The Portland daily press., 1870-05-03
THE ONEIDA.
OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE CAUSE OF THE DIS
kSTER.

kSTER.
WASHINGTON, May 2.-The following is the
opinion of the United States naval court con-
sisting of Capt Rome (?), Lieut.. Commander
Mulin and Paymaster Lyons, at Yokohama to
investigate the cause of the collision between
the Bombay and the Oneida, which was re-
ceived by the navy department. to-day and for
warded to Congress. The evidence in the
case being in possession of the court the mem
bers alter mature and studiOus consideration
find as follows, to wit: That on the oath day
of January, 1870, at 5.l5 p. NJ, the Oneida got
under weigh from Yokohama and started down
the bay OF Yeddo on her way to Hong Kong
and the United States: About $50 P. M. she
passed to the eastward of the eastward light
ship, distant 800 fathoms; made sail and under
low steam shaped her course south by east one
quarter east to clear Saratoga spit and pass
around Konowsake light; that she steamed
this course running at speed little less than
knots per hour until she arrived in the vicinity
OF Saratoga spit, when the officer of the deck
believed the vessel to be sagging to westward
from this course and hauled her up 1 34 points
to the east, but only until the navigator could
get on deck. who after being informed of it
promptly ordered that the ship again be put
on her course of south by east, quarter east, es-
pecialy stating that he could not go more to
the eastward by reason of the danger of get
ting ashore on Saratoga spit. About this time
the English Peninsula and Oriental steamship
bombay, Capt: Eyre, hove in sight around
IA"HdhSdnA poluC anu 10 the eastward OF 1t,
distant from the Oneida about 5 or miles ami
bearing ahead then rapidly, passing on to the
Onelda's starboard bow. The Oneida's look
out and navigator made out the mast head and
starboard or green light of the Bombay, and
they saw the Bombay pass from the eastward
course was narrowly observed by the officers
on duty and by the lookout of the Oneida, and
she was seen passing clear and giving her a
wide berth; that after running some Is or 20
minutes rapidly changing her bearing, more
and m ore broad about four to five points or
more on the starboard bow Of the Oneida, and
while the Oneida lights were brightly burning
the Bombay suddenly ported her helm and
came directly at the Oneida in the direction of
her green light and struck her at the starboard
mizzen rigging at about knots speed, cutting
away all her starboard quarter at an angle
OF forty-five degrees and on the line from
the main rigging to the Wheel and to the star
board side of the combings of the cabin hatch;
thence clear of her rudder head down to the
waters edge; that the Oneida had her whole
wheel carried away, then rounded to port and
stood on towards the shoal in an east by north
direction and sunk in twenty fathoms of water
in about twelve or fifteen minutes after, carry
ing down with her some one hundred and fif-
teen of her officers and men. 1t 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
were properly placed, in full burning order
1t also appears that the officers and crew acted
with GOODNESS and discipline, and at no time
were in doubt or hesitating, but that when the
Bombay was about five points on the Oneida's
starboard, three or four points forward of her
starboard beam, the Bombay put her helm
hard port and went directly at the Oneida,
when the latter vessel at once flung her own
helm hard starboard, and it was in that po-
sltlon, and the ship was rapidly passing off to
port, when the Bombay struck her. At this
north, and the Bombay headed northeast
1t is also shown that after the collision the
executive officer of the Oneida, Lieut.. Com
mander Stewart, hailed the Bombay several
times, calling to her to lay by as the Oneida
was cut down; and this when the Bombay was
within few yards of the Oneida's stern; that
this call was unanswered and unheeded; that
three or four big gurls were fred from the One
ida as signals of distress, with tho full service
charge of six pounds Of powder, land that these
signals were also unheeded. 1t was also shown
that at the moment of the collision the Bonn
bay stopped her engines for a. very few mo-
ments, but she did not once lose her headway,
but after crushing through the quarter of the
Oneida and making breech so wide that the
persons in her cabin looked into the open sea
through space of 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
at her for five to ten minutes, and anchored
safely in Yokohoma hal Dor at 7.45 P. NJ of the
same evening; that the Bombay neither offered
nor asked for assistance or communicated after
the collision. The Court therefore totally ex-
onerates and exculpates the Oneida and her
officers from all and any blame for the horrible
disaster, and find that they acted promptly;
that the Oneida was skillfully handled, and
that the international rules of the road were
carefully and intelligently obeyed.
The Court at this point observes, however,
with deep pain, that the Oneida had lost her
gig by the collision; that the dingey boat had
been Droken into some time before her sailing,
ana that during typhoon some months previ-
Gus she had lost her two largest and most ser.
vlceable boats, thus leaving her in the hour of
supreme distress with but two boats to save
her people. Had the Oneida replaced her
boats and gone to sea with full compliment
OF them it is morally certain that many more
valuable lives would have been saved
The court censures in the severest terms the
navigation of the Bombay, and say that her
crossing so far over to the Eastern shore, with
the green light of the Oneida full in view, as it
must have been, is an action so extraordinary
as to stagger the common sense of safety and
duty, to say nothing of the regulations and
east quarter east, drawn through Saratoga spit
buoy, and another at point to thelwestward
OF Ramon Saki light in a direction north by
west half west, after rounding the light, which
is the pilot course, shows how impossible it
was for the Bombay to have collided with the
Oneida unless indeed she ran directly at the
latter's green light, as several witnesses testify
she did. The cause of the collision then is al
together and entirely due to the Bombay,
whose commanding officer is blamed beyond
excuse.
Again, the conduct of the Bombay after the
collision in passing on out of sight and not
communicating with the Oneida, in disregard
ing the loud balls of the executive officer Of the
Oneida. disregarding the signal of her whistle,
which kept blowing until she sunk, and final
ly not hearing, or if she heard, in not replying
to three or four heavy signal guns fred from
the Oneida, although they were. distinctly
heard in Yokohama, at a distance of over nine
miles, is SO guilty and blan able that this court
can only speak of it as unparalleled in cruelty.
Finally, from the evidence adduced, and
which has been accumulated to degree only
in measure equal to the gravity of the case
from the inspection of the known courses and
positions on the chart which is part of this rec
ord, we fix the fault of this dreadful collision,
the total loss to the government of the United
States of the steam corvette Oneida, with the
destruction of the lives of lis of her officers
and crew, on the officers in command of the
English steamship Bombay.