New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-17
BRITISH TOPICS.
NOTES FROM LONDON.
REPORT OF THE COURT OF INQUIRY IN REGARD tt

ANNUAL MEETING OF IllE golden tIOb'
IrRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or TrE TRIBUNE
LONDON June 3O-The report Of the COart 1t In
quiry on the loss of the Schiller has declared elf
cialy what we knew before unoifically. There has
been good deal Of shyness the part of the press
about making the plain and needed comment ON the
disaster and its causes. The fact that poor Capt.
Thomas went down with his ship indisposed men 10
speak harshly OF him. But it is necessary for the
sake Of the living to speak the truth about the dead,
and this the Court has done. 1t recounts tho we'll
known facts: a slip of 3 600 tons, carrying 2ji
passengers and crew Of Is all told, seaming FOR
three days in thick weather without an observation;
guessing at her position by dead reckoning on the
fourth day a dense fog setting in; the ship
still rushing on as before at II knots an hour
toward Sicily Islands; view of land or Lighthouse
possible no hcave Of the lead; tho course altered
at $3.50 d. m. from vague alarm, sail taken In
and speed reduced but too late; the vessel at 10,
having passed inside the Bishop lighthouse without
seeing it, striking on the Retarrior Lodges and
becoming total wreck, with loss OF 33l lives.
The Court point ont that the assumed position or
the ship on the 18th erroneous, the vessel beng
farther to the northward and eastward than the
dead-reckoning indicated. They say that east Of
the lead at s even o'clock-one honr before tho
vessel struck-would have shown from the depth Of
wafer ana iliIult Oh llt tldt Ahc 'iiP WV
in danger. They tell MS that the directions for
approaching the English Channel and the in
struc.ious of the Company for the safe nav;gar
ton Of their vessels were booh on board the
Schiller; that the former navigators to guard
AGAINST n northerly set when approaching Scily,
and ncnlcate the necessity of n careful use OF the
lead in thick weather; the latter are equally strn-
gent in urging their commanders not to neglect any
of the usual precautions when making the land and
that no attention was paid to either. And they sum
up in one clear, firm sentence, declaring that the
entire neglect Of the above precautions Is in the
opinion of the Court the sole of this terrible
calamity involving such great sacrifice Of life AID
property"
That is beyond all question inst Judgment 1t IL
likely to have very serious consequences for the
company to which the Schiller belonged, il We are
10 take case of yesterday in the Court of Queens
Bench as a precedent. That was n case growing ont
of the loss of The Atlantic ihe coast of Nova
Scotia, in circumstances very like those of the
Schiller. the Atlantic also going straight shore
for want Of souldings. One of her 900 los; pas
eengrrs was an FL glishuan of German descent
named Kruger. He left a widow and three young
children. and the widow sued for herself aud them,
under ord Canpbcps act, TO recover compensation
FIR her loss. The company fought the case every
point as companies generally do, till it came into
court for trial. They denied negligence, and
plea led that the accident happened the high seas
ont Of the Jurisdiction Of tie courts Of common law
and also that it happened in Nova Scotia in tn,
Dominion Of Canada, according to the laws Of which
such an action could not be maintained f this latter
be- truc. the sooner the laws Of tho Dominion of
Canada are altered the better for her reputalOn.)
When the c3ase came on the counsel for the com
piny said they had satisfied themselves there was
negligence and shcnld not dispute their liability.
The only question; left the amount Of damages.
1t was proved that Kruger was earning f2,000
year and saving Il 900 out of t--German-li<e.
The Jury gavp a verdict for fj.CD0, OK which $4,000
goes TO tie widow and Il 900 10 each of the three
children. About the law there seems no question
the company docs not find itself able 20 contest
il, bur goes trial only for determining the dam
ages. There must be great number of similar
claims both against the Atlantic and the Schiller
owners, and, on the whole steamship travelling is
likely To b. safer.
Mr.. plimsou sends TO the papers n statement made
up from an official tnrn showing ihat:
critic total number Of gcsscs detained by tho BOARD Of
Trade rndcr The act Of 1873 for alleged unse&wori-
ucss' there
Form! NJ se OItEy.
Survey ................-............... IS
ro,,l s.opred .... lg7
Fortyei.ht more were stopped for alleged overhead
me-. ana c retain sat"' mat IN 10 ns'ano IN which
loading 0riMproper loading been found groundess'
There could not be more convincing proof how
riqht Mr.. Plmssll has been, and what immense
good he has accomplished.
You will he cratilied TO know that the Golden
Climb has not forgotten you. Once year it turns
its eycs westward severely yet with CLEANS of hope
for Your final regeneration. The Clab has held its
annual meeting; iudefatigable Mr. L. Is. Potter, 10
whom Mr.. Coblrn left a shred OF his mantle, in the
chair. The report, we are told. showed considerable
activity in the publication Of works In advocacy OF
the principles of the Club; "a statement judicously
vague. Mr. Potter held ont some hope that the all
nnal search for an American Free Trader TO 90 to
the annual Club dinner would bcsuccessful But he
was not as sangine | could have wished, leav
ing the Club uncertain whether they might not have
from America On its progress toward Free Trade.
There has been a communication, il appears, already.
Mr. Potter has been assured that most of the young
men who are leaving college are impressed with the
inheritance of the Free Trade doctrine lie gave us
no hint who the American il whom they hope To
dine on-with mean. Not Mr. Horace White.
tanly for he leaves London this morning for koter
DAM bent tour as far az Palestine and Will
leave Free Trade and the Golden Clnb To thrive rs
best they can in his absence His IL a view IL IL
Dos be 70 respect, for it is the fruit OF study aud
has a theoretical connection at the bottom Of IL in
dependent and selfacqurcd; not an inherited super
stiton like that of 80 many Engishmen Of this gen
Grafton. The Clubs great catch this year IL NJ Leon
Gambetta, who has accepted an honorary member
ship NJ Gambetta il Free Trader, it may be-,
but his adhesion ~ given IN his letter not To that
doctrine but to the noble principles Of liberty
and civilization which the name OF Cobden im-
plies" It strikes one as Just p, sihlc that N. Michel
Chevalier who is to preside at the dinner, may not
relish "A too close associations Of his name with that
of his almost too famous cOultryman.