New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-10

| STATEMENTS OF THE sURVIyoRS-INHDNANCo CON
DUCT OF THE OFFICERS OF THE BOMBAY
| INTENSE PUBLIC FEELING AGAINST THEM
PROGRESS OF THE OFFICIAL INYLsTiGA-
TfOH.
lPRoa OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
YOKOHAMA, Japan, Feb I.-0n Monday evening.
| Jan q, the American steamer Oneida. bound
from this port to New York via Hong Kong in
collision with the English mail steamer Bombay Oft
Saratoga Spit in the Bay of Yeddo and about l6 or
Is miles from Yokohama. The Oneida was 50 badly
damaged that she sank in about Is minutes after the
collision and OF her of officers and men, num-
bering l61, but s. were saved including three
officers.
This terrible calamity has shed a feeling OF deep
gloom over this entire community, for the Oneida
had been on this station ever since the opening 0i
Hogo and Nagasaki, period of almost three years,
and her officers and men were known to and hlghIy
esteemed by all their countrymen here. The man
ner too in which she was lost, and the conduct of
the Captain of the Bombay have caused much sharp
comment for the loss of life is and doubtless ever
will be, regarded as the result of nhuman coyardIce,
to speak in the mildest terms.
CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING THE DISASTER
At o'clock p. m. the Oneida steamed out OF bar
Dor, receiving from most of the shipping friendly re
cognition and God speed" bound for sweet
home" At about 5 o'clock a. m. Tuesday. your
nounced that the Oneida had been run down by thN
English mail steamer Bombay. and had sunk, sur
geon Sudder and - men only escaping ina boat that
they had Just arrived by land and had gone aboard
the storeship Idaho. Immediately awakened the
American Minister. the Hon. Charles l.. De Long.
and Chas o. Shepard, u. S. Consul az leddo, aud
after a hurried consultation, it was determined 10
proceed with all speed TO the Of disaster and
to spare exertions to save the lives of any who
might survive hoping there might yet be of tho
poor fellows clmging TO the spars or fragments 81
the wreck, although the Surgeon thought that no
other boat had left the Oneida and the weather was
so intensely cold that twas extremely doubtful any
who might be dashed spars could have survived tho
bitter weather. Bnt here an awkward and dis
tressing dlema. The United States had no craft in
japanese waters except the condemned and unsea-
worthy storeship Idaho and il was impossible for any
Government official to go TO the aid Of the sufferer
without obtainnga vessel from some other nation
| land every first-class power except America has
from two to six ships in Yokohama barborl, or from
some mercantile establishment. The Minister frst
! applied to the Agent Of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company. but of their vessels were in condition
TO proceed to sea at once. He next made application
! 10 the American house of Walsh, Hall n Co, and
Messrs. Thomas and Henry Walsh. suddenly reused
| from slumber dressed with haste. went on board
l.. VI.
that day for STRAIGHTFORWARD the sang-master.
Capt. Stembergher made known his errand, and
received prompt and hearty Yes" 10 the request
for the Yangtze to sail at In forty minutes
from the time the alarm first given at the Amer
can Legation the furnace fires burning ierceiy
beneath the boilers of the good American steamer
YangtZe.
In the meantime the Captain of the storesbip
! Idaho aud the Captain OF the Russian corvette
! who had been rowing wildly about the harbor IA
| homes to aid any of the Survivors, were taken ON
board the Yangtze three boats, filled with gallant
Russian and American sailors to search the beach.
were taken in tow. and at o'clock we steamed down
the bav followed by the English sloopoiwar Sylvia,
while the French steamaunch. and an English ting
boat were skrting the shores seeking Tor snryiyos
The Bombay was ordered by Capt. Stanhope senior
officer of the English fleet. TO return and sear'h Tor
the men her captain had left 10 drown ana ater mo
order had been twice repeated, the last time WIN
threat that Capt Eyre should return or he would
make him." that ship had Ggone ahead; when tho
Yangtze arrived to within two or three mules
of the place of collision we met the Bombay return
ing. Speed was slackened, and signals made Tor h'r
TO STOP which she partly complied WITH answering
orr hail with reply that she had - more survivors
aboard and that no more were TO be found anywhere
in the bay near the scene of disaster. We then low
Yangtze but the Captain of the Bombay pnt on
steam. and. with our boats bearing the American
coors at the bow en- route to his ship TO receive tho
men he left us and started for Yokohama This was
very insulting for every American and Russian on
the Yangtze felt that to our ship belonged the res
cued men, Minister DE Long immediately gave
orders to the Captain of the langtze to pat on every
pound of steam and overhaul the in>oent
and defiant Bombay. The order was promptly
obeyed, and the Captain of the mail steamer
seeing that we meant mischief concluded
to take n prudent course and TO lieitO until Capt
Mullen of the Idaho went alongside aud there
found the captains clerk, William II. Cr0"mn-
shield and II men OF the Oneida who win - moro
who had gone TO Yokohama overland had been
saved in a boat. launched just before the Oneida
went down. These men were transferred to the deck
Of the Yangtze. where they met with warm a
greeting and received as kind attention rs ever man
gave to a brother Among all the crowd of rough
men who had braved death hundred times per.
haps there was not one whose eyes did not testify
70 his deep emotion: it was "A touching scene, aud
one never to be forgotten. After further search.
that resulted only in disappointment. the prov at
the Yangtze was turned toward Yokohama, and We
reluctantly left the spot where we knew were sleep
ing LOG good loyal American seamen. from whom We
had parted but a few brief hours before.
On our arrival at lokOhOma We found every sbipiD
the harbor draped in mourning, and excited groups
were conversing earnestly about the disaster and
anxious to learn who were among the saved. vi TIE
hundreds whom | heard express their opinion thai
day there was not an American who did not believe
that Captain Eyre of the Bombay was guilty oi
most atrocious crime in leaving the crew of the
Oneida to drown, and making no effort To save
them. On our return. those who had arrived over