The Portland daily press., 1870-03-29
FROM YOKOHAMA
The Oneida Massacre.
AN AMERICAN INQUIRY TO
RE HELD.
FURTHER TESTIMONY IN REGARD
TO THE DISASTER.
The Bombay TO Blame for the CO..
liSiOn.

New YORK, March pa Yokohama letter
of Feb. 23d states that the British Naval Court
of Inquiry has closed its session and rendered
its decision, which has made its name and
memory hateful TO every American in the
East. For, although it deprives Capt. Arthur
Wellesly Eyre of the Bombry Of his commits
sion and certificate, on the ground of inhu-
manity in leaving the gallant boys of the One
ida TO perish, that British tribunal said to the
world that the British ship was right and the
American wrong in the matter Of the collision,
while the evidence was conclusive to any I'M
biased mind that had the Bombay kept its eYn
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 con-
demned lis noble Americans to water grave.
The evidence IN the case covers go foolscap
pages.
On the 22d, says the letter, Capt. F. A. Roe,
Chief of Staff of the Asiatic squadron, arrived
here from Hong Kong, and will at once insti-
tute court for inquiry into the facts of the
| collision, and by the verdict of that tribunal
Americans will be content While from the
| Russians, French, German and American
come bitter denunciaton 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 If she had had
| them it is beyond doubt that nearly every man
| in that ill-starred ship would have been saved.
| vi bu0 OIu VI ECDTudTy Cuo UOuy VI OOm-
| mander Williams was picked up by the Aroos-
| took-a craft lent the United States Minister,
as America has no vessel here-seventeen
miles down the bay of Yeddo and brought to
| this place for burial.
| On Wednesday the funeral took place, and
the remains of the dead commander were fol-
lowed to the grave by large concourse of
| friends, citizens and army and navy officers
| and their several corps. A few days later the
body of the ships carpenter was found, but
/ nf ha raef houo hoe aro6 md
| month has elapsed it is not probable that any
more bodies will ever be found.
In the evidence given by Arthur Loggins,
chief officer of the Bombay, be testified that
when the Oneida was signalled the whistle was
blowing and the helm put hard port. The
Bombay was going at about eight knots. The
collision, be states. was just a bound and Craze
and off she went flying. He also testified that
no signals were seen nor guns heard from the
Oneida.
The pilot, named Richard Conuor, native
| OF New York, testified that Capt Eyre asked
bin if he saw any signal, and he answered no.
badly damaged or she would give signal.''
| The captain then said to me, "What would
/ you do?" I told him l thought if the other
ship was in danger she would make a signal,
| and if she did not it was better for him to go
on to Yokohama as soon as possible. The bell
was rung to go ahead slow-shortly atterward
it was full speed. That was all till we got to
| Yokohama, except that we now and then look
| ed att to note If we could see any signals. Had
l been in the position of Capt. Eyre should
| have felt it my duty to go on as he did. do
| not believe that Capt. Eyre bad any idea OF the
| extent of the injury sustained by the Oneida
from the way he spoke. l think he believed
| bis own vessel was damaged most person.
ally had no doubt, as saw no signal from the
| other ship.
Isaac j. Yates, an officer of the Oneida with
| rank of Master, gives the American account of
the collision as follows:
He relieved Lieut.. Commander Stewart upon
the bridge of the vessel shortly before the acct
| dent The log, heaved about o'clock, showed
| spread of six knots and six fathoms. He
| thought the vessel was running a little more
rapidly, and asked an officer if the report was
accurate. He answered positively that it was.
| The ship was under sail and steam, and at
| about 100 o'clock he said the quartermaster on
| the forecastle reported steamer right ahead,
| and saw steamers masthead light coming
| round Kanonsaki Point, and this light passed
from ahead to starboard. Then, when turned
| around, I saw Mr.. Moldaur, who asked me,
whats the matter, Yates?' 1 said, there is
| a steamers masthead light passing from ahead
| to starboard, but Mr.. Mordaur said, 81 can't go
| any more to port; we must hold our course"
| When the ship was on her course we could see
| the steamers masthead light Oh our starboard
bow, and changing its bearing further aft Not
long after Mr.. MOdaur and both saw her
| green light and her masthead light point on
our starboard bow. She was then evidently
| running nearly parallel with us, pretty well
| into the western or starboard shore. MIR. Mol
daur cried, you see her green light there"
/ and said eyes," and he said "Sbe'll pass to
starboard of us" which was also my idea.
She was then over three miles of. We were
/ on our course all the time, s. by E. 2 IL E.,
and we were of course approaching each other.
| When the steamer was mile of three points
/ on the starbOard bow, saw she had put her
helm to port by the new direction in which she
| headed. She headed right for our green light.
was standing on the starboard side of the
bridge where had been standing all the time
since we had made this steamer and saw her
hBSs Rs nd h in t8Pse fgSs hfr gaes
the order ''starboard," then hard starboard.'
| wheel. We headed off rapidly to port ard
| kept headed off that way. When this steamer
| was a short distance from me, I can't judge
how far exactly, she put her helm to starboard
| If she had not starboarded her helm when she
| did she would have struck forward of the point
which she did strike. did not hear any order
| given on the other steamer. Her helm must
have been starboard. l heard no noise on the
| steamer and saw no signals made of any kind
before or after the collision. just as she
struck some one sung out, ''what the hell are
| you abOut?" Whether 1t was to some one on
board the Oneida or to some one on the Bonn
bay cannot say. She struck our ship not
long after starboarding her helm. Her helm
was starbOard when she struck US.
Minister belong desired to testify that he
| and his wife heard three guns at the time of
| the collision; also to offer the testimony of
Consul Sheppard and Mr. Harrington that thew
heard the three guns, but the court decided
that no further evidence on that point was re-
quired.
Lieut.. Clements Of the British frigate Ocean,
who boarded the Bombay Immediately after
her arrival, testified that either Doctor Per-
kins or Capt. Eyre made the remark that the
cabin of the vessel cOllided with could be seen
into, he said, Il will swear that Capt. Eyre
said to me, Il have cut off the quarter of a
Yankee trigate and served her right. She
crossed my bows with Q starboard helm" I
said that was curious thing to do. Capt.
Eyre did not lead me to believe that the Oneida
I~had sustained serious injury. / responded to
the Captain that it was trivial thing. DR..
Perkins replied that he had made no remark
that he could see into the cabin of the Oneida.
The second officer of the Bombay testified
that he heard the bail of steamer ahoy," from
the Oneida, but nothing further. He answer
ed the hail but did not report the circumstan-
ces to the captain.
John Murray, the ships carpenter, gave i'm
portant testimony, as follows: At the time of
the collision was a little abaft of the bridge,
on the starboard side, opposite to the engine
room. Immediately after the collision saw
a ship under sail. When I saw her sheer
alongside of us and go past us, saw her pro-
pelier, and it was going round, but I don't
know whether astern or ahead. saw damage
had been done to the other ship, hut I could
not tell to what extent She appeared to be
1
was damaged above the water line, but can
not say whether she was damaged below the
line. I saw two men lift another man and
hand him away. l had some conversation
about this on the forecastle afterwards, just for
minute. did not report the circumstance
to the captain or to any officer.
William Herbert, gunner, swears that he
heard the hail but did not hear any guns. All
the other officers of the Bombay agree in this /:
several of them say that they heard the first
call, "hallo;" but all of them say they did not
see the flash or hear the report of the guns
The survey held on the Bombay found hole
on the port side OF the bow fourteen inches in
| diameter, nearly filled with pieces of timber
and the plating on the starboard side was splin-
| tered. An iron plate was cracked on the port
| side below the water line and water flowed
| freely in the false stem. The cut water head,
| mead Knees ana SkirtlBg bvasdo wors crushed
| and carried away. An examination of the
| ends of the fire compartment and lower hold
showed that the ends of the plating joining the
| stem was much shaken, the lower end of the
knight head sprung and one angle iron on the
| port side broken. The bowsprit and bowsprit
gear was uEiniured.
The Court delivered lengthy decision in re-
view OF the testimony of those who were navi-
eating the two vessels at the time of the disas-
| ter, holding that upon comparison of the
| statements on both sides the collision was not
attributable to the fault of Capt. Eyre. The
decision OF the Court upon the conduct of Cap
| tain Eyre after the collision is unanimous as
| follows: 1--WE find from the evidence before MS
that on dark and starlight night, the Oath of
January last the steamship Bombay, through
no fault of her commander, Mr.. Eyre, came