New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-28

steamship Bombay and the u g. Corvette Oneida, what
the conduct of the master OF the former , e
To enable the Court 10 decide the first question: we
have before shortly the following evidence 81,
states that about 81 p m corrected e' G Ie ON
January last having passed.the lighthouse s.uaeu vi
Kannnsaki his attention called To the fact ,nat
vessel approaching him on his port DOW nc ,,e,
rht half point on his port bow and Immediately after
ward he the two side lights OF the hpPrtoaonns
steamer he imagined that the steamer (WHICH ~ Is sCcr
tanned was the u s. corvette Oneida). was about one
mile distant from the Bombay and imnedist g
order 10 mort the helm thus shutting out the Oleuas
green light and opening her red light not content win
this he gave second order hard apor ana turneu on
his steam whistler he supposed this 10 have occurred
some five or sy minutes before the collision took place
which would place about mile or milo ana ai 10
%o I'd anort until suddenly he the Oneida under
full sail and steam. standing across MS DOVE posnn
was Imminent put his helm hard starboard so as 20
bring his vessel round and II possible pass the ou"
ectua 10 avert the collision. and the Bombay struck
the Oneida on her starboard quarter Inc Nessels Sa
rated and the Bombays helm was at once pu. W l ,
order clear her stern and boats ana save @ iccr
lision On the other hand, Mr. Yates VINO was te occi
who was IN charge OF the deck OF the ONEIDA on ns &c
casIon gave the Court totally different account OF the
occurrence He stated that the Bombays nastneau sl.
beng ia sight some tecn sixteen minutes before the
collision took place at about 62o p M ny ms
oSF bow That at this time the oneida,
which had been heading s. T. by y was just recovering
round Kano2sak passing TO starboard and thus open
ing her light. still one point on n slfDoai
That al this time me Thought Tue
have been three miles off. but that the Oneida was Kept
on her course as both he and the navigating officer
Thought the Bombay would pass To starboard presently
uhe Navigating officer having left the deck he saw the
bombay at the distance Of about mile on lhrse po.s
his starboard bow ana heading diee iJr e RombV
light The opening out OF all three lights OF tle bopaS
at this instant showing him that she was aIprodcnn
and men s'hard a starboaId." lie believed that he
opened the BOmbays three lights some threc inruoo
before the collision, so that the vessels must ha'o oo
about a mile apart at that moment ,--...,.,,o.
NV these two statements utterly irreconclabe;
them, certainly could never have occnrren II uo nd
correct IL is therefore necessary 10 LOOK y,
Mr. Fvre il horne out In all its material points by the
evidence of the pilot and chief officer VINO uerg on VIC
the bombay who are able to testify 10 the cireuih-
stances With regard TO Mr. Yates sta.eent, ci om
over the starboard lookout man OF the Onelua alrns
That about 10 Vn,hu' VstcP that he saw mast
he he'u cond make out one of her side lights
he reported her green light between oneh an Po in
ute or "A minute and half after tha nc repoiteu nc
steamer Bombay about iSur , OF pedas green light
but at time did lie sec the bombay req lghs peTro
the collision ,OIa rerorted three dierent times by the
lookout 10 the officer OF the watch-irst mar po' on
his siarboarI bow; secondly. point and a-half on hs
Oneida: that he received an order stiuodlu, 'no,i
her caurse again after the second report had been
made; aud that after the third report Da9 Deen
made, Mr. Yates again t2d hiH TO about
aVa oints on the saroard side of the foresa that he
Kent his helm hard starbOard. until he heard an order
GIVEN TO port and that he was III the as OF oDeyng
ms order The two ships collision IL viii thus
Inc seen that the statements OF Mr. Yates the lookout
,,T and the hemsman are more or less conflicting but
n NAV be gathered from them that when tne BOMBAY
three gls should have been by the lookout man
points on the Opeidas starboard bow, about a
l @e distant ,as @ at tS s'f moment he gave
order "stlrboard" and then hard star6oard' II
thcse orders had been promptly obeyed the ooun Is Oh
that the ships could not have come into collision
lint the statement OF Albert Rugaalt, the heimshan,
shows that the Onedas head was about , H. wien she
,rc NV which ii would appear that she had only come
mn about three points IN three minutes. 90 tat hI'
Yatess order could not have been promptly oneyyu,
Hence If is impossible account for the collision by tho
statements the survivors of the Oneida these are u
NJ r If opinon that when Mr. Modaur said to Mr..
Yates that he could not go any further 10 ie POlt Vi
eastern shore and ordered MN 10 resume NJ iO
fear of running to the saratoga Spit ne should Know
ing that his duty 10 get Ont oil the way Oh an ap
prOachiuc vessel on his starDodtu siIe' at OuCc nav
rout the Bombay mis- port bew, and so opened OUT ms
red light instead OF simply resulnnc s course lhat H.
when collision was seen 10 De imminent; tIe s,o
promptness had been shown by the Oneida III porting
her helm rs was shown by me bomoay III putuihhs
her helm hard starDoaId. u MINT PoSsipiy
have hecn avertcd; while, had IT occurred us e.
shown by the evidence OF the Cnedas officers tit ~ no
time was the Oneida, speed sackened after the bombay
sidered Ia DE persstey breaking RUE Oh ire iTs ny
porting the Oncidas helm was. neVcFtnelcss, kept u
staboard and thus the judgment required To be eXer
csed in order 10 c0unteract the presumed mlsihanage
meEt Of approaching steamer was not shown IhtNc
observations
of the Oneida. which beyond the province
of tins consider but simply in order TO institute
such "a comparison ~ IL necessary 10 show the
croIuds upon which the Court arrives at It's cOnclu-
sion II the statements Of Mr.. Eyre, his pilot and
officers are 10 be believed, judge that he was
right IN keeping on the starboard SIDE OF the chan
mel and that he acted perfectly right In porting ms helm
as soon ~ nc the Onedas lights on the port bow
We judge that he should have sackened speed as soon B
he saw the Oneidas lights that he acted rightly IN stop
ping his engines that he had no time Gcr stopping 10
reverse them and that lie exercised sound Judgment
starbOarding his helm when no saw mat collision
starboard. Upon comparison Of the foregoing state
ments find that tie damage which has been sustained
by the Bombay is III no way attributable TO tho default
OF her commander, Mr.. Eyre.
As regards the second question, which this Court is
called unon TO decide the conduct of Mr. Eyre after
the collision had taken place 1t may be observed that "
has not been without long ana serioas deiiDera,ion
the adduced that have arrived at AL unan-
Ne find from the evidence before us that on a dark but
starlight night. the oath January last, the steamship
Bombay. through no fault OF her conmander MI Eyre,
Oneida the close vicinity OF Saratoga spit, situated
some 10 miles from Yokohama
That the effect Of this collision on the Bombay was
That guns we're fired from the Oneida signals OF dis
tress from minutes after the collision took place
That the report of these guns was not heard nor were
the flashes seen on board the Bombay.
after the collision, the fact Of the Bombay having
been hailed from the Oneida reported 10 Mr. Eyre
That Mr. Eyre only knew that Of the upper works
OF the Oneida been carried away. and unaware
of the amount Of injury sustained by her
gers aud cargo and built in compartments. only ono
OF which reported TO him as making water fast
That the whole extent OF the injury sustained by the
Bombay not ascertaned ti the day following the
collision.
That Immediately after the collision IL not coDsid
cred serious for had been IL natural TO sup
pose that the knowledge OF the pilot would have been
avaied OF, and the Bombay On to the Saratoga
spit.
That, in our opinion, no danger to the BOMBAY, her
passengers and cargo, was apprehended by Mr.. Eyre
That from the questions he asked the pilot he evident
ly thought that the Oneida might possibly have sustained
serious injury.
Tnat he waited at the most five minutes after the
If signals Of distress made from the
Oneida
after his ship again proceeded he no orders
that lookout should be kept IN the direction OF the
Oneida
That had he or any else been keeping proper
lookout the flash of the Onedas must have been