The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-17 00:00:00

ROYAL REFUGE HARBOUR COMMIS-

SION.

INQUIRY AT PORTRUSH.

The Commissioners on Harbours of Refuge
were expected at Portrush on Wednesday last,
but only a portion arrived at Coleman's Hotel,
where they put up, waiting the arrival of the
chirman. On that day and the next Capt. Vetch,
R.E., Capt. Washington, R.N., and other members
of the commission, were engaged in sounding the
site of the proposed harbour at the Skerries and
making observations on the coast. On Friday the
chairman, Rear-Admiral Hope, C. 8., arrived in the
government steamer Banshee at 9.30, and with the
other members of the commission, met in the Earl
of Antrim's office at twelve o'clock. The following
are the names of the commissioners who attended :
—Rear-Admiral Hope, C. 8., W. S. Lindsay, Esq.,
M.P., Captain Washington, R.N., Captain Vetch,
R.E., and John Coote, C.E. Amongst those pre-
sent at the inquiry we noticed the Earl of Antrim,
George Macartney, Esq., M.P., William Dargan,
Esq., Thomas Mackay, Esq., Dublin ; James
Cramsie, Esq., Ballymoney ' • James Thomson,
Esq., Ballymoney ; William Parsons, Esq., Cole-
rain ; W. P. Richardson, Esq., Portrush ; John
Crane, Esq. ; Alexander Keenan, Esq., Bally-
castle ; Councillor Tottenham, Dublin, &c.
The commission having been read by the secre-
tary,
The Chairman called on Mr. Macartney, who he
said had taken a great interest in the matter, to
say whether all parties interested in the subject to
come before them were aware that the commission
were to meet in Portrush.
Mr. Macartney replied in the affirmative, and
went on to say that having been on the Committee
on Harbours of Refuge, he had made out a list of
ten witnesses, with the questions he thought bore
on the subject, which he handed to the chairman.
He had also called a meeting, which was held in
the room they then were in, at which very strong
opinions were expressed as to the necessity of a
harbour of refuge being erected at Portrush. The
three points on which he presumed the commission
would decide were—Did the requirements of the
mercantile marine and other vessels frequenting
the north, about Passage, require a harbour of
refuge between the Lough of Belfast and Long
Island ? Is Skerries the most fit and proper place
for such a harbour, more so than either Lough
Foyle, Lough Swilly, or Loughandall were said to
be ; and third, Can the work, as proposed by B. D.
Gibbons, Esq., engineer to the Board of Works,
be completed for the sum named, £100,0000?
Having remarked that the Earl of Antrim, lord
of the soil, had commissioned him to say, that he
would look for remuneration for the material taken
off the mainland to make the breakwater, and that
he would give a free site for the necessary buildings
during the work, Mr. Macartney concluded by
handing in the list of witnesses.
Counsellor Tottenham asked if he would be
allowed to cross-examine any of the witnesses, with
a view to bring out facts which might escape the
attention of the court. He appeared on behalf of
certain memorialists, who sent in a memorial from
Ballycastle—that memorial, he understood, being
in the hands of the commission.
The Chairman explained that the memorial had
reached them such a short time previously that he
had not had time to take it into consideration ; but
Counsellor Tottenham had the privilege of putting
down on paper any questions he chose, and if the
commissioners thought them relevant they would
put them to the -witnesses at the close of their exa-
mination.
Not being prepared to adopt this course, Mr.
Tottenham complied with a suggestion of the chair-
man that he would meet the commission in
Belfast on Monday.
Mr. Samuel Patten, harbour-master at Portrush,
was then examined, and gave very strong evidence
as to the necessity there existed for a harbour of
refuge on the coast as a protection to life and pro-
perty during the prevalence of west and north-west
gales, which blow very strong on that coast for
about eight months in the year. He said several
of the wrecks which had occurred would have been
prevented had there been a harbour of refuge at
the Skerries. He spoke decidedly as to the closing
of the Vickery, or west sound of the Skerries, and
leaving the leeward sound open. He believed there
was good holding ground in the roadstead.
James Campbell, for 55 years a pilot on the coast,
gave it as his opinion that the Skerries was the most
suitable place in the north of Ireland for a harbour
such as that proposed. The holding ground was
blue clay, covered with sand, and it took a good
heave to pull an anchor once it was fairly held.
The most dangerous winds were west and north-
west, and from both of these the Skerries would be a
complete protection if the works proposed were
carried out. Two ships, the Exmouth and Reliance,
which were lost, would have been saved had a har-
bour of safety been accessible at Portrush.
Mr. Hutchins, second master and chief officer of
coast guard, gave very strong evidence recommend-
ing the construction of a harbour of refuge at Port-
rush. He also adiocated the closing of the small
sound.
Mr. A. M'Alister, who has been 27 years in the
coast guard, 18 years of which he was stationed at
Portrush, said that from the great increase of ship-
ping frequenting the north-about passage he had
not the slightest hesitation in saying that a har-
bour of refuge at the Skerries was indispensably
necessary. He had seen six outward and one in-
ward-bound passing Portrush in one afternoon.
The wind was generally from W.N.W. to N.W.,
and when the wind was from the S.E. it very often
suddenly chopped round to N.W., particularly in
squally weather.
Mr. Gage, Of Newtonlimady, who had previously
been engaged in the shipping trade, was next ex-
amined, and gave it as his most decided opinion
that the harbour should be erected.
Mr. G. Scott, for 38 years pilot on the coast, also
gave evidence in its favour, and said that Loughan-
dall was useless as a harbour of refuge, and that
Bally castle bay was never used for anything but to
"dodge" a tide in, and had gone as far as Belfast
Lough when caught in a gale trying to get into
Lough Foyle, a: distance of 55 miles. Would have
run into Portrush if a, harbour had been there. He
thought that if one life were saved by the erection
of the harbour, the work should be entered on.
Capt. Thomson, master mariner since 1843, and
sailing ships in the East and West India trade, was
also of opinion that a harbour should be constructed
at the Skerries.

Capt. W. Johnston, who has been 35 years at sea,
and 25 in command of vessels, spoke strongly in
favour of a harbour of refuge being erected at Sker-
ries for vessels from the Clyde and. Liverpool, all of
which would take the north-about passage to
America if they were sure of , a safety harbour on
the north coast of Ireland.
Barry Duncan Gibbons, Esq., was next examined
as to the practicability of his 'plan of the break-
water, and said he was still of opinion, from the
large quantity of material in the immediate neigh-
bourhood, that the works could be carried out ac-
cording to the plan he estimated from, which was
substantially the same as that appended to the re-
port of the committee of the House of Commons.

William Dargan, Esq., said he had nothing to
add to the views he had already put forward, but
was so confident he could make the breakwater for

£lOO,OOO that he would . sign the contract then
if they gave him the job.
Captain Bedford differed in opinion from the
previous witnesses in their view of the sound to be

closed up. He thought the broad sound should be
closed if an 7 ; but he was of opinion that, except to
convert it into a commercial harbour, it was not

worth the money to make Skerries into a break-
water. It was good for safety already if a light
re placed an it to show mariners the way M at

night:
Captain Fraser, Mr. Hoskyns, and Captain
Magawan, of the Londonderry and Liverpool trade,
all gave evidence in favour of the harbour at

Portrush.
The chairman then asked if any. more witnesses
were to be produced, but none having been ,named
the proceedings terminated.

It is credibly reportedtoomnithbeuirs
Company willd
Owing
General
no dividend at their next meeting.
The shares declined yesterday afternoon to 2 5-16 to 7-16
t he
Ltohnadt, n o
per £4 share.
THE ATI,AN ,
TIC TELEGRAPH.—TllO shares of
this company have experienced a decline to between 420
and 460. It appears the recent experiments induce a belief
that the fracture or fractures—for it is thought there may
bnedtw3go —ll be found to exist at a distance of between 200
miles from the shore. For about 230 or 240 miles
the depth is only 410 fathoms, and within that range the
mischief could easily be repaired, but a sudden descent
awi
then occurs to 1,518 fathoms, where it is extremely doubt-
ful if anything could be done. The probability seems that
it is at this abrupt point the damage has been sustained.
TIIE EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN STEAM SHIP-
PING COMPANY.—The directors have issued a circular to
their shareholders, notifying that they have made an
arrangement with 'Messrs. Croskey and Co. for the settle-
ment of all matters in dispute between that firm and the
board. Messrs. Croskey and Co. are to pay into the hands
of the directors £30,000 forthwith on the attachments being
removed, and are to find the money for sending the Lady
Jocelyn and Calcutta to sea—the two ships under engage-
ment for the conveyance of troops to India. Their agree-
ment is also to be reviewed and reconsidered, with a view
to prevent futummisunderstandinp-s, and the board hope
that -these .and other arrangements will enable them to put
the remaining vessels into profitable employment at an
early period. In the meantime, it is stated to be indispens-
able that parties should come forward to take up the de-
bentures which the holders are not prepared to renew, and
that the board rely on the shareholders coming forward to
assist in the arrangement's which have been partially made
for that strpole,