The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-03-11
Who OneiIn mud tho nnmh,Y.


Further details of the sinking OF the
Oneida by collision with the Bombay, near
Yokohama, confirms our first Judgment,
that the appalling loss Of life which accom-
panied tho disaster was owing to the too
common practice among shipmastcrs, in cases
Of collision, of getting out of tho way as
quickly as possible and leaving their victims
TO their fate
The story toll by Capt EYRE, Of the BON.
bay, on the official investigation of the affair
ut Yokohama. is substantially this The
Domlay was going into the lar or at about
p. NJ. on he oath of January. and the
Oneida was coming out. Tho Oneida at
tempted to cross the bows uf the Bombay,
but did not succeed in clearing her entirely
90 that the s'arboarl bow of tn, Bombay
Grazol the -tar5oarl quarter Of the Oneida
Capt Eyre Saws that he felt it'll, or no
shock from tlr collision, but. NnlwinE that
ho hal done ONE damage, stopped his On
zines for uGout ton minutes to see neither
any rockets VIZ zen, mp or other signals Of
distress mnr. Hearing nothing and seeing
nothnl. and being toll by tie plot on board
that sand Il It was n, ar, and hat there wa.
10 danger to liic, Ac went Oh his way again
The test mouy Of tho survivors of tlC
Oneida is that the collision took place q: tho
time and in the manner described by Capt
EYRE, but that the damage was far more
extensive than he seems TO have imagined
The Bombay struck the Oneida NJ an angle
Of about thirty degrees, and cut her down to
tho waters edge, exposing the whole interior
Of the gun-room, and killing two men at tho
wheel Tie Bombay was instantly hailed
the steam whistle OF the Oneida blown, anC
after delay Of ten minutes three guns wer'
fired, the vessel going down before a fourth
could be discharged, If the Bombay ha(
stopped and instantly sent her boats, every
person on board the Oneida could have been
saved but rs it was 10G out of l6l were
d. yaned.
II docs not require much crcdulity 20 be
lieve that Capt EYRE did rally feel but
slightly the shock of the collision. The
bombay being an iron vessel. her sharp stem
might easily have chiseled of the quartet
Of the One da with grinding action, no
unlike touch.and. 20 rub Nor Is IL improh
able that the pilot may have said and Capt
EYRE believed that land was near enough
10 afford u refuge in case anything seriou
might have happened Thirty nine men di'
reach the shore in the cutter, and foun
shelter and food in japanese tea-house.
But it requires something more than Car
Tain EYI,E's unsupported evidence to prov
that he actually stopped for ten minutes alto
the coll sion to look and listen for signals o
distress, or that if he did, he failed TO hea
the Onvidas whistle and her three guna Tn
first gun was fred ten minutes after the col
lison, and If Capt. EYRE stopped and la
still ten minutes he could not possibly hav
been far enough of TO escape the report. II
admits, too, that he knew he had carried ava
the onoida's quarter gallery, aud how h
could have failed 10 discover that he ha
done more than this, passes compr'
hension. One witness, indeed, testifc
that no said, on arv ng at Yokohama
that he had "cut the whole quarter oil
damned Yankee frigate," and that eithC
lie or his doctor said they had See
into tho Oneida's cabin. There IL hcn
say evidence that his steward also sIl tia
the Bombay had cut the Oneida down to d
waters edge. On the other hand, otl.er me
on board the Bombay must have seen all TIN
the captain aud his doctor and steward SAY
and the lack of evidence from them to TIT
effect lsa remarkable circumstance
4 few words in Cspl EYuI's own test
mouy are extremely significant In answ,
toa question, be s.ysi
ZIG" ~ .-UC "ri - s~'.torv. m tl,a.
"als 70 d.''t7tf dIW7la rn.u. iy ,.t'.,.G1 OF r,
taseiS ant eDn. ~ mo 10 ils oh. o."
Here is t'c key 90 The Iu.at.y Ia fir
impulse wa 10 Keep ON l.s vl. 40 SCOOP
nnce with custom, mA h.dil D.. n,l. ~
oil his story about r.It'.a ....' ..
watCh for gua.a o,i