Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-05-01

Why the Coal Ran Short--A "too-conh-
|. dento Commander--Fatnl Disregard
of Orders-.-Second Officer Metcah'i
Chnracter---Q -Quartermaster Thomas
Pretensions--The Fate OF tho Women
lone More Body Recovered.
In regard to the supply of coal on
the Atlantic, Capt. Williams told re-
porter that the Company had made q
contract when coal was 25 shillings q
ton to receive full supply for a year,
to be delivered when needed at the price
agreed on. When the Atlantic left coal
had gone up to 80 shillings, and the
captain believes that the contractor, to
save loss from the rise of coal, furnish
ed very inferior quality, probably that
which had long been exposed to the air
and had lost its heating properties, be-
side being English coal, which is much
inferior to Welsh coal. In answer to a
question whether the officers considered
$40 tons of coal, at 70 tons day, a
sufficient supply for the voyage, hesaid
they had no idea that they were going
to burn 70 tons day. The average con-
sumption has been, according to the
quality of the coal, from 60 to 65 tons a
day but that amount would not run
the ship, for the coal was half wood and
half stone in heating quality. There
was no complaint from the passengers
about coming into Halifax. He had
told them that they would have eight or
nine hours here, and they were glad of
it, as they wanted to see the place.
The captain feels intensely the severi-
ty with which censure is passed ON his
conduct. During the conversation his
feelings almost overcame him. 81 have
lost my professiotr- am ruined for
life" he said. "What more can 1 suf-
fer? If it were not for my wife and
three little children at home I should
never have been here I'd have stuck
to that vessel till the last, and then gone
down with her. The one thing that re-
Dukes me, which I cannot keep out Of
my mind, which will remain with me as
long as live, is that I was too conf
dent-too confident. I thought L knew
Just where my vessel was. I thought 1
was long way eastward from Sambro
Light. Had the position of the pre-
vious day been one of uncertainty, there
would have been greater blame, but we
had made it as certain as human Judg-
ment and ingenuity can make it. The
different observerssand different lnstru-
ments all agreed, and the ships posi-
tion was true to herlength on the ocean
at noon. The papers that have charged
me with intemperance have done me
great Injustice. 1 promised Thomas
Ismay that not drop of liquor should
cross my lips on that vessel, and never
broke that promise. Gentlemen would
sometimes come into my room and
smoke and drink themselves and l would
sometimes bet with passengers on the
days run. If they won they took
glass of porter; if I won I'd take a
cigar, but no liquor. The one thing
that I regret is that 1 was too sure OF my
course"
"Captain, said, elf you had been
on deck would this accident have oc,
Cured ?"
"Never, sir, never" he replied with
great positiveness. 81 had ordered my
boy to call me at 2:40, and bring me
cup of cocoa my intention was to take
the cocoa and smoke q cigar, and be
ready to 90 on deck when the officers
called me at 3, but they stopped the
boy, and did not call me till 10 or Is
minutes past 3. It was too late then"
he added mournfully. "It is incom-
prehensible to me, he said, "why they
did not see the light nor the rocks. Ii
I had been called at we should have
been two or three miles further out. If
the night had been stormy or foggy it
would not have occurred, for my officers
would have called me quick enough. l
had no reason to doubt the efficiency of
the second officer. On one occasion on
the outward passage, when the ship was
in heavy gale, only going two miles
an hour, the air thick and rainy, we met
sailing vessel close to the steamer,
hove to under mainsail and foresail,
goose wing 1t was impossible to
stop or 90 around her, but instant action
was required. There are otelegraphs
to the engineer, one near the second
officer and one near me, and both sprang
simultaneously to the telegraphs, and
rang for more steam. We shot ahead
and passed her. From his acting just
precisely as he did judged he was a
man of resource who would do what /
would do under similar circumstances.
How he lost his head on that occasion
I cannot tell, but, poor fellow, he has
gone If he had left the life-boat
when called him he would have been
saved too"
The evidenced Quartermaster Thomas
excited the scorn and Indignation of the
officers, who pronounce it humbug."
It is very evident, I think, that very
large discount must be made for exag-
eeration. The captain, on whom this
evidence does not reflect, says that on
vessel where the gradations of rank
we're so strongly marked, the idea of
auartermaster leaving the wheel and
going to advise the second officer is
absurd.
"He was pretty officer" said the
captain; Zone of The first to look out
for his own life. The man is simply
seeking notoriety. Third Officer Rrady
and Mr.. Firth gave about the same
opinion of him. The fourth officer ad-
mits that Thomas asked him if he should
60 aloft, and that he told him it was too
soon. "What do you think of that ?"
I said to the captain. I" 1 wish to God
he had let him it could have done no
HARM"
The captain then gave vivid and
circumstantial account of the wreck,
which mood NOT he rapeated for every