The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-30 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF THE LONDON.

OFFICIAL INQUIRY—(TEIIS DAY).
The inquiry into the causes connected with this
terrible calamity was resumed this morning, at the
Greenwich Police-court, before Mr. Trail, the magis-
' trate, and Captains Baker and Harris, the asses-
sors appointed by the Board of Trade.
The evidence taken yesterday related principally
to the construction of the vessel. This morning
Mr. Thomas William Warren was called. He
said,—l am surveyor to Lloyd's Register of British
and Foreign Shipping. That association is estab-
lished for the purpose of furnishing records to under-
writers, merchants, and shipowners of the qualities
of British and foreign shipping. I have been act-
ing surveyor to this association for twelve years.
My duties are to look after the building of vessels,
and to see that they aro constructed according to
rules. I inspected the London while she was build-
ing, and, with reference to the rules, I examined her
structure and materials. The materials used in the
building of the London were of the best description,
and the workmanship was of equal quality with the
other. I examined the iron used in her plates—the
quality was Weardale best best. The witness here
gave in detail the thicknesses of the iron plates used
in the building of the vessel. The upper deck was
yellow pine, 4 inches thick, fastened with screw
bolts to the beams. She had five water-tight
bulkheads. Two of them had sliding doors—
one between the engine room and reserve, and the
other at the fore part of the screw tunnel, which
would be the after bulkhead of the engine. Her
bowsprit and lower masts were of iron, double
rivetted at the butts and edges. All the masts went
down to the keelsom except the mizenma,st, which
was stopped on the orlop deck beams. The top-
masts were of iron ; the yards, except the lower
and topsail yards, were of steel. Her standing
rigging was of wire, and the running of hemp of
the best quality. She had two lifeboats, two long
boats, and three other boats. She had a patent
windlass and capstan, and steam winch, which was
fitted to work the pumps. She had two iron pumps
on deck and her engine pump. The rest of her
outfit was in strict conformity with Lloyd's rules.
She was classed "A a 1." She would maintain
that class until objection was made at the periodical
examination which it was imperative she should
undergo. I surveyed her last December, and the
result of that examination was that she was found
in every respect in good coalition. She was as
good as she was in the beginning. I concur with
Mr. Gladstone in his opinion with respect to her
seaworthiness. I heard the evidence of Mr. Barber
relative to the protection of the engines and fires
from heavy seas, and I have considered the question
as to how the engine hatchway should be protected
against such occurrences. I agree with Mr. Barber
that his plan is right in spar-decked vessels, and can
be very easily carried out ; but in vessels with poops
and forecastles there is a great objection to it,
unless the engines were right aft, and then the plan
can be adopted. I never saw any vessel better
fitted than the London, except those intended to be
overladen or blockade runners. I think that the
combings of the London might have been of iron,
as it was possible for accidents to occur. I should
also have a wooden cover for them, although when
the covers were on ventilation would be interfered
with. As soon as the engine-room gets hot up
comes the engineers and down goes the engine, so
that they might as well have none at all. If I went
to sea myself, I should not require any other pro-
tection than those on board the London.

[We shall continue the report in our late edition,
by which time, it is expected, some of the crew and
passengers will have been examined.]

A portion of the following appeared in our impression of
yesterday :
The official inquiry into the circumstances con-
nected with the loss of the Australian steam-ship
London, which foundered in the Bay of Biscay on
the 10th inst., opened this day at the Greenwich
police-court, before Mr. Traill, the magistrate at-
tached to the court, and Captains Harris and
Baker, the nautical assessors appointed by the
Board of Trade.
The court was extremely crowded, and the
greatest interest was manifested in the painful in-

Mr. O'Dowd, the barrister, attended on the part
of the Board of Trade. He said, in his opening
observations, that he was nearly overpowered with
the duty of introducing the tragical circumstances
connected with the loss of the auxiliary steam-ship
London, which foundered on her voyage to Aus-
tralia. He would not attempt a description of the
terrible matters attending that melancholy event,
because the public had been made so painfully
aware of them by the public press. He should, in
the first place, therefore, offer evidence as to the
structure of the ship, and:the material of which the
hull was constructed ; secondly, he should apply
himself to the question as to whether the owners of
the vessel had complied with the provisions of the
Passenger Act, and for that purpose he should call
before them the best evidence it was possible
to obtain. He should call before them gentlemen
of the greatest ability who had examined the
vessel at the time she was built in 1864, and also
those who had twice examined the ship in order
that she might obtain her certificate as a passenger
ship. He should, in the next place, address himself
to the cargo and dead weight on board the ship,
which would be found to be .347 tons 4 cwt. 3
quarters, consisting of sheet-iron, shot, nails, rock
and other materials, and a quantity of other articles
which could not be classed as dead weight. The
value of the cargo on board amounted, he was told,
to £127,074. The next thing he should direct the
attention of the Court to was the quantity
of coal actually on board the London. There
were on board the vessel 45 tons of coal re-
maining from her 'previous voyage ; there were
shipped in London 460, less 48 tons expended on
her voyage to Plymouth. Fifty tons were placed
on board at Plymouth, making a gross of 508 tons.
Ho should call before them. the parties actually
engaged in storing the cargo, and every one who
could throw the slightest light on the terrible cala-
mity. The learned gentleman then proceeded to
give the exact details and measurement of the ship,
and then referred to the owners of the vessel, which,
he said, belonged to the Messrs. Wigram 56 shares,
Messrs. Morgan four shares, and her ill-fated com-
mander, Capt. Martin, to the extent of four shares.
The vessel left the London Docks Dec. 29, under the
command of Captain Martin and a Trinity House
pilot. Her draught of water, according. to this
atafttheer
pilot, whom he should call, was 19ft. 9in. forward,
and 20ft. 9in. aft. The vessel
Gravesend,etdh e 30 th ,
embarking a portion of her
leftpassengers,e
aanchored
hoonr
land owing to stress of weather sh.
Nore. She got again under weigh. on the Ist of
January with her own steam, the wind blowin.l
6 rom
the S.W. She went down the Channel against
strong head winds. On the 3d the weather became
so boisterous that at about two in the afternoon the
pilot decided on taking her to Spithead, and she
anchored on the Motherbank at 4 p.m., and
laid' there until the 4th, when she steamed out
the wind being S.W. She arrived at Plymouth on
the sth, and at nine o'clock she was boarded
by a
Plymouth pilot, who took her to the Sound, and in
two hours after she was anchored within the break-
water. On the 6th, a short time after 'd •
mi. night,
her anchor was hove off, the weather b • eing mode-
rate, the wind blowing northerly with little or no
sea running, the course steered being s.s.w. and
her speed about eight knots an hour. The Lizard
was sighted about five a.m., when the weather
increased. On the 7th the wind, which was then
westerly increased to violence, which caused the
ship to roll. On the Bth she increased to a
gale, when the captain ordered the fires
to be put out and sails hoisted. On the
9th the wind increased to a strong gale,
when she pitched into much violence. At 7 a.m.
the lifeboat, was stove and carried away with all
her gear. At 9 a.m. the sea struck her • very vio-
lently, and carried away a great portion of her stay-
sails and royals. It continued to blow a severe gale,
and on the morning of the 10th tho gale was still
raging, when the captain gave orders to return to
Plymouth to refit. n the course of the morning
the swing astx were secured and the jibboom
cleared t , which was 48 N. 87 W.