APPENDIX F.

No. 6.

(Handed in by Mr. Bullock, Q. 988.)

TIMBER-LADEN SHIPS-FOUNDERED, ABANDONED OR MISSING--VOYAGES.

SHIPS belonging to the UNITED KINGDOM and to BRITISH POSSESSIONS ABROAD, Years 1873 to 25th May 1894.

FOUNDERED OR ABANDONED.

Ves- Lives sels. Lost.

Ves- Lives Ves- Lives Ves- Lives Ves- Lives Ves- Lives Ves- Lives Ves- Lives Ves- Lives Ves- Lives Ves- Lives
sels. Lost. sels. Lost. sels. Lost. sels. Lost. sels. Lost. sels. Lost. sels. Lost. sels. Lost. sels. Lost. sals. Lost.

APPENDIX F.

No. 7.

(Handed in by Mr. Bullock, Q. 988.)

BRITISH TIMBER-LADEN VESSELS FOUNDERED, ABANDONED, or MISSING in 1893.

Only four of the timber-laden vessels which foundered or were abandoned or missing in 1893 belonged to the United Kingdom. Of these, one was bound from Mexico to Fleetwood with logwood, one from Pensacola to Queenstown with pitch-pine, and two were bound from Dantzic to the United Kingdom with pit-chocks and fir-wood respectively,

APPENDIX F.

No. 8.

(Handed in by Mr. Bullock, Q. 989.)

NATIONALITY and other particulars of DERELICTS named on the PILOT CHART of the NORTH ATLANTIC

No. 9.

(Handed in by Mr. Bullock, Q. 1597.)

APPENDICES.

Mr. Paxton appeared for the Board of Trade; Mr. Hawkins represented the owners of the vessel; Mr. Dickinson the captain and the mates; and Mr. Walter Bateson watched the proceedings on behalf of other parties interested.

The "Isle of Bardsey," official No. 97,751, was a British screw steamer built of steel by Messrs. John Redhead & Sons, at South Shields in the county of Durham, in 1890, and was registered at the port of Liverpool. She was 230 feet in length, 335 feet in breadth, with 16 feet depth of hold; had four water ballast tanks, and was schoorer rigged; was fitted with triple expansion engines; her gross tonnage being 1306 40 tons, and her registered tonnage 822-61 tons; and she was owned by the Isle of Bardsey Steamship Company, Limited, having its principal place of busi ness at 35, Queen's Buildings, Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, John Tudor Williams of the same address being designated as manager of the vessel on behalf of the owners.

The "Isle of Bardsey" left the port of Carthagena, Spain, at 6 p.m. on the 27th March 1894, with a cargo of 1,900 tons of iron ore, bound for Mostyn, North Wales, her draught of water at the time of leaving port being 17 feet 4 inches forward and 18 feet 7 inches aft. She had a crew of 18 hands all told, and one passenger; her master, David John Lloyd, holding a master's certificate, No. 027,723, and her first mate, William Edwards, also being the holder of a master's certificate of competency, No. 027,724. There were three compasses on board: a standard compass on the upper bridge amidships, by which the bearings were taken and the courses were set; another in the wheelhouse below, and one on the poop. There was also a deviation card on board which had been supplied when the steamer was built in 1890, and she had not been swung since then, but both the master and the mate stated that they had taken observations for deviation-the last of them for westerly courses on the previous voyage home-which were entered in a book kept by the master, which book had gone down with the steamerthe mate estimating the deviation at 1° 30′ W. on the westerly points, and the master stating that there was very little difference between the compasses on the courses set, and that they were practically magnetic. There was also a patent log on board, but no hand log, and she had three boats, viz., two life-boats and a jolly

boat.

S.

At 9.39 p.m. on the 28th March, Europa Point Light was sighted, the course then being W. by S.; at 10.15 p.m. a four-point bearing was stated to have been taken by the mate-the vessel's speed at that time being reckoned at eight knots-and at 10.45 p.m. Europa Point was abeam, estimated to be distant about four miles, the weather then blowing a fresh gale from S. by E. with a heavy sea and heavy blinding rain squaÏls. The course was then altered to W. magnetic, the steamer still going at full speed, and at 12.15 a.m. of the 29th March a bearing was got of the light on Carnero Point, on the opposite side of Gibraltar Bay, that light bearing N.N.E., and being distant from two-and-a-half to three miles. At this time, according to the master's statement, the vessel was within the white sector of the Europa Point Light, which clears the Pearl Rock, which lies south of Point Carnero. The course was then altered to W. by N., and the steamer kept on at full speed till about 12.45 a.m., when the master, who was on the bridge, but had got no report from the look-out, saw what looked like land and breakers ahead, and a little on the starboard bow. He hard-a-starboard," then ordered the helm to be put and as the vessel came round and was heading W. by S. she struck something a heavy blow which did not stop her way, but she continued to come round with her head to the sea and eventually to E. by S. She was sounded, when it was found that No. 2 tank was full of water, that there was none in the fore-peak or fore-tank, but that there was water in the fore-hold, and afterwards in the stoke room.

66

All the engine pumps were put on, and the vessel steamed head to sea towards Gibraltar, but the water gained rapidly, and in about half-an-hour the crew left the vessel in the two lifeboats, and in about twenty minutes afterwards they saw her founder, and the crew then pulled for Gibraltar, where they arrived about 7 a.m. of the 29th March.

David John Lloyd had been master of the "Isle of Bardsey" since 1891, and had been regularly engaged in running to the Mediterranean, having in fact made 54 voyages there; while the mate, William Edwards, had made 25 voyages to the Mediterranean. master was on deck from the time of sighting Europa

The

Point Light till the vessel was abandoned; but the
bearings up to midnight of the 28th March were taken
by the mate, and he stated that their rule was to take
a four-point bearing of the principal lights they passed.
He alleged that the first Europa Light bearing was got
at 10.8 p.m. (though the master stated that he was told
by him that it was 10.15 p.m.), that he consulted no
clock, but that his watch indicated that time; that the
log was not used either then or at any time during the
night, but that he guessed her speed to be 8 knots as
she was going full speed, and that there was a 2-knot
He took no cross-bearings or
current against them.
Carnero and Europa Lights, both of which he had in
view for over 1 hours, and took no cast of the lead at
All the witnesses describe the weather, at
any time.
least from 10.45 p.m., as blowing a strong gale from
the E., with a heavy sea, and raining heavily and very
dark, the rain squalls travelling ahead of them and the
weather getting clearer abaft; that they could see very
little ahead-e.g. a ship's length, 200 yards or more,
and at most one mile. At about 11.30 p.m., when
Carnero Light was stated to be abeam, they could not
see it; at 12 midnight it bore two points abaft the beam,
and the white light of Europa Point was visible astern,
At 12.15 a m. of the 29th March, when the captain took
a bearing of Carnero Light, the time being taken by
the second mate, the land could not be seen, though
the light was visible, and the white light of Europa
Point was still in sight, and continued so till within
five to seven minutes of the time when the vessel
struck; but Tarifa Point Light was never seen until
after the vessel struck and was steered to the south-
ward.

Thomas Jones, A.B., who took the wheel at 10 p.m., got the course W. by S., and kept that till midnight; Richard Evans, who relieved him at 12.3 a.m., continued the same course for about 20 minutes, and then by the master's order changed it to W. by N. At 20 minutes to 1 a.m. of 29th March he got the order "Hard-a-starboard," and he got the vessel's head round to W. by S. when she struck-apparently underneath and abaft No. 1 hold; she seemed to rise and then fall on something, gave two or three rolls, and then went on, and he brought her round to S.W., and steered that course for about 10 minutes, and then altered it to E. by. S.

At midnight of 28th March the engine room telegraph indicated full speed, or 64 revolutions, but that had been diminished to from 60 to 61 revolutions, when she struck at from 12.30 to 12.40 a.m.; ten minutes later the order was given half-speed; then ten minutes later they were slowed down, and then put full speed again, when the pumps were attended to, and the water having come up to the level of the engine-room floor they had to leave. The second mate, who was on the bridge when the captain gave the order, "Hard-a starboard," saw the high land and the breakers on the starboard bow and a little ahead, at a distance of from 1 to 1 miles; the first mate, who had been roused by the shock, stating that when he got on deck the vessel was heading off the land, which was two miles off, and that he could see cliffs astern, but could see nothing that they had struck upon, but he could sce Tarifa Light on the starboard quarter, and five minutes later Carnero Light-and that after coming up from the wheelhouse, where he had gone to render assistance, he saw Carnero Light and Tarifa Light on the port All the witnesses, including the master, quarter. stated that after they had got into the boats the weather cleared, and that they could see Tarifa, Carnero, and Europa Lights.

At the conclusion cf the evidence the following questions were submitted to the Court by Mr. Paxton on behalf of the Board of Trade :

1. Were the errors of the compasses known, and the necessary corrections applied to the courses?

2. Were proper steps taken to get the distance of the vessel from Europa Point when she was abeam?

3. Were proper steps taken to ascertain the position of the vessel before altering the course to W. by N?. 4. Was that a safe and proper course?

5. Ought the lead to have been used?

6. Was a good and proper look-out kept?

7. What did the ship strike, and what was her position at the time ?

8. What was the cause of the casualty?

9. Was the master in default in regard to any of the above matters ?

The Board of Trade state that in their opinion the master's certificate should be dealt with.

APPENDIX G.

No. 1.

(Handed in by Captain Wharton.)

See p. 38.

FLOATING DERELICTS REPORTED or DEALT WITH by H.M. SHIPS between 1873 and 1894, so far as

ADMIRALTY RECORDS Show.