Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-07-17
WRECK OF THE PARIS.


ship Paris has been made public by
the local board of steamboat inspect
ors. Capt. Watkins made no attempt
to avert the responsibility for the &C
cident, but on the contrary, says
frankly that the stranding of the ship
was the result of an unaccountable
error on his part. The accident, he
says, was not due to any want OF
thought or anxiety about his vessel,
but resulted from mistake he made
in calculating the position of the ship.
Capt. Watkins has had long and
honorable career on the sea. In filing
the report with Supervising Inspector
Starbuck, the local inspectors submit
a special report to Capt. Watkins
statement.
The report of Capt. Watkins fol-
| loWs:-
sI, Frederick Watkins, master of
| the American line steamship Paris,
of 1860 tons register, make oath and
say as follows: 7 was master of the
steamship Paris when she left South
ampton at noon on the Goth of May
last with passengers bound for New
| York, by way of Cherbourg. Having
| taken on board As more passengers
| and their baggage we sailed for New
York at 5:52 p. m. At 6:38p. m. Cape
La Hogue was abeam, and at 7:35p. M.
the Casquets lighthouse was abeam.
| At 1.19 a. m, of the 21st of May land
was suddenly seen ahead and report
| ed. The helm was immediately put
hard to starboard and the port engine
was put full speed astern, but directly
| afterwards the vessel struck on the
rocks, which proved to be about
cables length from the beach.
| It was then disco vered to be foggy
| over the land, although there was no
fog at sea. ST. Anthony light. which
had not previously been seen, appear
ed bright and clear about Is minutes
after the vessel struck. We reversed
the engine full speed, but the vessel
remained fast, and we then fired dis
tress signals and swung out our boats.
Assistance arrived and shortly after
daylight the passengers, mails and
baggage were sent ashore to Fall
mouth.
At daylight we ascertained the
ships position by cross bearings, st.
Anthony's light bearing northeast by
north, buoy off the Manicas rock, east
by north, quarter north.
During the day the vessel began to
make water in various compartments
and such water has increased until it
is in every compartment. Practically
the whole of the cargo was discharg-
ed, a large portion unchanged, and eff
forts by the underwriters and owners
have been made at a great expense to
get the vessel off. She is still on
the rocks and is full of water, fore
and aft. No lives were lost Or any
personal injury caused by the &C
cident.
I regret to say that the casualty was
owing to an unaccountabIe error on
my part. It is about 131 miles from
Cape La Hogue to the Lizard, and the
run between these points would, [
calculated, occupy 6 hours and "a
minutes. Unfortunately I reckoned
the time on this basis, for coming up
with the Lizard, from 1886 p. M, when
abeam Of the Casquets, instead of
from $50 when abeam of Cape La
Hogue, and the vessel was thus really
Is miles ahead of the position I was
acting upon. In addition, the thick
weather over the land had obscured
the Lizard lights.
I attribute the stranding to the
above cause and take upon myself
full responsibility for it. I have fol-
lowed the sea as my pofession since
the year 1851 and have held British
masters certificate since the year
1866 and an American masters GER
tificate since the year 1898, in which
year I became an American citizen.
The report of the United States To-
cal inspectors of the steam inspectors
service to George Ell. Starbuck, sup
cruising inspectorof I'd district of
New York is as follows:-
"We have the honor to report that |
we have carefully read over the re-
port adopted by Capt. Watkins, late
commander of the steamship Paris,
when she was stranded on the Eng
lish coast between the Lizard and the |
Manacles on May q, 1899, at about |
1919 a. M, copy of which is hereby
attached, in which Capt. Watkins
takes the responsibility of the dis
aster upon himself, in making a mis-
take in the time when ne passed the |
Casouets and thereby Overr;1nnIno his |