The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-05-03
captain EYRE'S MURDER.
xgr yERDICT OF AN AMERTCAH
'nnupT on LIE ONEIDA DISASTER.
r., pn,barians Of the Sea Unmaskcd-The
nombsy did not once Lose her Hcndway
Mailing the Lies Of the British White.
washing Conrt-The hnu,e f"""
40 the Onicets of the Bombay.

..osbtua Court-The Bptire fnuh ftkea
an the Oncers Of the Bombay.
w,suiSGroS, D. c., May 2.-The following Is
,.otiniop OF tie United States Naval Court con-
.,,,ias OF Capt. Rome Lieut.. Commander Mullin,
"a p,,rss,cr Lyons, convened at Yokohoms to
.r,.,iso,o the cause OF tie collision between the
p,uh,v a,d Oneida. II was received by the Navy |
n,n.r,igeat and forwarded 10 Congress:
Tho evidence in the case being In possession OF |
NE cant the members, after mature aud studions |
,onsl!era,ion hud az follows, 70 wit;
That on the Sih day Of Janunry, 1870 OF 6ibH Y.
a. tic United States corvette oneida got under way |
,rom Yokohama harbor aud stood down the bay OF
y.iso on her way 10 Hong Kong, and the way to
t.e United States About $50 r. NJ she passed TO
ttstNsrd Of eastward lightship, distance $40 faith
oms madc sail, and under low sieam shaped her
,ourse south BY cast quarter cast, TO clear Saratoga
spit and rass around Ksnon-saki Light That she
NAMED this course, RAINING a,aspeed Of little
LESS rHAN sIvEs KNOTS
se- hour until she arrived In tile vicinity OF Sara
IogA spit when the oncer Of TIE deck believed the
tess.i was agcns to the westward from this course.
md hauled her up ~ points 10 the east, but only
yEl tie navigator could get on deck who, after be-
ing informed Of it, promptly ordered the ship again
TO bt tat On her course Of south by east, 4 east,
,yocialy stating that he could not 70 more TO east
Sard by reason Of danger OF getting aehore on sar.
loga spit
About this time the English Peninsula and orien.
sntl camshp Bombay, Capt. Eyre, hove In sight
uounl kanonSaki Point and TO eastward OF y, dis
ant from the Oneida about hve or six miles, and
bearing ahead. then rapidly passing on TO the onei
las stsrbosrd bow. Very the oneida's lockout
ind navigator made out the mathead and st,rboard
GREEN LieHr or rHs somAr,
and they saw the Bombay pass from eastwsd to
westward Of Ramon Lake light, and her course was
narrowly observed by the ofncers on duty aud By
Me lookout Of the Oneida, and she was passing
Near giving wide berth; that after running some
iiteen or twenty minutes, rapidly changing her
bearings more ana more, brought about four to nve
points on tho starboard bow OF the Oneida,
md while the One idas lights brightly burning,
he Bombay suddenly ported her helm aud came d.
,e:,ly a, TIE Oneida in the direction OF her green
ieht aud struck her at starboard mizzen rigging at
Iout
AN EIeHT-Ksor SPEED,
ynulg away all her s,arboard quarter at an angle
J, forty I've degrees, and on line from the main
rigging tie heel and to the starboard eide OF the
roHbin, Of TIE cabin hatch, thence clear to the
rudder tcal down to the waters edge; that the
routdcd 20 port and stood toward the shoal in M
east ty north direction, and sunk in twenty fa,hons
Of wacr, IN about 10 to 15 minutes after carrying
down i.h her some one hundred and fifteen OF ber
oNcors md men. II appears fully from the evidence
nat IT, oneida at no time saw the rel light, but
constantly the green ligbt OF the Bombay, and
that her own lights were properly placed, and
IL FULL BURNING ORDER.
I, also appears that the o1cers and crew acted
~n cp1no aud discipline, and at no time were In
doubt ,r lc.itated but chat when the Bombay was
about tye roiuts on the One,ca's stsrboard bow OF
ttve points forward Of her starboard beam. the
U lie oneida, when the latter vessel at once dung
her own holm hard astarbeard, aud Il was IN tina.
IS-ioq and tso ship was RAPIDLY paving Oh 70 port
A. tls tine The Oneida headed as high ss east by
hVrh mt tie Bombay beaded northeast BY north
70 noit ea-' 1t Is also shown that amer the colli
t0, IT. 'cutlie officer Of tie Oneida, eutenani-
coam,ndsr stewart, hailed the Bombay several
sgl down, ma mis- when lie Bonbay was
WITHIN PEW YARDS
NJ o'.ii : -teru, ..'-. tnis call was unanswered
lr,! ho: tie oaciia a. signals OF distress, with
hll ser,lc, charge OF six pounos OF powder. and
.lc. -las were also unhofled; Il is also shown
lat al q e. rcrcnt Of collision the Bombay stopped
ne engine for very few moments, Du' tha, she
pm Sor LosE nHADwAr,
t1; after crushing through the quarter OF the
One 90, rcicins breach 20 wide that persons In
s,rac. Ir Is 20 - feet or more, and yet the BON.
,sy Gent on Ter way direct; that she passed out Of
Heui o' .hr otlcers and men WHO were hsing and
rrsi-, II her IN 1--WE TO ten Minutes, aud al ehored
tse' in okohama barbor at I:i5 p. NJ OF tha same
tIcr.us. 4hc Bombay
NElfHER oITkNED NOR NhtD
tr a.-i.jorco, commun Gated after the collision.
Itr Govt therefore totally exoueraies and excu-
I4t, The Oneida an her onicers from oil and any
Vi NJ .or ,lIs horrible disaster and nnd that they
,tcI IrOlpily, tlat he Oneida was skilfully hin
aet, n'1 Il L the international rules OF the road
vi c. uit and intelliRently ooeyed. -.
IG' Z ufrf ~ this point Observes, however, witt,
teep pain, that the Oneida had lost her gig BY the
ro.lsau That the dnsy boat had been broken into
'cue mouth, previous sbe Lad LOST her Two largest
nl "a % rviccaoe boats. thg- leaving her In aa
hour % '.lrome distress with but
TWO BoArs TO SAVE HER PEOPLE.
HID Onciaa rcriaccd her boats aud gone TO sen
VII A,a Uuplemeut OF them, 1t IL morally certain
mLlt Hglaho Ives would have been saved.
or on wuS nS Ttsr nasa sssa reuas ethsr
JOG ht..' -9ki Licht to the eastward of II, then
'cs''' et ~ TO show her inlst bead and green
u. 20 .i, westward oft, a. seen from the Oneida,
ihs b. n1ry to stand so far 10 the eastward n
NE ua"'' Vas shown TO be; nor could she have
2asyd o tu eastward OF tho o. eida's position at
N" TN. 20 ,le collision at nigh, as she seems 20
,r. @ 10 do, woGs I, 'ad1aSsTIg a,n1 sn her
- III. .t1 be made or sustained oi
NARROW cHASSELwAY,
| or ,h place the shortest distance between two
'cmts - dnger cast and West + somo throe 10 three
nj h4li nautical miles moreover, the land on
h' e-' 'in Il e. WbtTe the Oneida was, there was
iaa-rruI' -hnIuw, without lind mark at night to
- ,ocu 10 guide Henre, the Bombay crossing 50
~ over 10 the eastern shore with the green light o.
lt ON. IA Ia iui view as II must lave been Is an
d sSle' 9N1 ouiy To say nothing Of regulations and
A In dug s"yh ~ east, quarter east, drawn
point TO westward OF K mon al 4 hfht In "A direr
aOn north By west, halt west. a,tDr rounding tie
light, which Is the plot "1Grsr, shows
now IMPOSSIBLE IT WAS
'or the Bombay to have colidcd with the Oneida IN
c-- indeed she diroely at the latter. .rc H.
A. several witnesses teEtiy she lid The calae o.
th o.. lsisu then Is altUgethor ana entirely uUr
lht Bombay, whose commanding 0llcor Is to blame
beyond excuse.
/ AIN, the conduct OF the bombay lft-r The coz
ls.Or l passing on ont Of sight, in not cummuu.-
clutr i.htc Ond a In dLslcgurdns tholoud hnL
or Accutlye 0nhcer ol uo Oneida; d-regnrding
. The s.sr,l Of her steam whistle, Mhie1 was kepl
bUNI' uuu' the Oneida sank. aud hnQNy In not
Lt 90 " she heard, In not replying TO the three
4 or t.r l.lyy signal guns fired nom he Oneida,
Ita0l- tle. were distinctly henrdlin Yokohama, al
40. '' n over nine mics, Is so guilty and blame
4 ll'e .Hs. tli- Court can only speak or II rs
rNPARALLELgD ~ CRuELTY.
f.. vt. r'm the evidence adduced. which has
BE-. LACED a. a decree only In measure Of the
u. ia' cise. from the Inspection OF the known
H.Fr .'.i ,siuons on the chart, which Is part
iI. In.rl We
tiX THE ENTIRE FAuLr
7. .ul collision, thv Total loss to the Gov
hl".',D D. .HH ted a - Uf tho steam corvette
1000. 'l me destruction OF the lives OF ii5 OF
itl "n. |a 4 Ltugy. officers and Command