The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-11
CAPT. WATKlNS'S REPORT.
,EJppER or THE STRANDED PARIs
ADMITS ERROR ~ MITIGATION.


the Land obscured the LiGhts-Ship Was
cn the Rocks When Land Was sighted
md Before Light Was Secn-A Frank
Admission That only lie Was to Blame.
l,r steamship Paris. now seven weeks aground
oTtlr Cornish coast. near the Manacles has
,.gr,.nu tho blame for the loss Of the shin on
btms,.f, aui as a result. he has been relieved
nj H. masters license for two years. Capt.
watkins l. still aboard the stranded liner, re-
paiuius there at the request OF the undcrwrit-
ers VhI the officers of the line have known
from the first that Capt Watkinss error in a
suur,r calculation was the cause OF the strand
tc ,fth- Paris. the facts were first made pub
lrye-'rrIay when Capt. George Ii. Starbuck.
suIcry.,ug inspector Of steam vessels in the
second district. gave out Capt. Walk mss re-
r,r,t, 'h. u!tcl States local inspectors and
their port to Capt. Starbuck. Capt Wat
klu.', report was mad" on Juno II before
intel states Consul Hup!cy at Southam pton.
A"nr .raying Nhcrbourg on the evening be-
fore thr ship ran on the rocks. the Paris made
her gulraa for the Lizard. The last point OF
land %, the coast OF Normandy is Cape lie la
Has joe. The cape was abeam at $3.50 o'clock
An h. ir later. lacking three minutes the light
ottg" ta-luets was abeam. From the cape to
H.. Lizard, westward across the channel. is q
distance Of l3l miles. and Capt Watkins
lsarei that the ship would make this in Il
hours ~ minutes. But when he came to
re-, ~ tho time Of reaching tho Lizard.
h. "a. dci the u hours 81 minutes not
t. the U.;!S. the time of passing Cape de Ia
Hague. but To- the 1'35. tho time OF pass
Ing the CasIucts. This made Capt. Watki
eoahoad. believing that he would not DO near
Al a.. ..t.l. n INT far
uoiniug. instead Of ] o'clock. Had there not
been a thick fog over the land the accident
might have been avcrted. Capt. Watkins says
that II Anthony's light was not seen until a
quarter Of an hour after the grounding. and
that uecause Of the land fog the Paris was on
Che rocks almost simultaneously with the cry
Land ahead"
Here j. Capt. Watknss story o. the disaster:
L. Frederick Watkins. master of the Ameri-
car line steamship Paris Of New York. OF
1uiE' tons register. make oath and say as fol-
lows was the master uf the said steamship
Paris when she left Southampton at noon OF
thu 10Th OF May last with passengers. mails and
general cargo. bound for New York via Cher
lourG. and at ) ~ p. NJ. of the same day she
arrived at Chnrhourg. Having taken on board
fo.ty-ilye further passengers and their bag
gaze. We sailed for New York at 5:52 p NJ At
735 Z n. he ,CasIUeis Lighthouse was
land was suddenly seen ahead and reported.
The hem was Immediately put hard to star
scrn but drcty aerward the we vsssc s truck
o. M ro'E>. winch proved to bc about a ca bes
length from the beach. 1t was then discovered
10 te thirk over the land. although there was
n toG to "a, ST Anthony's light which had
not previously been seen. appeared bright and
clear about fifteen minutes after the vessel
struck. We reversed the engines full speed
buy the vessel remained fast. and we then fred
distance arrived and shortly after daylight the
PASSENGERS mails and baggage were sent
!, A. daylight We ascertained the ships posi-
ton by cross hcarings-St. Anthonys Light
fRy RE l. ( Gy T. thE Duoy on d the MANAGES
began to make water in various compart-
imrnts ali such water has increased until it is
N very compartm"nt, Practically the whole
undamag"d and Efforts by the underwriters
ana owners have been made at great expense
Focks and is fun Of water fore and aft No
EyeI were lost or any persona! injury caused
81 regret Ia say that the casualty was owing
70 an unaccuuntahc error on my Part. 1t is
about III miles from Cape La Hague to the
Lizard and the run between these points
would calculated. occupy six hours and nifty
Jour minutes Unfortunately | rcrkonrd the
sr from 7jS ~ When I shaam Of Il" the he CAS- as
Qurts. instead Of from U;}S p NJ. when ubcam
Of Care "a Hague. and tho vessel was thus
weather over the land had obscured the Lizard
| attribute the strandinG to the above
ssau,e any take Iron myself iull responsibility
i sna nave i9%w1d ,mS sea G as ny
master : "r,tllicate since the year 1855 and an
Am"rcan Masters certificate since the year
iM',' IN which year, | became uu American
SfIrn entered the service of the 1nman
e'.a'nshir COMPANY III the year St:5 and alter
mot"d To- he master in 1861 and have since 1875
zen c"H'lnppus!y master in command III tho
imam an! lntornnti nal and American In"
passenger ANA iuall steamers and have in that
GhIac!fy crossed the Atlantic nearly 800 tines
Wa, during the war between the United
ln'tc. states cruiser lal" holding a COM
R.rsloh as COMMANDER in the United States
HdNF, ana on tho termination OF the war | re-
t"Nrl hnhp'hhl" discharge with the thanks OF
4" have thought it right to place these par
ttnuihr, hci"r" you in the hops that you will
NIX INTO consideration a long and rcsponsible
e.! arlnG careel, during which believe have
ti'.lEh7ut held the perfect confidence Of my
shi.oy"r, The accident was not due to any
M1L' % thought or anxiety about my vessel or
F,I nET,"ty' nut arose purely from the mistake
scribe! should add that can only speak in
EErhlS Of th" highest praise Of the discipline
aTTy sustained by my officers and crew
mo tlltcd states Local INSPECTORS Of steam
vessels. Peter c. Petrie and Thomas II. Bar
rev.: n sntrenIinG Capt. Watkins's license,
n4Ee this report:
~" hdNo Ia" h0nOr to report mat we nave
WtelNy read over the report made by Capt.
MaiNinH, late commander of the steamship
da'I, when she was stranded on tho English
e"aS'. between the Lizard and the Manaces,
U!t nay Il, 1853, at about l:lH A: NJ. n COPY OF
En'hI hereby attached. III which Capt. Wat
MS ihH"N the entire responsibility OF the
uSa.,"F upon himself in making mistake in
te Tine when he passed the CasquetS and
"eTT.y 0ECrrunning his distance.
H., we Nnd that the report is very meagro in
SelaIs lhasnuch as he merely states that he
Iddr mistake in taking his departure from
SS4ln la Hague at I:.iS, when he was actually
oo,itaat u the tasquets a. that time. n distance
p aog4t ld'a miles; This. ofcourse. would put
MN ~, miles ahead Of his reckoning. but
W. m"1iI IL account tor his being set in to tho
KIT inward Of his course some seven miles,
Sri"nE his intention to pass the LIZ
Stl al q, distance OF three miles. As
~. watkins does not make any men
wa W.. OF making any allowance for tide.
W. .'r OF Tn" opinion he had not taken that
SM,l,r nt1 nS,ld"ration. whereas when he
ssnl'"hrhed the English coast he must have
s snc uttered the flood tide on his port bow,
sGitI him il toward the land. In addition 10
i ta,II u" makes no mention Of having used his
lou ana he only discovers it was thick over
VI" 'itl when the ship IA ashore.
NN'NG all due consideration to these mat
in9 we are OF the opinion that Capt Wat klns
ms " ~ acted with the and T.