The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-05 00:00:00

LOSS OF THE SCREIV STEAMSHIP

NORTH BRITON.

LIVERPOOL, DEC. 3.

An official inquiry, at the instance of the Board
of Trade, as to the causes which led to the loss of
the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company's screw
steamer North Briton, was commenced to-day
before Mr. Raffles, the stipendiary magistrate, and
Captain Harris, R,N., nautical assessor to the Board.
The inquiry was promoted by Mr. Tyndall, solicitor
to the Board of Trade, and Mr. Squarey, of Messrs.
Duncan, Squarey, and Blackmore, appeared on be-
half of the captain and owners. The vessel, it will
be remembered, was lost, on the morning of the sth
of November, on the Paroquet Islands, on the coast
of Labrador, as she was proceeding on her voyage
from Quebec and Montreal to Liverpool.
Mr. Tyndall, in commencing the inquiry, said the
North Briton was an iron, Clyde-built steamer,
which had been launched in 1858. Her gross ton-
nage was 2,187 tons, and she belonged to the Mon-
treal Ocean Steamship Company. The steamer, he
said, left Quebec on the 2d of November, as well
found in every respect as a ship could be found.
She had a crew of 99 men, all told, 124 passengers,
and a general cargo. Soon after leaving Quebec
she grounded, and remained for about three hours,
after which, not having sustained any apparent
damage, she proceeded on her voyage. She encoun-
tered very boisterous weather until the time at
which she struck on a rock of Paroquet Island.
Fortunately, the whole of the passengers and crew
were saved; but up to the present time not much of
the cargo had been saved. At present the ship was
still on the rocks; it is hoped she will eventually
be got off.
L In answer to a question by Mr. Raffles, Mr. Tyn-
dall said the second officer had been left behind,
with several hands, to watch the wreck, and if he
could save anything of the cargo he would do so.
He proceeded to say that perhaps the Court would
remember that en the occasion of the in-
quiry into the loss of the Canadian, belonging to the
same company, which happened in the Strait of
Belleisle, that vessel was taking the same course as
that adopted by the North Briton ; the owners then
said there were some orders usually given to their
captains as to the course they should take at a par-
ticular season of the year. He had made inquiries
as to any orders having been given to captains as to
the course they should take when leaving in the fall
of the year, and found that the orders only applied
to vessels leaving in the early part of the year.

Mr. Raffles said he had looked at his notes in re-
lation to the case of the Canadian, and found that
the orders only prohibited captains from attempting
that passage before a certain date in the spring, and
the recommendation made by the Court only dealt
with that season of the year.
The first witness called was Robert Brown, chief
officer of the North Briton, who said he held an,
extra master's certificate, having passed an exami-
nation in higher branches of navigation than those
included in the ordinary course. He had been nine
or ten years a master. Had been 24 years at sea,
1 during 16 of which he had been master and chief
mate. Before starting he kad gone over the ship
I thoroughly, and found she was in a very complete
1 state for the voyage. As the vessel was going down
I the river, about 8 o'clock on the 2d ult., the day she
left Quebec, she grounded off Hose Island, and re-
mained till 11 o'clock. Having had the pumps
sounded, it was found she had not sustained any
damage. After passing the Point do Monts, on the
following day, the course was steered for the west
point of Anticosti. The log book was lost, having
been put into a bag belonging to the witness, which
was lost from a schooner into which it was put
after the wreck. Subsequent to passing Point de
Monts the weather was very wet. The ship con-
tinued on her easterly course till noon on the 4th,
going about six knots an hour; her rate of speed
had varied as at different times it blew harder.
Occasionally she was going as much as six or
seven knots, and sometimes not more than four.
At 2 p.m. the course was altered to east-south-east.
About 4 o'clock land was seen, which was thought
to be Thunder Point. No bearings of this land
were taken, because there was nothing to take bear-
ings from. The loom of the land was seen, but no
accurate bearings could be taken, but it was com-
puted to be about five miles distant, In proceeding
soundings were taken about every half hour, or
every quarter of an hour. The la.,t so,:nding,3 be-
fore midnight gave about 65 fathoms ; between 8
and 12 the avenge soundings were 40 fathoms.
About 12 the wind was blowing fresh, with drizzling
rain and a heavy sea on. About 1 20 a.m. witness
was awakened by the ship striking. Before witness
went below full speed was on ' • previous to that the
rate had only been half speed, or less. When the
vessel struck the witness dressed and went on deck.
The master was there then, and the men were com-
mencing to clear the boats. The ship was then
thumping on the rocks. The engineer reported
that water was rushing into the engine room. Wit-
ness assisted in getting out the the boats, six in
number ; four of these were fitted as lifeboats. The
women and children were Elaced in two of the boats,
which were lowered into tEe water. They had re-
ceived instructions to remain by the ship till day-
light, but they broke adrift before that. The whole
fix broke adrift. The ship made water so rapidly
that in less than an hour the water inside was level
with that outside, which Ns as within about two feet
of the 'tween decks on the lee side, the ship having
a list. At daylight it was found that the ship was
ol ti,
4,P aa rno
aq usertelgsalainuedd.
the
nafter daylight boats Nos.
from the Violet
tainedwas
are not inhabited, and are passen-
gers were all landed on '
The weather becamwea thease n Po t a
much r ogue n
at
ore Islands,than which
reef.hi e h
esaonthe 6th, and the aid of
aselovnergaslidseehtohonners
North Briton.
after e
board
obtained, whichh were hauled
ehooner Two
Brothers, after having taken on
possible, sailed for Mingan,as many. as
parting two
cables she was driven ashore, and most of her
lading had to be thrown overboard. The portion
of the mails on board that schooner was saved.
On Sunday, the 10th, all tho passengers and
crew
who had
.remained by the ship were
taken to the
mainland. On the 11th they were
im
•
• ked up by the..A.nglo-S axon, which had been inter-
cepted by one of the schooners. There were four
sets of compasses on board the North Briton, viz.,
masthead, bridge standard, before the mizenmast
The ship's course was al-
on deck, and steering.
ways shaped by
the masthead compass, and there
was no reason to believe that the compasses were
incorrect. From the master
of one of the schooners
witness heard that there had been a very strong
current; that, in fact, the tide had been setting in
one way for four days. When on shore witnessed

examined the sand at Mingan, as he had heard it
was impregnated with iron ore. He found it was
full of a metallic substance.

The next witness called was Thos. Aiton, captain
of the screw steamer Jura. His evidence was in
effect that he left Liverpool for Quebec in the Jura
about the 23d of October. He took the passage
through the Straight of Belleisle, and on the 3d of
November exchanged signals with the North Briton
on her homeward voyage. It was about half-past
4 o'clock in the evening, and, so far as ho remem-
bered, about 25 miles to the east of Cape de Monts.
She was then directly in her course. About 3 o'clock
on the following day he took a pilot for Quebec at
Father Point. His run up the St. Lawrence was
done in a shorter time than it had ever been done
before by any of the steamers belonging to this
line. It was done in 11 hours less than the average.
lie had heard that the tide on this occasion was an
unusually high tide ail over the coast of America.
He knew Capt. Grange well, and had never met his
equal as a navigator, both as regards knowledge
and caution. This witness had sailed as first officer
under Capt. Grange, and had been in the service of
the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company ever since
it started in 1855, and had been two years a cap-
tain in their employment.
Joseph Armstrong, the boatswain's mate, was the
next witness called.

DEC. 4.

The Board of Trade inquiry into the loss of the
screw steamer North Briton was proceeded with
to day. Two or three witnesses were examined,
but they did not show any new feature in connec-
tion with the catastrophe, except the fact that
Alex• Borland, the fourth mate, who was under the
second mate in charge of the ship at the moment
she struck, was keeping, as directed, a course
E.S.E. by the mast-head compass. Did not know
whether the steering compass gave the same indi-
cation as that at the mast-head, or how far it may
have differed from it.
The inquiry was again adjourned.

DOUBLE MURDER ON AN AMERICAN

SHIP AT SEA.

From information received by the American con-
sul at Cardiff, the superintendent, with an effective
staff of constables, repaired to the West Bute Dock
at an early hour on Tuesday morning to await the
arrival of an American ship, Pleiades, on which a
horrible murder had been reported. Thousands
were present to wait the arrival of the ship, and
the police had no easy task to accomplish to keep
the people at bay. At about 10 o'clock the long-
looked for came at last, and eight foreigners
(Italians, Americans, Germans, and Austrians) who
comprised the crew, were immediately arrested on
the charge. Their names were Peter Storey, Peter
Murrier, Irach Jocynine, Martin Sando, Perfeto
Salas, Joseph Mansel, John Mansel, and Peter
Sanga.
From the captain of the ship the following par-
ticulars were afforded :—lt appears that for some
considerable time the crew had manifested very
bitter feelings against the mate of the ship for his
repeated hard conduct towards the men, and accord-
ingly it had at length been decided in council to
murder him on a favourable opportunity presenting
itself. The 12th of last month proved the fatal day
not only for him, but for another poor fellow, who
is supposed to be an unwilling accomplice. The
mate (whose name we have as yet been unable to
ascertain) went, as usual, at an early hour in the
morning to call the men from their sleeping apart-
ments, when he was immediately attacked with
staves, knives, and other dangerous weapons. The
captain, hearing the noise, rushed on deck and fired
on the men, and then, by persuasion and force com-
bined, succeeded in rescuing the victim, but the
injuries were of too severe a character to give the
rescuer any faith in entertaining the slightest hopes
of his recovery. His body presented a frightfully
mangled appearance, and the wounds caused him
the greatest agony. He lingered, by aid of stimu-
lants, not many hours, after which he was, accord-
ing to the custom, thrown overboard. The other
poor fellow, whose name also we have not learnt,
was the interpreter, and was despatched in the
ocean with little or no ceremony, at least so is sup-
posed by the captain, for he missed him without
seeing any struggle or hearing any disturbance.
The villains, however, were not content to stop
in the execution of their deadly work after causing
the death of two, but they afterwards attacked the
second mate, upon whom, fortunately, they deter-
mined to exercise a little mercy, and he was subject
to no further molestation, after having received
severe wounds on his left arm. The captain appears
to have enjoyed the general confidence of the crew,
and was not hurt.

The prisoners are at present confined in Cardiff
gaol, awaiting the arrangements of the American
Consul to transfer them to the American police
authorities for the administration of the laws of
that country. The greatest excitement is mani-
fested in the case at Cardiff, and the vicinity of the
police station has been crowded throughout the day
with people anxious to glean every particular.