Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-09-01
Sh!pwrecks.

uOu Quarterly ll;Nlon, JUG
and collisions on the coasts of the British
isles alone, during the fSe years ending with
1856, was no less than five thousand one
hundred ard twenty-eight, or an average OF
one Thousand and twenty-five per year. Ia
two thousapd one hundred and eigh'y-tour
Of these cases the loss was total, ana IN the
remainder the damage was more or less ssrl.
Gus. This shows an average total !oss OF
nearly four hundred and thirty-seVen vessels
10 each year, or more than one per day -
The destruction of life consequent upon
these casualties was four thousand one hue
dred and forty-eigbt persons, or an average
of nearly eight hundred per year. These
persons, be i, remembered, are mostly men
in the prime of life, many OF them having
families dependent upon them. The pecu,
mary loss bv the total wrecks is estimsted
at 81, 900. 600 a year at least, and by other
casualties a. 5000
Ia iGquiriDg into the causes OF this IN
meuse annual loss OF lie and property the
writer in the Quarterly names marine lnsur-
ance as the Grief destroyer. U~nseaworthl'
ness and overlooking Of vessels, and imper.
feet outfits, defects Of cOmpasses, want OF
good charts, inc0mpeteDcy OF masters, may
all be attributed to this source. Moving
that if his vessel be lost be will get her iuil
value. the owner is careless OF these matters.
Moreover, the terms of insurance offer Il d.
rec, premium for ~"total' losses. For 10
stance, q ship strikes the ground AID be
comes damaged, but with good management
might be got OF. Ia this case, b0wcver, the
assured has 70 bear oUe-thlrdo OF the expense,
whereas if the ioss is total he gets the whole
of Ills insurance. Uader these circumstau-
ces the master will leave the vessel to her
fate, Instead of using his energies to the de-
,riu,ent Of lis employer. If insurers would
agree to pay the whole Insurance., whether
the vessel were got of or not, 1t is believed
there would be a marked dlmiuution IN the
list of total losses, inasmuch as the captains
natural inclination to save his ship would
not run counter to his employers interests.
In cases of Wilful casting away, however,
there ia no protection except 10 the vigilance
Of insurers through tine employment OF
agents at the various seapOrts VI the world.
This is now the universal practice, and 1t has
frequently resulted IN frustrating great anu
cuDuingly devised frauds.
Next come the physical agents which pro-
duce shIpwrecks, as currents OF the ocean,
fog, lightning, icebergs, sand backs, water
logged ships, defective compasses, ard imper-
feet charts. Toe effect of currents IN taking
the sailor out OF his reckoning Is a we'll
kaoH n cause Of shlpwrecS, bus tue danger
from this source has been much diminished
by the more intimate knowledge we arc
every day acquiring of the laws which pre-
duce the currents. Much OF this knowledge
has been acquired by what is known as the
bottle experiment., the cOmmlttai to the
waves Of u bottle containing tue position OF
a ship, together with the da,e when the bot
tie was thruwu overheard. 10 the course OF
time this bottle will perhaps be washed
ashore az some place where 1t will be recoT-
cred, when q reference to It's %cOn,cuts Will re-
veal the general direction ct the current
which bore 1t to the land. All British ma
tional vessels are erjOiued to make this e1'
pertinent, aud a collection IT upwards OF
two hundred mas been made at the Admiral
ty, and one laid down in a chart called the
current bottle-chart. \ single glance at
this chart displays the principal well known
c~urrents of the Atlantic ocean.
10 the Northern Atlantic those stupendous
icebcrgs from Davis Straits, which sal!
south ward in magnificent procession during
the summer months, are very dangerous TO
navigation, and probably destroyed tho III
fated steamers President and Pacific. Ia
the South Atlantic, particularly 10 the Carlh'
bean SEE, fearful storms Gt thunder Ghd
lightning imperii the mariner. According
to SIR William Snow Harris, betw lSOV
and 1915 forty sail of the line, twenty FRI
gates, aud ten sloops Of tho royal navy were
so crippled by being struck by lightning a.
in many cases to be placed for a time horS du
combat. 10 fifty years there were two hun
dred and eighty Instances Of serious damage
to ships in the British navy. Since the ap
pllca,iou Of Sir Williams ~ Item of light
ming conductor. to the ~naiional ships, bo"'
ever, DO case of Injury has occurred TO them
In the whole catalogue OF disasters at sea,
those which present the most terrible Tea
ture, are water-logged aud tiu5 Der ships
Their crews are sometimes forced to abandon
then in mid ocean, and afterwards lea;
about for weeks on the waste OF waters with
out food or drink, not Lrfrcqlently being
compelled to feed on their dead companions;
not rarely they cast lots Tor the living. Wa
ter-logged vessels are doubtless the cause OF
WIcCh W UtucI NeesSioJ . ~ w ooN
the ocean for months.
1t is believed that the most frequent cause
of wreck upon the English coast Is neSli-
gence on the part of the master. VI the
collisions which occurred last year, 1t is
fouud that far the larger pOrii'n OF them
took place in the open sea. aud IN clear,
bright weather. Out Of 21I collisions III
volving total and partial loss, bad lookout
was the cause Of eiehty-elght, and negleo;
of the rule Of the road thirty-ihree collisions
These facts and figures relate exclusively
to English vessels, or vessels insured at
Lloyd's; but we presume similar facts are
within the experience of our " underWTl'
tiers. 1t would not De d~'ricuit for undsrwrI
tiers to devise plans for reducing the numoe
of sbipwrecks, by refusing TO insnre unsea'
worthy vessels, o: ships whose masters are
incompetent; by providing Tor a more tho
rough examination Of charts and compasse-;
and 10 other ways which only require con-
biued action to insure success B9StoH Jour-
Railroad In Turkey.
The commencement of a new era in the
Ottoman Empire, by q railway from Smyrna
into the interior, progresses Lut slowly. a
letter 10 the New York Times, from @ Spyf-
ma correspondent, has the following:
Would you Ike to hear Of The tfst ra'I'
road ever projected in Turkey! How does
the plan progress in this old toctho!d o! Tau