The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-23 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF THE MALABAR,

The Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for
Trade have received the following report of the
officers who were appointed to institute an inquiry
into the circumstances attending the loss of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Mala-
bar in the harbour of Point de Galle :

"Her Majesty's steamer Cyclops, Point de Galle
June 2.

" Sir,—ln compliance with the directions con-
tained in your order of the 30th of May, authoris-
ing us to receive evidence in connexion with the
loss of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
steamer Malabar in this harbour on the afternoon
of the 22d May, we have held a full investigation
into the causes occasioning the loss of that ship, col-
lecting all the evidence bearing on the subject, as
well as that relating to the position of the Malabar
before the accident, and the position of the buoy
marking the Veluraka Shoal.
" Although by the wording of your order we are
not supposed to adjudicate on the merits or de-
merits of the mass of evidence which we have the
honour to forward, yet, as the only object of this
inquiry was to elicit the truth connected with the
disaster, we conceive that in any future investiga-
tion it would be of advantage to possess the unpre-
judiced opinion of ourselves as local examiners.
" We find that the Malabar arrived in Galls on
Sunday the 20th, and was piloted into harbour by
Mr. Emmanuel Daviot, one of the three senior
pilots of Galle, and, according to his statement,
the ship was anchored in the position usually as-
signed to the steamers running between Bombay
and China. This position will he found on en-
closed tracing, fixed by angles taken on the spot
pointed out by the pilot :—Lighthouse, Schwartz
Fort, 4913; pilot's tree, 57.53, 4.1 fathoms,
sand. Unfortunately, no cross-bearings of the
vessel's position were taken by the officers of the
Malabar, and we have, therefore, only the pilot's
statement to rely on, and see no reason to question
its truthfulness. Taking for granted, therefore,
that the position marked in tracing be correct (con-
firmed by the one bearing taken from the Malabar's
log) we find that the vessel, with 30 fathoms at the
bitts, and with a length of keel of 200 feet, should
have swung about 18 fathoms clear of the buoy,
and her not doing so is to us a conclusive proof
that the ship dragged her anchor during the heavy
north-east squall on the afternoon of the 22d.
"Great difference of opinion exists respecting the
exact position of the buoy when the vessel first
struck. That the buoy was carried away no one
questions.
" The one now marking the shoal is declared by
the acting-master-attendant and pilot to be nearly
in the exact place the other occupied. Its situa-
tion has been fixed by angles taken by ourselves,
and we have also sounded in all directions outside
it without getting less than 41 fathoms.
"In the absence, therefore, of any conclusive evi-
dence to the contrary, we deem this confirmatory
of the statement made by the master-attendant and
pilots, that the buoy was properly marking the
shoal in questioff at the time of the accident.
" We beg to call your attention to the fact that
by the custom of the port merchant vessels arein-
variably moored with both bowers, especially at
this season of the year, and the orders to the pilots_
are not to leave the ship till she is so secured-,
"The reasons assigned by the pilot fo'_ not carry-
ing out this essentially necessary r'::s steamers are,
te on board the
Pcninsular and Oriental c,rapany
,
that as the ships frequently remain only a short
time in the harbour, mooring with both anchors
would entail increase of labour: and loss of time.
" In conclusion, it is our opinion that the loss of
the Malabar was attributable to the extreme vio-
lence of the squall from such an unexpected quar-
ter, and that the evidence tends to prove that no-
thing could nave been done to prevent the calamity
during the short time that elapsed between the
bursting of the squall and the striking of the ship."