, 1870-05-06
THE ONEIDA DISASTER.

b AllEOD, AC1SCU, Ella A340At HE3d *
I elected. and The proceedings concluded wit
thanks 10 the Chairman.
l. THE ONEIDA DISASTER.
f. --
Court MT Yokohama-The Who'll
CnuAe OF the Disaster Ch7Fgcnbl'
to the Guilty CAr1essness OF Cap
tain Eyre.
/ WASHINGTON, May o--The following IS th,
opinion OF the United States Naval Courtt, ,con
sisting Of Captain Rome, Lieutenant Com
mandcr Maflin, and Psy1naster Lyons, con
yened At Yokohama to Investigate the collision
between the Bombay and Oneida It was re-
ceived by the Navy Department today, and
forwarded to Congress:
"The evidence in the case being in the
| possession Of the court, the members sfer ma
t11e and studious consideration, find as fol,
| lows. to wit:
"Tbat On the 24th day Of January, 1870, ut
quarter past S p. NJ, che United States cor
| vettc, Oneida, got under way from Yokohana
harbor, and stood down the Bsy Of Yeddo on
her way to Hong Kong. and the way to the
| United States. About ha1f-past S p m. sha
distance $40 fathous, made sal, aud under low
| steam shaped her course south by east, one
quarter east to clear Saratoga Spit, and passed
around Ramon Saki Light. That she steamed
thus couEe, running at speed Of Ettle less
than seven knots per hour, until abe arrived
officer OF the deck believed the vessel was sag
ging to the westward from this courBe, and
hauled her up one and three quarter points to
the east. but only until the navigator could
get on deck, who, after being informed Of it;
promptly ordered The ship again to be put on
her course Of south by east one-quarter east,
specially stating that he could not 60 more to
eastward by Feason Of danger OF getting ashore
On Saratoga Spit
'.About this time the English Peninsular and
S1ss Oriental s;ns steamship Bombay c3Ptaia Eyre
eastward Of it, distant from tho Oneida nbout
five or six miles, and bearing ahead, they
rapidly passing on to tho Oueila's starboa1d
bow Very soon, indeed, the Oneida's lookout
starboard or green Light Of the Bombay, and
they saw tho Bombay pass from eastward to
westward OF Ramon sad Light, and her course
WAS narrowly observed by The oficers on duty
and by the lookout Of tho Oneida. and ehe WIS
after iunningisome Htee5s Or twenty minutes,
mora broad about four to Eve points,
or moro on the sta1board boy OF
the Oneida, and while the Oneida's lights
we're brightly burning, the Bombay sud
Oneida, in the direction Of her green Light and
struck her starboard mizzen rigging At about
an eight knot speed, cutting away al her stor-
board quarter At an angle Of forty-fye degrees,
and on line from the min rigging to tho
wheel, and to the starboard side q the comb
inga Of the cabin hatch, thence clear to her
EuddeIhead down to the water's edge; that the
Oneida had her whole wheel carried away, then
rounded to port and stood in towards the Bhoa1
IN sn ezst BY north direction, and sunk in
twenty fathoms Of wafer in about twelve to
fifteen minutes. after carving down with her
some one hundred and fifteen Of her officers
and men It appears fully from the evidence
that the Oneida at no time saw the red light,
but constantly saw the green Light Of the
Bombay, and that her own lights we're in full
burning order.
,"It also appears that officers and crew acted
With coolness and discipline, and at no time
acted in doubt or hesitation; but that when
the Bombay Was about Ave points On the onei-
.da's starboard bow, OF three points forward Of
her starboard beam, the Bombay put her helm
hard aport, and went directly It the Oneida,
when the latter vessel at once flung her own
helm hard astarboard, and it lsas in that posi-.
ton, and the ship YVES rapidly paying of to
port, when the Bombay struck Al this time
the Oneids headed IS high as east by north,
and the Bombay headed northeast by north to !
lision the executive officer Of the Oneida, Lieu !
tenant Commander Stewart, hailed the Bombay
several hmes, calling to her to Lay by, as the !
Oneida was cut down, and this when the Bonn
bay Vac within few yards Of the Oneida'a [
stern; that this call was unanswered and un- +
heetled; that then three Il four big guns were
fred from the Oneida as signals Of distress
with full service charge Of Elk pounds Of !
powder, and these signals wera also unheedsd /
Il is also shown that at the moment Of collision
few moments, but that she did not once lose
her headway, but alter crushing through
the quarter deck OF the Oneida, rending
breach 60 wide that persons in the cabin
looked ont into the open se. through 3 space
from fifteen TO- twenty feet or more, and yet
the Bombay Kept On her way direct; That she
passed out OF sight Of the officers and men,
who were hailing and looking st her, in five to
ten minutes, and anchored safely In Yokohama
aa1bor at = quarter to SP: m Of the same
.skcd for assistance, or communicated after
he collfaion-. The court, therefore, totally ex-
'nerates and. e1culpates the Oneida and her
ulcers from al and every blame for this hos-
1bie disaster, aud finds that they; acted
promptly; that the Oneida was akilfulIY han
lied, and that tho International, rules of the
;oad were carefully and intel1i gently obeyed
The court at this point observes, however,
nth deep pain, that the Oneida had lost her
;ig by the collision, that the dngey boat had
'een broken into como time before sailing,
md thst during typhoon, some moths pre-
Eious, che had lost har two largest and most
boats, thus leaving her m an hour
# supreme distress with but two boats to save
Ter people. Had the Oneida replaced her
'oats and gone to sea with = full complement
i them, it is morally cortain many moro valu-
bls Lives would have been baved:
;rossly ignorant, or viltnlly reckless. After
astwa1d Of i, then pass PssainF it 50
5, to show her masthead, and green
ght to the eastward Of it, as seer, from the
'neida, ahe had no reasou to stand so far to
ne eastward as the Oncida was shown to be !,
OF could Ehc have passed to The eastward Of
ne Oneida's position at the tlnne OF the col
sion, at night, as she seems to have endeay-
red to do, without endange1inE her Own
In tho plea bs mAde or maintained Of a mar
" channel way; for at this p1ace the shortest /
stance between two points Of danger east
I'D west is some three to three and ; half {
autica1 miles, Moreover the land On the {
E est t side is very high, and steeg, toe. while {
'ere Has dangerous shallow, with !
1t u landmark st night to be seen
guide. Hence, the Bombay, crossing c
far over to the eastern shore, :
'th the green Light Of the 0neida in full view, q
J it must have been, is an action SO extrao1- i
I'd duty, r say Eothing Of regulations and 4
amanlike knowledge. A limo due south by, a
st quarter east, drawn through the Saratoga d
lit buoy, and Another at & point to westward +
AAuQQ-sAk1 lS1h, Ii ulTeCtIDn Uoltn pY q
.st, half west, after rounding the light,
itch is the plot course, shows how. impossi- Il
8 it WAS for the Bombay to have co11iled with =
g Oneida unless, indeed, abe ran directly at D
= .latteE,s green light, and scverai Witnesses 4
The csuso Of the collision, then, is alto n
ther and entirely duo to the Bombay, whose v
officer is beyond excuse. N
,ain, the conduct Of tho Bombay after the 4
llislon, in passing on out OF sight; in not 81
with the Oneida ia disregard a,
: the loud halls Ct the executive officer OF Il
9 Oneida: disreeartling tho signal Of her r
sa1n whistle, which was kept blowing until
. Oneida sank, and finally il not hearing, or n,
he heald, in not replying to the three or :,
II heavy signal guns fred 7rpm the Oneida, NJ
houEh they we're distinctly heard IN Toko- hi
ma, at q distance Of over nine miles, is 30 a,
lty and blamable that this court can only II
eak of It Is unparalleled in cruelty. Of
. Finally, from the evidence adduced, which de
) been accumulated to degree only in mea- cr
e OF the gravity Of the case from the in | M
,ction Of the known courses and positions nj
the chart, Which is 4 paft OF this record, We Il,
the entire fault Of tllis dreadful collision A,
total loss to the Government Of the United Ia
tes Of the ateam corvette Oneida, with the | IT
truction OF the lives Of lis Of her officers
crew-on the officers and command OF the | t;f
g1iah atea1nship Bombay" Al
A DRUNKEN GOVERNMENT. e@s @
- nI
Ty P1nin Talk by n Canadian Wx
JournaI4 ri
he Toronto Globe Of April 30 has for its St
ling editorial the following Plain-spoken Te