The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-18

The Recent Disasters 1T Sea.
Our special cable despatch from London
gives fuller detail than has previously been re-
ceived of the acts of the gallant officer who en-
deavored to take into British port the aban-
doned French steamer Europe Mr.. Bucks
story, like the stories of sailors generally in
cases Of this nature, is clear and to the point,
and. without direct reference to those who had
given up the Europe, it must necessarily
deepen tho impression that the most stringent
reforms are necessary in our whole seafaring
system.
1t is the opinion. then, of the officer who
ventured his life on the Europe in mid-ocean,
when her Captain thought she would not float
three hours that he could have taken her into
port if she had had pumps adequate to the
service for which pumps are supposed to be
made, that, namely, of freeing the ship from
only an ordinary quantity of water In this
connection the reports hitherto received
fully sustain what now we hear
from Mr. Buck by cable. An inspection,
it viii be remembered. was made of
the Europe at night, subsequently to the trans
fer Of passengers, and another inspection the
next morning. Eleven hours intervened be-
tween these two Inspections and on the latter
occasion there was only foot more water in
the compartment than there had been on the
first occasion In this period of eleven hours
there was not soul on the ship; so, Of course,
not pump was touched to keep the water
down. During eleven hours, therefore, in
which not a hand is stirred to fight the danger,
the water only gains one foot and one may
conceive what might have been the result if
the ship had been supplied with the well fitted
pumps and donkey engines to operate them
which should be an essential part of the equip
ment of every ocean steamer that carries
passengers. In the light of the facts before
the world it seems to us that if this leak
which has sent the Europe to the bottom had
occurred on the Greece it would never have
been heard of by the passengers, and would
have been written of nowhere save in the
laconic chronicles Of the ships log. The
water never would have got start. 1t would
have been pumped out from the beginning,
and the weak place, perhaps, have been found
and cared for.
LII 1I. DUN given uS VIC reSUlU
of his experience in the case, we see full
support OF the inference that might be drawn
from the results of the two inspections of the
ship made at the outset by the officers of the
Greece. Such pumps as he finds prove in
effective and inadequate, and slowed away in
a remote part Of the ship he finds pump that
had not been used at all. Fancy great ocean
~ l.,~. 49, L
a cargo valued at two hundred thousand
dollars, suffered to fairly and slowly settle into
the sea by apathetic and incapable officers,
not only without the utmost having been done
to save her, but with nothing done that could
be regarded as an earnest effort Indeed, the
facts in regard to the equipment of the ship
seem to us such as to call for official investi-
cation in the interest of the travelling public
They seem to remove this case altogether from
the class of marine accidents, properly speak
ing, and to establish that the loss of the
Europe was not consequence Of mishap at
sea, but the direct and necessary result of the
neglect Of those precautions to insure safety
that are taken on the ships of every well man
aged line
| II this view of the facts is ultimately sus-
tanned it will somewhat aggravate tae conduct
Of those persons who have led the way in
vilifying Captain Thomas, of the Greece, in
the name of Captain Lemarie of the Europe
Chagrin and wounded vanity appear to have
been behind this ungenerous course, and we
are sure the French Captain will ultimately
feel that he was very badly advised in the
premises. No more honest and capable evil
dence on the facts is needed than we find in
the letters of Mr.. Burridge and Mr.. Lloyd
Phenix Mr.. Burridge writes generously and
vigorously, and, with the instincts and i'm
pulses Of whole-souled man, expresses his
indignation at the attempt to injure Captain
Thomas. Mr.. Phenix's testimony is that of o
competent witness. He was an officer in the
United States Navy during the war
and before the war, and has seen every
variety of service. He is, therefore, thor
oughly trained to the sea. He has that ia
mliarity with ships and their discipline that
can alone fully enable man to Judge Of all
the facts. Where landsmen are agitated, or
alarmed, or, at most deeply interested in car
ing for their personal welfare, gentlemen of
this class take a calm, cool and consequently
accurate view of an event that to them Is not
altogether extraordinary, and their testimony
is correspondingy valuable. We regard Mr..
Phenix's statement as conclusive evidence
that the French officers had no desire to re-
turn to their ship; and we are of opinion
that they have agitated the subject very un-
wisely, and will do well to press it no further.
The GRANoERs have advanced a step in Ore
gon, where they have formed platform and
nominated ticket. If the Changers we're be-
lieved to be lacking in any Of the ordinary
qualities of politicians this lot have proved