, as the log showed she
had run her distance. lie asked if the log glass was
correct, which was a new one, and found correct. At
Bh. the sails were trimmed for hauling the ship up N.
by E., after doing which observed the light, and kept
ship off again to N.W. half N.; squared yards. The
captain said the ship had run her distance, but supposed
the light was the Calf light, and that one of them was
obscured by the thick weather."
On examining Captain Hosken's chart, on which are
his cross bearings of the supposed points of the Isle of
Man, of which so short and indistinct a glimpse was
caught, I find it is addressed to the Mayor and Town
Council of Liverpool, published by John and Alexander
Walker, agents to the Admiralty, 72, Castle-street,
Liverpool, and 9, Castle-street, London, 1846. It was
bought by Captain Hoskes, when going out on his
previous voyage in June, as the latest and most correct
chart, but in it is no mention whatever of a revolving or
intermitting light, or any other light whatever on St.
John's point. There, however, the light is; and it is
now my business to show that had the light been, as it
ought to have been—having been in use for three years
(if I am correctly informed)—in the chart, or had there
been no light at all on that point, the accident would
not have happened. On taking his departure from the
Bell Buoy Captain Hosken steered precisely the same
course as the Windsor, constant steamer to Belfast,
was steered by her captain on Saturday last, N.W. by
N., and that is the correct course for the Calf of Man.
St. John's point also bears N.W. by N. from the Bell
Buoy. Captain Hosken calculated his speed to be 11
knots; it really was more, and his ship no doubt was
ahead of his calculation four or five miles. A glimpse
was caught of the Isle of Man, but the lights on the
Calf were never seen, which I account for by the fact
that it was very thick, and between sunset and dark, when
she passed probably four or five miles to the south.
Had it been quite dark she would probably have
seen them, and had she seen them the accident could not
have happened, as he would have steered away his North
Channel course after rounding them. At seven, it ap-
pears by the first officer's note to his log, the captain re-
marked she must be well up with the if lights. There
is no doubt he had even then passed them, but he had a
fine open channel of more than thirty miles between them
and the Irish coast. He informed me that he then said
as he could not see them he should alter his course, at
eight, shorten sail, and go easy for the North Channel,
which intention he had begun to put in practice ; and
this was the right practice, and if pursued, all would
have been well, as he would soon have made the next
proper light in his course of north by east—the South
Rock, to the North of Strangford Lough entrance (albeit
as he candidly admits, a half-dozen miles nearer than he
expected), when this St. John's light, of which he had
never heard, and which is not named in his chart, is all
at once seen, and that, too, within the exact bearing of
the Calf of Man lights, supposing he had not passed
them. The course was again altered • the St. John's
light was treated as the. Calf of Man lights would have
been had they been seen—i. e., given such a berth as
insured clearing the Hen and Chickens, and then rounded,
and then, instead of being in a deep water channel, the
ship takes the ground about a league to the west of this, at
best, deceiving light, and, in his case, decided decoy duck.
In hastening to get this letter off, knowing the anxiety
of my colleagues, I write under some excitement, and
under most unpleasant circumstances; due allowances
should, therefore, be made. lam quite aware of all that
may be said by nautical men. 1 know, from my own
thoughts, before I saw the chart in Captain Hoskeres
possession, how many strong questions may be put as to
distance and speed—as to one set of lights revolving
every two minutes, St. John's light every minute only.
To all of them I answer, it is easy to say the door should
have been locked after the horse has been stolen. It
was hard to make out lights at all; and, as to counting
differences of time under some circumstances, it is im-
possible, or next to it. The facts are simple:—The
captain's judgment was right up to the time of his seeing
this not laid down light, and puzzled, as he states him-
self to have been, to account for not being further a head
when he took it for the Calf, he acted by that light, as
I verily believe, most men would have acted under simi-
lar circumstances.
I have only to add my meed of praise for all that has
been done by Captain Hosken since the occurrence—my
admiration of his manly bearing uuder circumstances
that might well have crushed a weaker mind, and of the
discipline and good conduct of the officers and men under
his command, who are working gallantly, I may say,
under circumstances of great trial and difficulty, if not
of danger.
The
sw
were
eder
herself so
and seas at high water, which, in my humble opinion,
perfectly fheictthl ye r
tcoo correct,
shocks from
therolslheirsp
would by the end of last week have broken up the
strongest wooden ship that ever was built.
The ship lies in the worst position for coming off ;
still, if we are favoured with tolerable weather, I see at
present no reason to doubt her being afloat by the end
of the week.—Yours truly,
CHRISTOPHER CLAXTON.
W. M. Bennett, Esq., Secretary.

THE MAILS FOR LISBON AND THE CAPE OE GOOD
HOPE.—In consequence of her Majesty's sloop Bull-
dog, which was to have conveyed mails for Lisbon and
the Cape of Good Hope, having
. experienced some
damage ten days ago, which. obliged. her to put k
Devonport, the following notice was u.isued, yesterday at
sloop Bull
the General: Post-office:—" Her Majesty.
to Io and the
Dog has been ordered not to p
dispatched to the . Cape. of Go?
~
d Hope, of the sailing ot
Capee
do
.f Good
AnotherH ope . The
f hemr mails have
ehe. easevtd;
,a
ships therefore been
vsill rbee.
Cape of Good Hope. The mails have therefore been re..
turn
which due intimation will be given.
FALL 01' A MANUFACTORY AND Loss OF LIFE..."
Between eleven and twelve o'clock on Wednesday morn-
ing the inhabitants of Burfield were alarmed by a loud
crash followed ,by cries for aid, occasioned by the falling
in of a buildingused as a rope mat manufactory. The
building consisted of one large room on the basement.,
and another immediately over it. From ten to fifteen per-
sons were usually employed in the upper room. In the
rear of the factory is a plot,of ground which has been
excavated to a considerable depth for building purposes,
and the wall of the manufactory next‘to the excavated
ground having given way, nearly the entire building
fell into the hollow. The scene that presented itself to
the lookers-on was heartrending in the extreme. Many
of the workpeople were lying around, partially buried
amongst the falling rubbish. A number of perms were
quickly engaged in extricating the sufferers, several of
whom were conveyed to the infirmary seriously injured.
The bodies of a man and a girl, both quite dead, were
afterwards dug out of the ruins. It has been aseertained
that there were eleven persons at work in the manufac-
tory when the accident occurred—namely, four men,
three women, and four children. Nine out of the num-
ber aro more or less injured. One man has a broken
leg and head severely injured, and another of, the men
several ribs fractured and both arms dislocated. Two
of the women and one of the children have sustained
some severe injuries, but the remainder of the persons
who were within the building have escaped with compa-
ratively but slight injury.
EALT INDIA HOUSE MUSEUM.—The museum at the
East India House, in Leadenhall-street, having been for
some time closed, will be re-opened to the public as usual
to-morrow (Saturday).