The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-17 00:00:00

OFFICIAL INQUIRY INTO TILE LOSS

OE THE ROYAL CHARTER.

LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.
The inquiry into the circumstances of the wreck
of the Royal Charter was resumed to-day, at one
o'clock, in the Crown Court, St. George's-hall, Li-
verpool, before Mr. Mansfield, stipendiary magis-
trate, and Captain. Harris, R.N., nautical assessor
for the Board of Trade.
Mr. O'Dowd, as on the previous day, appeared
for the Board ; and Mr. J. B. Aspinall for the
owners of the vessel, Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co.
Owen Williams was the first witness called. He
was examined by Mr. O'Dowd. He said—l was
late quartermaster on board the Royal Charter.
My watch commenced at 8 o'clock in the morning,
and lasted till 12 o'clock. I was from 10 to half-
past 12 o'clock at the wheel. I went below after
that. I came on deck again at four o'clock, I then
remained until six o'clock. I was busy about the
poop from four to six o'clock, doing various duties.
I took the wheel again at eight o'clock. The course
given me was east by south. When I took the helm
there was only the maintop staysail and spanker
set. I remained at the wheel till 25 minutes to
twelve o'clock. The lower main topsail was set be-
fore twelve o'clock. We tried to stay the ship at
this time, by bracing the yards the other way and
squaring them. Th ship was not stayed by this
movement. The helm was put hard a starboard in
order to stay the ship. The port anchor was thrown
out about eleven o'clock. The starboard anchor was
also thrown out about a quarter of an hour after-
wards. We were then steering the same course,
and the helm was still hard a starboard. When the
anchors wore let go she came up east half-north,
and then fell off east south-east again. The -wind
was then about N.N.E. When the anchors were let
down the ship became very steady. She did not ap-
pear to me to be driving at the time. The screw was
kept going all the time. She continued in that state
until the parting of her anchor The lower main-
top-sail was furled after the anchors were let go,
and the spanker was afterwards trailed up. The port
cable gave way at a quarter-past two, and at 20
minutes past three the ship struck upon the sand.
The engines were working all this time, up to the
ship's striking on the sand. It was about five
o'clock when she struck upon the sand. I was in
the forecastle at the time. The ship, in three-quar-
ters of an hour after she struck upon the rocks,
began to break up. I saved myself with the haw-
ser. I saw Captain Taylor several times on deck.
I saw him last at four o'clock. He was then on the
fore part of the poop.
By Mr. Aspinall—Mr. Stephens, first mate, was
forward on the forecastle during the time the haw-
ser was being taken on shore. He was giving di-
rections at that time about the hawser. Mr.
Stephens ordered me to go aft, as soon as the haw-
ser was hauled taut, to get the lady passengers for-
ward, in order to send them ashore. Before I got
aft the ship broke up. 'When I was in the act of
going aft she broke right in the middle before me.
The port side was the highest. She had a starboard
list to windward. I told Mr. Stephens. He had
the charge of the hawser, and would not let any of
the men go on except one or two to keep it going
back and forward. When I told him about the ship
breaking up, he went aft and did not say a word,
and I never saw him afterwards. Mr. Stephens
appeared to me to be most anxious to save the ladies
first. He could have saved himself if he liked.
Mr. Bean, the third officer, could also have saved
himself. The only woman on the forecastle at the
time Mr. Bean was anxious to save, but she was
frightened, and would not go. These officers did
net try to save themselves. I joined the ship on
the 9th of May.
By Captain Harris—About 14 days before land-
ing we experienced some head winds. Wo had.
about 700 tons of coal on board on leaving Mel-
bourne. We did not steam till after passing Cape
Horn, and we had 300 tons on board in the Channel.
We had very flue weather till we got to Queenstown.
I was at the wheel from two to four o'clock on pass-
ing Tusker. The wind freshened up at about five
o'clock in the afternoon. When I came on deck at
six o'clock we had passed the Skerries. There was not
much wind then. The wind was ahead. It began
to blow pretty fresh about half-past nine o'clock.
I was at the wheel at eight o'clock, and steering
east by south. She was carrying a lee helm then.
She carried a topgallant sail at eight o'clock. It
would be about ten o'clock when we neared the
Skerries. She would steam about seven knots in
fair weather. We had all the square sails and all
the fore and aft sails set, when crossing from
Queenstown to Holyhead. I do not think there
were any sails unbent that afternoon. After
coming past the Skerries we carried the helm three
parts a starboard. I was at the wheel when they
let go the anchors. I believe ther s. was a barome-
ter on board, as the officers used to go down to see
the state of the glass. The hawser which was got
on shore was our best. It was a 101 inch Manilla.
It was used for towing us into the port. The peo-
ple on shore gave every assistance as far as I could
see. After Ilanded, about two o'clock in the after-
noon, some one came to the public-house at which
I was to seek for the captain of the lifeboat's crew
to save some people that were wrecked from a
schooner. I was told that the captain was over in
Red-wharf Bay. It was not good daylight when
the ship broke up, but we could see the people on
shore. She gave no notice when she broke in two,
but snapped suddenly. The sea came in a sort of
perpetual roll.
Wm. Foster, being sworn, said—l was carpenter
on board the Royal Charter. About the 24th ult.
she was off Kinsale Head, and reached Holyhead
about half-past four o'clock. I was the principal
carpenter on board the ship. I was on deck when
she came opposite Holyhead. The wind was then
ahead, I think. The wind increased very much
after we left Holyhead. I was on the main deck
about ten o'clock. The wind was blowing pretty
stiff at that time. We found a short time after
that that the ship was drifting towards the shore.
We let go the port anchor to prevent this, in
about 16 fathoms water. We paid out at fir t
about 45 or 50 fathoms, and then we increased it
afterwards to about 90 or 100. There was a suffi-
ciency of hands at the compressor to pay out the
cable. She held for some time after the port anchor
was thrown out, but began to drift afterwards, and
we let go the starboard anchor. We were steaming
all this time. We did not succeed in keeping her
up to her anchors. She dragged her anchors, drift-
ing all the time. I do not think she held for any
length of time after both anchors were let down,
but she did not drift so rapidly as before. The port
chain parted about two o'clock. After the breaking
of the port chain we gave more chain to the star-
board anchor. I assisted in paying out the addi-
tional chain, There was about 90 fathoms paid out.
They afterwards went down to get up the stream
anchor. I stopped on deck to give them a hand
to get it up. We did not throw out the stream
anchor as the starboard cable parted, and then the
stream anchor would have been of no use. Mr.
Stephens was then on deck, and ho told me to cut
away the mainmast. This would be about twenty
minutes or half an hour after the starboard cable
parted. It was a very stout and heavily rigged
mast. It was made of four pieces. It would be about
31t. Bin. or 3ft. 10in. in diameter. The vessel had
not struck upon the sand, I think, when I cut away
the mast. The foremast was pretty nearly the same
as the mainmast, but a little shorter. The mizen-
mast was scarcely 3ft. in diameter, about 32in. The
cutting away of the mainmast had some effect in
stopping the drift of the ship. I cannot say whether
the cutting away of the mast stopped the working
of the screw by entanglement. It would be between
two and three o'clock when the vessel struck upon
the sand. I was on deck when she struck. I cut
away the foremast after she had struck on the sand.
It was Mr. Stephens that also gave him directions
to cut away the foremast. I cannot say that it
would have been prudent to cut away the masts
earlier. I was saved by the hawser. I saw Captain
Taylor on deck at the forecastle when both anchors
were down. The captain appeared to be giving
orders. I saw the vessel breaking up. The tide
slewed her broadside on to the rocks, and she beam
very heavily. The sea was making a clean
breach ever her. She beat against the rocks for
about three-quarters of an hour before she began to
break up. She seemed to twist, and the one part
go one way and the other the opposite way, and she
broke right across at the main hatch. This was my
first voyage on board the Royal Charter. She had
seven water-tight compartments. She struck forward
first on the sand, and she slewed broadside on to
the rocks. I was employed in the repair of the
Royal Charter before she left Liverpool. That was
about three weeks before she left for Melbourne, in
May last. There were a great many others em-
ployed in the repair of the vessel—about 40—the

same time as myself. Messrs. Brown and Martin
were the gentlemen who had the charge of these
repairs. They are shipwrights. They do not build
iron ships. We were caulking the passenger decks,
and a great part of the upper deck, and many other
little jobs. There was nothing done beyond the
ordinary repairs after a long voyage. She was a
big ship, and required that number of men. I can-
not say whether there was any repair done to her
iron plates at this time.
By Mr. Aspinall—She made n.) water till after
she got on to the rocks. Nothing. could have stood
the beating on the rocks without making water.
My opinion of the vessel is that she was a good ship,
and I would have gone in her again if they had
taken me, had she been saved. 1 remember when
we were off Point Lynas signalling for a pilot, and
we continued after that to make signals during the
night. We fired guns, sent up blue lights, and
lighted torches. We put up afllg of distress after
we struck, I believe it is correct that there were