The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-03-30 00:00:00

is not so freqUent in London as in ihis port, (if such be really
-the case), cark.-easily be accounted for, because tbe comparries
there have entire charge of the gOods; but here the warehouse-
keeper is constrained to admit the porters of each individual
merchant and dealer, with some few exceptions where the ware-
housekeeper has the entire management, and then pilferage
seldom occurs, and for which the warehousekeeper is respon-
sible. _

" 12th,—Because the land now proposed for the erection of
warehouses on the west side of the Prince's Dock would be ex-
ceedingly dangerous to the shipping in case of fire, the wind
being generally from the west at this port; and further, should
there be any surplus land on that side of the dock, it would be
much better appropriated for the accommodation of landing and
embarkation of passengers,. which could be accomplished at a
very moderate expense, thereby obviating the risk and nuisance
occasioned by the great accumulation of steam vessels at the
George's Parade.. -
" 13th—Because the dock estate does not contribute to the
local taxes; but in case of this measure being carried into opera-
tion, the consequence would be that the legislature would be
constrained to pass a bill, compelling the whole of the dock estate
to contribute to the poor-rates and other local taxes, the same
as other property, and the present warehouse property does."

NQUEST ON CAPTAINBROOKE, OF THE FIIiST

ROYALS.

An inquest was held on Saturday last,. to inquire into the
circumstances attending the melancholy death of Capt. Brooke,
of the Ist Royals, who died in consequence of injuries received
from the collision of the Westchester, American ship, and the
steam-packet Lucifer, the government steam-boat, on which
he was a passenger, on Tuesday evening week. The inquest
was adjourned after hearing the evidence of Lieut. Tudor, the
commander of the steam-packet, and George Richardson, the
steward, to Wednesday last, at ten o'clock, at Woodside
Hotel. A very respectable jury of fifteen was empannelled, and
the inquest was held befere Mr. Faithful Thomas, the coroner
for that district Of 'Cheshire. Mr. Statham, solicitor, ofiiver-
pool, appeared on behalf of the Captain of the Westchester.
Before going into any fuither evidence, one of the jury stated•
thatit appeared to him that it was a matter of which they could
not form an opinion, and that they were satisfied the decased
came by his death in consequence of the collision, that after-
wards every care was bestowed upon him, and they had deter-
mined
,to find a verdict of accidental death.
Vhe CORONER thought they • had better hear more evidence
before they made bp their minds.
A Juryman.—(Mr. Rampling) Thought they had evidence
enough as to the cause of his death, and on which to found a
verdict.
Another Juryman moved that they should retire, and find
their verdict!
The CORONER thought they ought not to be so hasty, but to
inquire into all the circumstances.
Captain CHAPPELL, the superintendent of the government
boats, said that if the whole circumstances of the collision were
gone into it would be necessary for him to call further evidence
on the part of the crown. He did not think he should be doing
his duty to the officers under him, or to the Queen, if he left a
tittle of evidence unsifted.
The CORONER thought they ought to inquire into all the evi-
dence.
Mr. STATH AM apprehended it was for the coroner to direct the
jury as to what they should do. The jury were met to inqnire as
to the cause of the death of Mr. Brooke. If the coroner thought

it necessary to go into the circumstances of the collision': it
would be for him to say that it was necessary ; unless the jury
were agreed on their verdict
:One -Juryman said he was not agreed for one; another
thought they should have the evidetice of the surgeon before
they came to a verdict.
Another JuryMan.—lt is not our desire to criminate either
party ! .

-
TheCortolverr.--It is 'not yoUr desire? But the question is,
whether the, facts criminate either party. He believed there
was a captain of a vessel who would give a very different version
to the evidence which had been given, and who wished to give
evidence on the part of the Westchester.
A Juryman.—Captain Chappell, would you be satisfied if the
other party 'produce two witnesses the same as you have?
Captain Ctispeeei..—Most decidedly not; that I take to be
a garbliniz.of the evidence. If it be merely- the way in which
this gentleman met his death that you wish to inquire into, he
met his death from the collision of the ships.
One-Juryinari thought if two witnesses were examined on one
side; two ought to be examined on the other.
' Captain Chappel refused to accede to this, and said be had
stronger evidence as to the collision which he had not put for-
ward. For instance, the pilot had not been examined.
A Juryinan.—That evidence dues not go to the cause of the
death, but as to the collisiou.
Captain Chappell.—Then as to the cause of the death there
need not be witnesses examined at all for of that there can be
no doubt.
Mr. STATHAM said, as the jury seemed to be disposed to re-
tire on the evidence which had already been taken, the coro-
ner would allow him to move that the evidence before taken be
read:
A Juryman.—You may do that in our absence !
-Another Juryman.—Our evidence is incomplete, we want
the evidence of the surgeon.
Another Juryman.—We look at the evidence as merely shew-
ing the man's death, we do not look on the evidence as to the
inquiry into the collision.
TheColioNEß.—But my inquiry is whether there be crimi-
nality or not, and if you think there is not any criminality I
can go no further.
After much desultory conversation,
A Juryman.—(Mr• $r vans) said " We avoid that altogether."
Another Jarman. —I f left to ourselves we can briny in a ver-
dict satisfactory to all parties!
On the repeated application of Mr. Statham,.the evidence of
Lieut. Tudor, of her Majesty's steamer
.Red7wing, before
taken was read.
On Tuesday evening, the 20th of March instant, having the
command of .the gOvernment packet; the Lucifer, steaming
between Liverpool and Kingston, he left Liverpool at 6 o'clock
P.M. Thos. Brooke, Esq., then lying dead at the Woodside
Hotel; Birkenhead, being a passenger on board. It was blow-
ine a fresh gale from the westward. They steamed to near
the rock in the river Mersey, when he saw a ship running in
through the rock channel and approaching his steamer. When
the ship was within a quarter of a indeshe changed her course
and lulled up. The y (the steamer) put their helm a starboard to
keep out of the ship's way, and finding that the ship still lulled
up, they out their helm hard a starboard. The ship still kept
her luff coming nearer to the steamer. Finding that the ship
still endeavoured to get between the steamer and the shore,
he ordered the engine to be stopped .and reversed. The ship
still 'kept on her course, with her sails full, and on coming close
to the steamer strack'her with her bow on the starboard paddle-
- box, and stove in the whole of it, and the starboard wheel, and
knocked, down the chimney overboard, and tore away part of
the bulwark. On the ship striking the steamer, he hailed the
ship to brace her back to throw the ship off the steamer, but it
was not done directly, but was so eventually and the ship
drifted clear of the steamer. The ship then filled her main top-
Sail again, and came on board of the steamer a second time,
and tore away the iron ,stanchions round their poop and the
steering wheel, and leaving part of the ornament of the ship's
billet on the steamer's poop. Thomas Brooke, the deceased,
was on the deck of the steamer when the ship first struck her,
and was knocked down by the Dolphin striker of the ship,
from a blow upon his forehead, above his right eye,-and be
(Witness) drew him from where he fell, and went forward to
get the steamer ready for anchoring. There was a great swell
at the time. In about two minutes afterwards, he saw the de-
ceaSecl lying on the deck of the steamer, with his left leg broken
ender him. When the ship struck the steamer the second time,
he again hailed her, and called out, if they did not back their
main topsail, they would sink the steamer; and it was then
backed, and the ship got clear of the steamer. There were se-
veral seamen on the deck of the ship, but he did not know who
had the command of her. After the collision of the two vessels
he took the earliest opportunity he could to send for medical as-
sistance for Mr. Brooke, but no surgeon came until the follow-
ing Morning. He did not think any vessel could have approach-
ed the steamer with safety sooner from the severity of the gale,
through the violence of (he wind, and the running of the sea.
He was thoroughly, acquainted with the navigation of the Mer-
sey, and the position in which the ship was when she struck the
Lucifer was not the position sire ought to have been in. It was
a leading wind tip the river, and the ship might have gone up
the centre of the channel. Had he (witness) acted otherwise
than he did, he must have crossed the ship's proper course. It
was from 30 to 40 seconds after he stopped and reversed the
paddles that the ship first struck the steamer, and the ship was
then about a cable's length from the steamer. Had the ship's
sails at that tithe 'been thrown back or braced back, it would
have preVented the severity of the collision by throwing the
vessels side by side. It was his opinion that there was culpable
negligence in the persons on board the ship in mnnaging her.
Every attention was paid to Mr. Brooks after the injury, and
he was brought on shore next morning: The ship was within
the line of the buoy, and therefore out of her proper course at
the time of the collision.
Mr. STATHAIq said, the evidence of Lieut. Tudor charged
the captain of the Westchester with " culpable negligence.
The only verdict the jury could bring on that would be a ver-
dict of manslaughter. Therefore, he should certainly claim to
call evidence to prove, that " culpable negligence,' if any, so
far from bearing on him was on the part of Lieut. Tudor.
A JeeysiaN.—That is for the jury to decide on.
STATH a M.—Certainly ; but fheritinit deeide on the evi-
dence.
A SOO MAN.— We have, generally speaking, made up our
minds, that we will give no opinion whatever as to the cause of the
collision, but as to the circumstances of the death!
Aoother Ju ft Y MAN.—If he had remained quietly in his cabin,
he tt6ald hare remained well to this day!
Mr. STATHAM.—No doubt the ships' coming together were
the cause of his death, but, 1 don't wish to go into the proceed-
ings at all.
• The CORONER-said, he was not killed by the collision at all, but
by his own exertions to escape. He thought they ought to hear
all the evidence of the crown!
The evidence of the steward, before taken, was then read to
the following effect:—
George. Richardson, steward on board the Lucifer, was on
board the packet when she sailed from Liverpool on Tuesday
the 20th inst. The deceased was a passenger on board. When
they had steamed down the river nearly as far as the rock, he
heard Lieut. Tudor sing out "starboard" three or four times or
more. He was then in the cook's house preparing dinner for
Mr. Brooke. On coming out he saw a saw a ship bearing down
towards the packet, about 'lO yards from the packet, and which
still kept nearing'thein. Before he came out of the cook-hotise
he heard, orders given to stop the engine and back the packet.
The ship. was lulled, and she kept running in upon the packet,
and ran into the packet's paddle box, and stove it in and broke
the paddle-beam and the arms of the wheels, and soon after he
saw Mr. Brooke trying to get on board the ship. lie laid hold
of the eat-head of her, and as the ship rose, there being a great
swell in the river by the severity of the gale, and on her coming
down again he was jammed with
,his legs between the steamer
and the ship, on which he loosed his hold and fell backwards
into the boat belonging to the packet, which was lying on the
packet's deck. Directly afterwards he jumped on board the
ship with a view of saving himself, and then heard Lieut. Tudor
call to the ship's crew, back your foresail, and he (witness) also
said to some of the ship's crew' "why don't you let go the fore-
topsail brace?" and on that the crew went immediately and let
go the brace, and he (witness) went and assisted others of the
crew to haul back the weather brace. The foretop-sail was full
till he assisted to back it: He then returned on board the
packet, and saw Mr. Brooke lying on the deck by the side of
the boat, tint did not go near him. He went into the cabin and
in a short. tinie came out of it, and then saw Mr. Brooke stand-
ing On one foot and leaning on the sky-light. H called out to
him (witness) ." my good fellow, lend me a hand, will you
in which he went to'laying him, and on hold of him to assist
saw his left leg was broken aboiita third part up the leg.
Ile (witness) took him up iu his arms and carried him to the
companion, being the entrance of the cabin, and as he did not
' wish to go below lie called for a mattrass end laid him down
upon it.' He was bleeding at that tiine !men his brow over his