June 3, 1897]
capital. The houses now existing at the Peak, with very few exceptions, do not, I will venture to say, yield their owners 4 per cent. net on the capital invested. The excep- tions are those where houses have changed hands, and the original owner has got out of a bad bargain at a ruinous loss.
If a residence at the Peak, which has its drawbacks, chiefly in the mist and damp, seems desirable, it will in the future no doubt have to be paid for at В somewhat higher rate than a house on the lower levels, But I do not imagine the landlords will put up the rents unreasonably; that would serve only to keep people away. But the days when tenants profited by the misfortunes of property owners are probably gone by; unless indeed the public buy back the Mount Austin Hotel from the Mi- litary (supposing the latter are willing to sell it) to run it on philanthropic and benevolent prin- ciples. In any case I cannot imagine there will be any great eagerness to build. Let those in- clined that way call for tenders and ascertain the
Hongkong, 1st June, 1897.
STRANDING OF THE “
COST.
YIKSANG.”
FINDING OF THE COURT OF ENQUIRY. The following is the finding, rendered on the 21st May, of the Naval Court of Enquiry held at the British Consulate, Nagasaki, to deter- mine the particulars regarding the stranding of the steamship Yiksang at Iwayasaki on the night of the 21st May
Finding and Orders of a Naval Court held at Her Majesty's Consulate, Nagasaki, on the nineteenth and twentieth days of May, 1897, to investigate the circumstances attending the stranding of the British steamship Yiksang of the port of London, official number 91,934, at Iwayasaki. and the cause of such stranding, and to enquire into the conduct of the master, officers, and crew of the said vessel.
The Fiksang is a steam vessel, schooner rigged, of 886 tons registered tounage, official number 91,934, built at Dumbarton in 1886 and belonging to the port of London.
It appears from the evidence before the Court that she sailed from Chefoo on the 19th of April, 1897, bound for Kobe with a cargo of beans and bean cake and a crew of forty hands all told, as well as forty passengers, and that she proceeded on her voyage in due course until 2 p.m. of the 21st of April when Kosaki light on the southern point of the island of Tsushima was sighted. The light was subsequently passed at 2.57 p.m. at a distance of three and three quarter miles and the course was then set South 75 degrees East, or allowing for 15 degrees of Westerly error in the compasses, which had been verified on the previous, day, true East, At 5 p.m. the island of Ikishima was sighted at a distance of eight miles and the course was then altered to South 85 degrees East true. At 7 p.m. Oro-no-shima was abeam, distant six miles, moderate breeze, and the weather overcast, but the island clearly visible. The course was thien set South 75 degrees East or allowing for the error in the compass, due East, and the speed of the vessel was then 8 .to.9 knots per hour.
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·CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. | and was not called by the mate, who had in the meantime kept the ship on her course and had failed to sight Wilson Island till 10.40 p.m. The weather had become thicker, the night was deceptive, the wind almost abaft and the. vessel following the smoke of the funnel, and nothing was seen by the mate until breakers were discerned ahead just before 10.40 p.m. Almost immediately afterwards the vessel struck on what subsequently proved to be Iwayasaki. The breakers were not reported by the man on the look-out on the forecastle, but were first seen by the mate. The helm was immediately put bard a-starboard, the engines reversed at full speed, and the captain called, but the striking took place before the latter could reach the bridge. The vessel remained on the rocks until the third of May, when she was floated and subsequently brought by her own steam to Nagasaki, The passengers were all safely landed by means of a boatswain's chair on the day following the casualty, but a large part of the cargo was lost or damaged, both involving very serions loss.
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THE BREAKDOWN OF THE “SYDNEY”
439
Shanghai, 24th May. The steamer Sydney, of the Messageries Martimes line, which left Woosung on Satur- day afternoon with passengers for Europe, met with an accident to her machinery the same evening, when about abreast of Gutzlaff, and returned for repairs, anchoring off the | New Dock.
A gentleman passenger gave a reporter of this paper this morning a few particulars of the untoward incident. He said :——“ I was one of those bound from Shanghai to Europe, tending to be present at the celebration in London of the Diamond Jubilee. I had looked forward to being among those who, though not British, are sufficiently acquainted with the career of the august lady who graces the throne of England to heartily join in the festivities and felicitations; but, alas, it seems as if it is not to be, although I believe the management will do all that it is possible for them to do to The vessel was in every way well found, suf- enable the steamer to keep her times. After ficiently manned, seaworthy, the cargo properly dinner, which was held at six o'clock, the pas stowed, there was no deck cargo, and she was sengers were on deck enjoying the cool of the not overloaded. Perfect discipline was main-evening; the sea was perfectly calm, not a ripple, tained on board after the casualty, all the officers not a puff of wind to break its glassy continuity; and crew conducted themselves properly, and all of a sudden there was a crash, and then a valuable assistance in landing the passengers terrible grating noise, which threw us all into a state of nervous anxiety, for it was so totally and in subsequent salvage operations was heart- ily rendered by the local Japanese authorities, unexpected. "Some thought the steamer bad struck on a rock, for there was a shock of the fishermen, and people.
vessel from stem to stern which lent colour to this belief. Others thought the machinery had were all collapsed, and as is usual there sorts of theories put forth and altered from time to time as to what was the cause·· of the accident, but all doubt was promptly laid by the heels when we were informed that a collar of the thrust shaft had broken, and we could go no farther on our journey until repairs were effected. A boat was sent off to Gutzlaff and a telegram despatched from there to the Company's agent at Shanghai. Tugs were sent down and we came up with the steamer, and here we are now, after bidding good-bye to friends and getting the parting over.
The Court having regard to the circumstances above stated finds as follows:-
1.-That the master navigated his vessel in a seamanlike and proper manner, that the course set from Oro-no-shima was a safe and proper one until 19 p.m. and that Wilson Island was pro- perly regarded as a final point of departure.
2. That the master, having from previous experience perfect confidence in the skill and care of the first mate, having a clear run of about nineteen miles, before getting into a margin of danger, the ship's speed being nine miles, and the weather being clear, was justified in leaving the deck at the time he did with verbal orders only.
3. That even admitting that the måte did not receive orders from the master to call him at 9 o'clock, he as an experienced seaman was not justified in continuing his course after the estimated time at which Wilson Island should have been abeam, and that especially in view of the increasing thickness of the weather he committed a serious error in not under any circumstances calling the master when he failed to sight Wilson Island. While this error has unfortunately been attended with grave con- sequences, it is in itself not of such a nature as to impose on the Court the duty of dealing with the certificate of an officer who has heretofore shown himself able, painstaking, and worthy of all confidence.
4. That the compasses having been verified on the day preceding the casualty and the ship having on the day it left made a perfectly straight course from Tsushima to Oro-no-shima, the Court cannot consider the casualty due to any unknown error in the compasses, but ascribes it to an unusual drift current setting to the southward which carried the vessel about three and a-half miles out of her course after passing Oro-no-shima.
5. That the Court desires to direct the attention of the Board of Trade to the valuable assistance described in the master's evidence rendered by the Japanese on the spot after the casualty.
At 8 o'clock the master, who had been on deck during the greater part of the previous night and almost continuously during the day, left the deck in charge of the chief mate, having previously pointed out to him on the chart the exact position of the ship, with verbal orders to keep a good look out for Wilson Island to take a four point bearing of it, to give him (the master) the exact distance of it 6. That the expenses of the Court, fixed at and to call him at nine o'clock." As to the fifteen pounds twelve shillings sterling are terms of these orders there is a marked disapproved and in pursuance of the powers vested crepancy in the evidence of the muster and mate, the latter alleging that they were limited to a direction that the vessel would pass Wilson Island about five miles off and if it was sighted the master should be called. Both parties are equally positive of and have sworn to the correctness of their evidence on this point, and the Court has not come to a decision as to which is correct. The master's intention was to alter the course to the North at 9 p.m. or on sighting Wilson Island, making the latter a final point of departure, and head the ship for Rokuren. However, he fell asleep in the chart room immediately below and within easy distance of communication with the bridge,
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in it, by section 483 of 57 and 58 Vict., o, 60, the Court orders this amount be paid in equal shares by the master David Smith, and the first mate William Lambie, the parties thereto, and they are hereby ordered to pay the amounts of their respective shares accordingly.
Dated at Nagasaki this twenty-first day of May, 1897.
The tiger stories reaching us from Kuliang are quite alarming, Tigers appear to be very numerous this year and there is no doubt that there is at least one "man-eater" among them. Several traps have been dug, but we do not hear of any capture so far -Foochów Echo.
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The Sydney will transfer her passengers and cargo into the Yarra, which will leave here on Thursday next. It was thought at first that the broken part could be replaced by one bor- rowed from the Yarra, which arrived from Japan on Friday and was not timed to leave until after she had undergone the usual harbonr
over-haul which this company's steamers make while in Shanghai. The Sydney left Woosung on Saturday morning in charge of a licensed pilot and the instructions were that the steamer was to proceed under easy steam as her engines had undergone a very extensive overhaul, These injunctions were duly observed, but failed to prevent the accident, no blame for which is attachable to anyone. After an examination of the break by the engineers it was held to be necessary to send to Shanghai for assistance, which was done · and·· accordingly the Sydney returned to port. It is hoped that the passengers by the Yarra will be able to transfer to the homeward bound Australian mail steamer Polynesien at Colombo, for Marseilles.--Mercury,
COLLISION AT SHANGHAI,"
Shanghai, 26th May. At half-past six last evening a collision oc- curred on the river, opposite Messrs, Arnhold, Karberg and Co.'s wharf, considerably below the New Dock, between the China Navigation Co.'s steamer Tientsin and the Turbo, a steamer of 2,000 tons, which arrived here from Batoum on Saturday last, with a cargo of o
oil consigned to Messrs. Arnhold, Karberg and Co. The Turbo was anchored opposite to Messrs. Arnhold, Karberg's wharf in the stream. The Tientsin was outward bound, her destination being Amoy and Swatow, and in going down the river it is alleged that she struck the Turbo on her port quarter with considerable force, stoving in six or seven of her plates, breaking two frames and bending two more, as well as starting her poop deck. The Tientsin herself had evidently sustained no serious damage, for although she remained all night at anchor in the river, she proceeded on her voyage this morning. Mercury.
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