Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-04-08
LOSS OF THE ONEIDA.
Further Particulars of the Collision.
Report of the Court of Inquiry.
The Captain of the Bombay Gen.
sured and Suspended for Six
Months---FuneraI of the Omcers of
the uI-Fated Ship.


sured and Suspended for Six
Months--Funeral of the Officers of
the II-Fated Ship.
By the steamship China we have fur
ther particulars of the sinking of the
United States corvette Oneida. The
following, from the Japan Gazette, gives
the essential details:
THE FACTS ELECTED BEFORE THE COURT
THE COLLISION.
The vessels saw each other consider
able distance before they met. The
Bombay was under steam alone; the
Oneida was under full sail and steam,
going before strong breeze and with
the tide. The speed of the Bombay was
about eight knots-that of the Oneida
probably nine. The Bombey, adopting
the rule of the road, as laid down for all
English vessels, ported her helm, and
would have cleared the Oneida, had not
the latter deliberately starboarded her
helm and thus brought herself directly
across the Bombay bow When it was
evident that collision must take place,
the Bombay engines were stopped, and
at the last moment her helm was star
boarded, and so in the collision which
followed she struck the Oneida obliquely
on her starboard quarter, carrying away
a great part of her stem, her rudder, her
steering gear, one pinnacle, portion Of
the mizen rigging, and crushing one of
her boats. The two vessels then parted
so quickly, that, as one witness said the
Oneida was out of sightin the darkness
"in no time" The Captain of the Bonn
bay is acquitted of all blame up to this
point No one can read the evidence
without being quite of the court S opin-
ion, that he did everything in his power
to avoid the collision, and acted cor
rectIy in all he did.
AFTER THE COLLISION OF
THE ENGLISH CAPTAIN.
After the collision it was found that
the Bombays bows were damaged, and
that spar or plank had penetrated them
below the water line, so that she was
making much water in the fore compart-
ments. Fortunately for all hands on
board, she was built in compartments.
The captain waited a long time, looking
out for signals of distress from the other
ship, which, as yet, of course, he knows
not the name Of He says the time he
waited was about ten minutes (the log of
the engineer does not make it above four
or fve), and then seeing no signal of
any kind, and apprehensive of his own
ship with the passengers, crew and mails,
he hasted on by the advice of the pilot,
an American, to Yokohama. He de-
clares, and his assertion seems fully
borne out by all the witnesses who had
been on board Of the Bombay at the
time, that he had no idea of any such
serious damage having been done as it
turned out afterward there was; and
merely thought that she would probably
have to return to port to repair the eff
fects of what, to all on board his ship,
seemed only slight Craze.
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ONEIDA THE
CATASTROPHE.
On the Oneida, however, a very diff
ferent and painful state of things existed.
Capt Williams, who was i'll, was assisted
on deck, and, all his executive officers,
who had been at their dinner down be-
low, with the exception Of those on duty,
also made their appearance Lieut..
Commander Stewart, seeing at once how
serious the damage was, is stated to have
shouted to the Bombay, Steamer ahoy;
lay by us, you have cut us down But
SO quickly did the ships pass, that the
hail was only heerd as Steamer ahoy =
the reply from the Bombay, which the
third and fourth officers and a quarter
master assert they made, was unheard on
board tie Oneida. Therequisite signals
usually kept bsaaT for giving alarm
were carried away, so that fresh ones
had TO be obtained from below; and FIVE
minutes az least elapsed, according to
the statements ef the survivors, before
any gHB eopld be hred. A. length one
of the leeward guns was ifed, aaq that
four times-but captain, officers and
passengers in the Bombay all declare
that although they watched for signals,
they neither saw nor heard them. The |
Oneida Ga5 only two boats, and these !
having been got eai, Or. Suddard, the
boatswain and twelve men goa into one, |
and believing he saw a junk passing |
f}y. Suddard ordered the men to row to |
bsr for assiztance; but she was GO
inc 10 fast Car them, and |
they gave no pursuit IN
=
couple of minutes; but turning, to go
hack TO the ship. they could neither see
her nor any traces Of her. They
then rowed to the shore Q distance of
about five miles. The only other re-
naming boat had just been lowered as
the ship went down. A nomher Of men
we're lowered in her, and they managed
to get several more on board out Of the
water, including Mr.. Yates, the execu-
tive officer in charge of the Oneida at
the time ofthe collision, and Mr.. Crown
inshieId, the captains clerk They stayed
by the ship as long as they could see any
Of theIs eomrades heads above water,
and already having upward of forty men
on board, made for the shore. On the
morning Of the 18th Of January they
walked as far as Yokoska, to the Franco I
japanese dock-yard, and we're there well