New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-28
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
LOSS OF THE ONEIDA.
OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE NAVAL COURT.

| A SLIGHT sHOCK-FUNERAL OF CoMMAN-
| DER WILLIAMS
| IRON OUR own CORRESPONDENT
| YOKOHAMA Japan, Feb. 23.-By the fast-salng
clipper Benefactress, which left this port for San
Francisco on the ID of February forwarded an
account of the collision between the English mail
| steamer Bombay and the United States steamer
| Oneida in the bay of Yedo; the sinking Of tho
Oneida and loss of lis officers and men. and all other
| circumstances connected Herewith which had be-
current up to the date of our last. Since that
date the British Naval Court Of Inquiry has closed
| its session and rendered decision which has made
| it's name and memory hateful TO every American in
the East; for although it deprived Capt Arthur
Wellesley Eyre of the Bombay of his commissioned
certificate the ground of inhumanty In leaving
| the gallant boys of the Oneida to perish; that
British tribunal said to the world that the British
ship was right and the American urong in the matter
of the collisions while the evidence conclusive
| to any unbiased mind. that had the Bombay kept
its own side of the channel and followed the law of
maritime roads, the terrible accident could not have
| occurred The doctrine they promulgate by their
decision is port your helm under all circumstances.
and that fatal doctrine condemned 1l5 loyal, noble
| Americans to a watery grave To illustrate: Sup
| pose be going down Broadway from Central Park
to the Fifth-Avenue Hotel, and close to the walk
the left hand side b is going up the street and
also the left hand side of the road but because
| the law of the road in America is turn TO the
right" is it sense to say that when went at right
angles across the street and tried to get inside of b.
and in so doing crushed his sulky and mangled to
| death, that was right. when Broadway is wide
enough for 10 sukies to go abreast Wond not such
an accident indicate that A showed a foolish and
willful obstinacy in going out of his road to get on
the right hand side of the street,
That case and that of the Oneida and Bombay
exactly similar and all the British courts in chris
tendon cannot prevent civilized and christianlzed
community from branding the captain OF that En-
| glish steamer as crimnally incompetent The evil
| dence in the case was most vouminous and covered
290 foolscap pages but the written argument OF tho
United States Minister, the Hon. Chas. +. Delong.
upon admitted facts, presents such an overwhelming
testimony against that captain that forward it, and
refrain from attempting to make digest of the evil
| dence content to let the be judged bv that
| argument on facts about which no conflict Of evil
| d ence has been presented
| Yesterday Capt f. A. Roe, Chief of Staff of the
| Asiatic squadron arrived here from Hong Kong on
! one of the p NJ. S. S. Co.'S steamers and will at
once institute court for inquring into the facts OF
| the collision, and by the verdict of that tribunal
| Americans will be content. While from Russians.
| French, German, and Americans come bitter denun-
citation of Capt Eyre there is but little less feeling
| against the American Admiral who refused to give
| or buy the Oneida her complement Of boats. fshe
had had these it is beyond doubt that nearly every
man on that ill-starred ship would have been saved
| On the 9th of February the body of Commander
Williams was picked up by the Aroostook Ia craft
| lent the United States Minister as America has
| vessel herel, II miles down the Bay of Yedo, and
brought to this place for burial. On Wednesday tho
funeral took place, and the remains OF the dead
commander followed to the grave by largo
cOncourse of friends, citizens, and army and navy
officers, and their several corps. few days later
the body of the ships carpenter was found but mono
of the rest have been recovered. and month has
elapsed it is not probable that any more bodies will
ever be found.
The printed official report Of the Naval Court OF In
quiry convened at Yokohama the 27th OF January to
evidence concerning the destruction OF the United
Oneida and the abandonment OF her
by Capt Eyre upon desk also copies Of The Japan.
Herald and The Japan Gazette of Feb 49, containing
upon the trial and its result The testimony or
Capt Eyre published in THE TRIBUNE on the 10Th OF
March, with special correspondence including some OF
the most significant evidence offered. We now give all
further details of the tal which are OF interest and the
decision Of the Court in full.
The Court consisted Of five members az follows John
Frederic LOwder, esq, Her British Maesty's Consul
President; Arthur Tinklar. Commander. r. ~, II. NJ =
Ocean; David Moore, STAFF Commander, r. N, II. NJ g.
the British steamship Sultan; WIN. Chapman Master
Mariner, in command OF the British ship Rocklife.
The President opening the Court requested that ALI
witnesses would dyest themselves OF all personal feeling
passions and that the press would publish none OF
the proceedings until they concluded Capt Eyre
was informed to question, that any evidence
then given might be taken evidence against him in
any future proceedings He then demanded that specific
charges be made against him in writing. and named NJ
f. j. Barnard his counsel. The United States Minister.
Mr.. belong, who admitted to conduct the case Oh
behalf of the Of the Oneida, wished TO be-
distinctly understood at whose request the Court was
called He was answered that 1t called at the IN
Of Capt Eyre and Mr. Daze Agent for the Pen
insula and Oriental Steam Navigation Company Capt
Eyre was called the first witness. and his evil
dence concluded the proceedings OF the first day.
We give below the principal points IN the testimony OF
various witnesses bearing upon the two main questions
at issue namely the Of and responsibility
collision and the reasons, If any. why the Oneida
abandoned to her fate after the disaster.
CAUSES OF THE COLLISION
Arthur LOggns. chief officer of the Bombay, agreed in
the main with the evidence given by Capt. Eyre to
what preceded the collision. He SAID
was on duty at the time the bridge; heard tho
gong twice the forecastle immediately looked
port bow almost directly aiterward saw two side lights
the Captain turned the steam whistle, and the tee
kept to port until lost sight OF the steamers
light; the pilot then said that Will do. she is well clear
now" the Captain said mo. keep the helm port. hard
spOrt" suddenly the other steamer hauled right
our bows; the engines were stopped and the helm put
hard astarbosd aud pass under her STERN directly
after we struck her between the mizsen channels and
quarter galley with starboard bow; she instantly
maraer below to sound the wells
at the OF the collision we burning mast head
light and side lights they lit about three quar-
Of hour before the collision and were burning
brightly no sails were set on board our vessel the
was bark rugged she had TAR wind the direction OF