The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-06 00:00:00

The Foundering of the Ship London.

•

Yesterday, at the Greenwich Police-court, the
official inquiry instituted by the Board of Trade,
into the melancholy circumstances attendant on the
loss of the ship London, in the Bay of Biscay, on
the 11th of January, was resumed before Mr.
Trail, the stipendiarymagistrate, and Capt. Harris,
and Capt. Baker, the two nautical assessors.

Mr. O'Dowd continued to conduct the case on
behalf of the Board of Trade ; Mr. W. M. Hitch-
cock was present on behalf of Mr. Cutting, whose
daughter was a passenger en board the vessel ; Mr.
C. Wigram, of the firm of Messrs. Wigram and
Son, chief owners of the ship, was again in attend-
ance.

The first witness examined on this, the seventh
day of the inquiry, was—
Daniel Thomas Smith, of the Bull's Head, High-
street, Shadwell, who was examined by Mr. O'Dowd
and said—l was boatswain's mate on board the
London on her last voyage. I have been 17 years
at sea, chiefly on foreign voyages. When we left
Plymouth the weather was very fine, and so it con-
tinued till Sunday, the 7th, when the wind fresh-
ened and increased in violence till Monday, and
then it blew half a gale from the SW. We were
going under steam, head to wind.

To Captain Harris—lt was treble-reefed-topsail
weather.

Mr. O'Dowd—At six p.m., it blew a gale, and
we were under mizenstaysail, foretopsail, maintop-
mast staysail, and reefed spanker. We were on the
starboard tack. About eight o'clock the maintop-
sail was carried away. Nothing more of conse-
quence occurred till Tuesday morning, when at
nine o'clock, the jibboom was carried away, and at
the same time the vessel pitched and further carried
away the foretopmast, foretopgallantmast, and main-
royal mast. No injury was done to the ship by this
loss. The jibboom went overboard on the starboard
side, and the masts hung down abaft. We tried to
cut away the wreck of the masts, but only partially
succeeded. We got ropes and secured the foretop-
mast to the foremast ; the mainroyal was left hang-
ing, but not in a situation to do harm. In the after-
noon of the *following day (Wednesday), we got
in the jibboom, which had been' floating alongside
all night. We tried to get the jibboom in on Tues-
day, but we did not succeed till Wednesday even-
ing. After we got it on board we lashed it to the
after part of the rigging on the port side. We lashed
it to ring bolts. The flying jibboom was got in
shortly afterwards, and lashed by the after hatch-
way on the port side. The length of the piece of
flying jibboom that was on board was about 25ft.,
and passed the engine room hatchway. The cir-
cumference was 28 or 30 inches. I lashed the after
end of the flying jibboom myself. I took five turns
with a 2i-inch rope, and fastened it to the after
stanchions of the staircase of the after hatchway. I
did not see the vessel's head turned. Ido not know
when she was turned round. I saw the flying jib-
boom the same evening quite safe. I did not see it
loose at all. I did not at any time see it sweeping
and striking against the combings of the engine-
room skylight.
Mr. O'Dowd—l have a statement here taken
down from you by the clerk, from which it appears
that you said you saw the flying jibboom flying
about on the deck, and striking against the comb-
ings.

Witness replied that he did not see this, nor did
he say that he did.

Pressed on this point by Mr. Traill, the witness
repeated again and again that he never did see the
spar flying about the deck and striking against the
combings of the engine-room hatchway, and that
he never said he did.

Examination by Mr. O'Dowd resumed—l did not
see the jibboom again, after 7 o'clock on Wednes-
day evening, till about an hour after the engine-
room hatchway had been carried away. This was
on Wednesday night. I then saw the jibboom put
endways down the hatchway in order to support the
sails and tarpaulins. I did not see it unlashed. The
men had it adrift on the port side, and I assisted
them in putting it down the hatchway.
Mr. O'Dowd—l believe the ship was making a
considerable quantity of water at that time ?

Witness—All the water she made was taken down
the hatchway. The scuppers were blocked up with
coals before the hatchway was knocked off, and
afterwards. Some of the coals were thrown over-
board. 'The scuppers were open to the deck. Two
of the after starboard scuppers were obstructed by
the coals, and I tried to put them right with a piece
of bent iron. I believe the ship had no water ports
to discharge water from the deck. The flying jib-
boom having been put down the hatch Way we
stuffed sails and mattresses in as well as we could.
We did this as well as we could ; but the sea drove
us away from the hatchway. We could not put a
tarpaulin on. I was not on deck when the jibboom
was put on the board deck. I went below at twelve
o'clock at noon, on the Wednesday, and the ship
was then on the starboard tack. I returned to the
deck at four, and she was then on the port tack. I
then remained on deck till the next day at two,
when we left the ship, going down occasionally to
gs. The ship remained
foent cthh
eu
spa sailsm
same
t tack
kd tillother
one thin
o
clock on Thursday, an
hour before we left in the boat. At that time she'
wore round on the starboard tack.
Mr. Train—Are you sure of that ?
Witness—Yes.
To enable you to lower the port cutter ?—Yes ;
her head came up to the wind.
To Captain Harris—l don't know how the wind
was. We went away before the wind. Our course
was NNE, but we had to keep the ship to the south-
ward and eastward, to keep her before the sea. The
wind was then dead aft. On Monday, the Bth, the
ship was under sail ; and I believe the steam was
also up. I believe the steam was stopped at four
in the afternoon of Tuesday, to set the maintopsail.
I was on deck when the jibboom was carried away.
We were then on the starboard tack. Prior to that
the ship was pitching very heavily. The jibboom
went overboard and shifted from one bow to the
other. I suppose the ship tacked while I was be-
low. The watches ceased to be kept regularly after
four o'clock on Wednesday, when we were all
turned out to get in the wreck. The lashings of
the jibboom were sufficient to hold. At the time
the stern lights were driven in I was below getting
up sails. I never saw a sail rolled up and pitched
into the hatchway instead of being opened and
spread over the aperture. I never mid so that
I remember. There was a great deal of water
in the after saloon of the main deck. I did not
notice the stern dead lights; and cannot say whether
the water came in through them. As soon as the
hatchway was carried away pumps were set to work.
Fire was lighted in the donkey engine to work the
pumps, and it was going when we left the ship. The
flying jibboom was lashed to the deck as soon as it
was brought up ; it was not lying about the deck
loose for 24 hours.

To Mr. saw no loose spars knocking
about on the deck. I saw the skylight on the deck
just after it was knocked off lying on the starboard
side. An attempt was made to replace it. I as-
sisted, but it was smashed to pieces. We could not
get it on on account of there being so much sea on
deck. In a quarter of an hour it was smashed. I
did not see the tarpaulin. I don't know what the
skylight weighed.

Mr. Wigrarn, in reply to Captain Harris, said the
skylight might weigh a couple of tons.
To questions of Captain Harris, the witness re-
plied that, to the best of his belief, the ship was not
making water before the hatchway skylight was
carried away. He assisted in putting a sail over
the aperture and nailing it down to the deck.
To Captain Baker--I cannot say that I saw the
yards squared so that the ship might be kept before
the wind to get back to Plymouth. I do not re*-
member the ship being before the wind except for a
short time before we left. The ship was on a wind
on the port tack when the maintopsail was split. I
was on deck when the sail was set. When it split
one half was blown away. the engines were going
when the jibboom pitched away. I had never been
a voyage in the London before. The ship did not
appear to labour more than other ships in such
weather. The weather was very rough, with a cross
high sea. This was my first voyage in a steam-
ship.

To Mr. Traill—When the ship wore she went