The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-06 00:00:00

ARRIVAL OF THE BOMBAY.

PLYMOUTH, SUNDAY.
The Bombay, hired troop ship, Capt. Flamank,
arrived at this port early this morning in tow of
her Majesty's steam ship Argus, Commander In-
gram, which had been despatched from Portsmouth
to assist the unfortunate vessel into this port.
It will be recollected that this vessel sailed from
Gravesend on the 7th November, having embarked
on the 6th the following troops for India :—Ensign
C. H. Atkinson and 11 men of the 61st Regiment,
and 43 men of the 94th from Chatham, one subal-
tern and 34 men of the 7th (Princess Royal's) Dra-
goon Guards, 64 men of the 17th Lancers, Captain
Charles Steel and 23 men, Ensign Arthur S. Gil-
bert and 13 men of the 70th Regiment, Ensign S.
Brown and 12 men of the Ist battalion of King's
Own, two men of the 33d (Duke of Wellington's)
Regiment from Fermoy, 61 men of the 71st High-
landers from Aberdeen, and 57 gunners of the
Royal Artillery from Woolwich. The Bombay is
one of the old EaSt India Company's ships, built of
teak, and of great strength, as shown in the fact
that, though subjected to a severe trial, she does
not leak much more than is ordinarily the case.
The evidence of those on board would impute to
the captain over reliance on his ship and the exer-
tions of his crew ; and it is a matter of inquiry as
to the state of the rigging, of which so great a com-
plaint is made by those on board. The 500 tons of
railway iron on board is also said to have been
badly stowed lengthways, and contributed greatly
to the labouring of the vessel, and to her great
strength is attributed her weathering her great
trials. She is about five feet eight inches between
main, and only five feet three inches between orlop
deck, which was incommoded by some rigging, and
by cattle and poultry, &c. It was on this deck the
100 soldiers to be embarked at Cork were to have
been accommodated. Since the 16th the soldiers
and crew have been on short allowance, and from
the disordered state of the ship it has been impos-
sible to get an,y food or rest with ordinary comfort.
It is but fair to Captain Flamank to say he
bears the highest possible character as a sea-
man, and that the feeling evidently prevailing
against him on board arises from his not yielding
too readily to the fears of the less experienced on
board, as shown in his declining to seek assistance
until urged to do so by the captain in charge of the
troops. The total loss is 13 drowned and one
killed, all of the ship's company. The troops,
women, and children were all well, though their
sufferings appear to have been most severe, but for
which the circumstances afford greater excuse than
those on board appear to admit of. That they
should have been • huddled together on the orlop
deck, with dead and dying cattle, and without ven-
tilation sufficient to secure healthy respiration, was
the result of the unfortunate circumstances. The
fault lies with those who certified the fitness of the
vessel for the reception of the number of souls
placed on board, or who allotted such mixed accom-
modation to huthan beings, cattle, poultry, and
ship's stores.
The evidence subjoined, from parties on board,
will enable those concerned to form the best opinion
of the melancholy circumstances attending the
Bombay.
Captain Steel, of the 17th Lancers, was the
senior officer in charge of the troops, all the other
officers being very young, and most of the men are
inexperienced, and therefore unused to that dThci-
pline so much of use under trials and difficulties.
Captain Steel, however, by his excellent example,
rendered the men very useful in assisting in work-
ing the ship after her difficulties came upon her.
Captain Steel states that for a fortnight he never
took off his clothes, but always lay down dressed
for any emergency, and complains that sufficient
efforts were not made to get into Cork—off which
the:ship was within 15 miles on the afternoon of
the 16th ult. Had the vessel put in to take the
additional troops, as was intended, she would have
escaped the fearful gale, and all would have gone
well. On the 16th, when the foretopgallant mast
went by the board, the weather was very severe,
and the condition of the rigging such as not to
make the accident a matter of surprise. On the
17th they passed a steamer, but did not speak her,
nor did Captain Flamank cause the signal of dis-
tress to be run up. No other steamer came within
signal distance till the Argus hove in sight.
On the evening of the 23d the hurricane was
very severe, and the ship refused to answer the
helm, and the foremast wentoverboard. An Ame-
can hove in sight, but Captain Flamank still de-
clined to have the signal of distress exhibiteduntil
Captain Steel, in the presence of all the officers,
expostulated with him, and said he (Capt. Steel)
felt bound, as the senior officer of the troops, and
in consideration of the many souls on board, to pro-
test against permitting another chance of relief to
pass unchallenged. The distress signal was then
hoisted, and the ship came alono•Side intending to
remain in company, but during the night the force
of the weather. so increased that she was compelled
to leave. They did not subsequently fall in with
any ship sufficiently large to render any assistance.
Captain Steel further states that after the accident
six days were allowed to pass before the jury masts
were rigged. During this period something he
thinks might have been done, and he also complains
that the captain:of the Bombay should not have been j
so reluctant after the wreck to accept assistance.
Serjeant Phillips, of the 61st Regiment, says he
had been to sea before, and his impression was that
the rigging of• the vessel was weak, and that she
was sent to sea in too great a hurry—that she rolled
fearfully even before the lsss of the masts. He also
says that Captain Flamank declined assistance
after the vessel became a wreck. When hailed he
would reply " All right enough," and that he did
not need help. Drew, the seaman who was at the
helm when the foremast went by the board, said
that the ship Was good, but the rigging bad; the
man declined, in consequence, to go aloft, but the
captain persisted in ordering them to do so, They
did go at last, following the first mate, Mr. Paul,
and fell over oil the yards.
Seieral sailors confirmed this statement, and
added: that the second mate, Mr. Petherick, went
aloftfirst, but that the men declined to follow him.
They were then given grog, and Mr. Paul encou-
raged them to go, taking the lead himself. The
captain again wanted the men to go aloft a few
minutes before the foremast went overboard, and
when it was supported by only one shroud—they
refused to go, and presently the mast fall.
Thomas Wiles, seaman, said, the Bombay left
Gravesend on Nov. 7. On the 12th and 13th she
lost tuiree topgallantmasts and yards, on the 16th
lost main and mizen-masts, 18 men with the chief
mate; being on the topsailyards at the time ; six
were saved, all the others drowned. On the 17th
the jiliboom and fiying-jibboom were carried away.
On the 22d the spare and long boat broke adrift,
carried away the bulwarks and went overboard.
On the 23d the foremast went by the board, and
by the 27th all the boats had been lost. Dec. 2,
Quartermaster James Alcock, whilst unshearing
the jury mizenmast, was drowned, there being no
boats. to attempt to save him. At this time the
ship was drifting. The names of the men on the
yards on the 16th were :
Alfred Goodeve Paul, of Topsham, first mute ;
Alexander Mayor, boatswain's mate; Richard Cur-
tis, ditto ; Christopher Pollard, A.B. ; Edward
Lynes, ditto ; James Edwards, ditto ; Peter John-
son, ditto ; John Tipping, ordinary ; Sears,
ditto "Kayl Carlson, ditto ; John Bruce. All the
above were drowned.
Charles Kirby, A. 8.; Thomas James, ditto; Brady,
ditto; • Ellis, ditto ; Smith, ditto; Simmings. These
were saved; but Brady sustained a fracture of the
leg, which is now under treatment by the medical
officer'of the ship.
The.following is the official account of the Bom-
bay's voyage from her log :
" Nov. 7.—The Bombay sailed from Gravesend, taking
the troops as per list given elsewhere, and bound to Cork,
She had a crew of 62
to take on board the •
hands, consisting of Capt. Flamank, four mates, steward,
and four cuddy servants, surgeon, carpenter, boatswain,
sailmaker, butcher, carpenter's mate, two boatswain's mates,
and the remainder able and ordinary seamen, most of the
latter being Greeks, Italians, and other foreigners, several
of them incapable of speaking English. They had. a fine run
down channel, landing the pilot off the Owers light ; and
then proceeding on. The ship's log is nearly as follows:
"Nov. 10, 9 p.m.—Sighted Ballycotton, light bearing
NI E. Not deeming it prudent to stand further to the
westward, wore ship at nine p.m. At same time the wind
increasing to a gale, heavy squalls, and a long searunning,
ship labouring very heavily.
" Nov. 11.—Blowing a hard gale ' • carried away the fore •
top sailsheet, and split the sail; 5.30 a.m., increasing gale,
ship labouring most violently, straining heavily ; carried
away the maintopsailsheet and split the sail to ribbons, un-
beatit, and sent it down. The maixtroyalwat was deo