F
October 21, 1897:]
How far an attacking flotilla would be use- ful and what chance of success it might have is a matter on which views may differ, but as to the necessity for the "scouts to be used on the lines laid down in this paper I venture to think there will not be much divergence of opinion.
R. MURRAY RUMSEY,
October, 1897.
THE LOSS OF THE “NAMOA,”
MARINE COURT OF INQUIRY. On the 19th Oct. a Marine Court of Inquiry was held at the Harbour Master's Office to make au enquiry respecting the circumstances attending the loss of the British steamer Namoa, of which Mr. T. P. Hall was the master, in the Straits of Haitan on the 3rd October.
The Court consisted of Commander R. Mur. ray Rumsey (President), Staff Commander C. R. H. Robinson, R.N., H.M.S. Tamar; Caption H. Pybus, Empress of India; Captain Watton, Phra Nang; and Captain E. J. Baller, Chunsang.
W
MK H. W. Looker appeared on behalf of the owners, the Douglas Steamship Company, Limited.
Captain Thomas Phillip Hall said-I hold a master's certificate No. 24357 issued at Hull. I joined the Namoa as master three years ago and I have held that position since. We were recently on a voyage from Amoy to Foochow. We left Amoy on. Saturway evening, October 2nd, with general cargo. The draught of water was 14 feet to 14.3 feet aft and 10 foot forward. I am unable to produce the official log or the mate's log because they were lost. The crew consisted of three deck officers, three engineers, tindal, four quartermasters, nine Chinese sailers, Chinese carpenter, thirteen firemen and greasers &o. We left Amoy on Saturday, the 2nd Octo- ber, at 4.45 p.m. Directly after leaving we encountered a N. E. gale with considerable sa and we decided to keep close to land. At 5.30 am. on the 3rd we passed the South Tit at the southern entrance to the Haitan Straits. Here the leadman was placed in the chain on the starboardside. At9.25 a.m. we passed Slut Island. There was a fresh to strong N. E. wind blowing with considerable sea. We took the “usual passage known as the Fairway Island passage, which I had many times previously used, both in command of my own ship and at other times. After clearing the reef off a small nunamed island marked on the chart I fixed the position of the ship at about 9.35 by a compass bearing of the Cow's Horn reef and a rock east of Slut Island. Then I hauled gradually round to the westward of Fairway Island and shaped the course to pass about half a mile to the west. ward of Brown Rock. When Brown Rock was a little before the beam the ship struck an un- ohartered rock. I at once put the wheel hard astarboard and ordered the boats to be got ready. The leadman gave six fathoms all the time. To the best of my recollection the last cast was six and a half fathoms. I ordered the well to be sounded and about half a minute or a minute later I got the first-re- port from the carpenter, who sounded be- fore the ballast tank and reported four feet of water. The carpenter was accompanied by the chief officer. The ship was steered for a sandy patch with the intention of baching her. would have gone to Slut Island had not the water gained so rapidly. The sandy patch is in a small bay due south of Cow's Horn and about three miles from where the ship struck. The ship was rapidly settling down and she was kept between S.W. and W.S.W. until she took the ground about 800 yards off the small bay. I did not take any bearings. She grounded on sand with, perhaps, rocky boulders,
I
There were twenty-one native passengers, one native saloon passenger, and one European raloon passenger. I superintended getting the passengers into the boats, which had been lowered. The crew also got into the boats, five of which left the ship in charge of the officers and engineers. About fifteen or twenty minutes after the ship had been beached i left in the starboard lifeboat with the chief officer, the chief engineer, and part of the crew. The ship was then gradually filling, the water being over the 'tween deck hatches. There was a considerable amount of sea and the waves broke over the bows and into the side scuttles. All the boats fared badly in the surf.
The
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
boat I was in got into a long rolling surf, bre king a long distance out roughly a hundred yards from the shore. She was a whale. built boat with six oars and a rudder I tried to keep the boat stern on to the sea, but she broached to with the first surf sea and filled. She did not | capsize and she was baled out. We were washed broad on to the beach. Several passengers were washed out and when we got to the shore I missed the carpenter. The other boats had got in some five or ten minutes before and they had lost some of the passengers. I did not get any reports from the officers in charge. I saw two dead bodies lying on the shore. Altogether seven passengers, the chief engineer's boy, the punkah boy, the carpenter, and one fireman were lost. The ship was provided with proper life saving appliances, according to the Board of Trade regulations. Life belts were kept on deck in long boxes. There were about three hundred belts near the engine room. I saw that the passengers were provided with them. Some life belts were lying about the decks. I
the saw several of
and passengers with the belts on properly.
Two women with small feet would not put them on. I
Woman to wear
belt. persuaded one She was washed into the water and saved. Another woman who did not have
crew
a belt was drowned. I went to the village and arranged for coffins for the dead. I left the crew in a joss house and then went to Foochow on foot. I took eight of I arrived at the crew and a guide with me. Foochow on the afternoon of the 4th October at 2.30. I communicated with the Consul and agents. I got back to the ship on Wednesday, the 5th October, in a gunboat, with the Consul, Harbour Master, and second engineer. The water was then breaking over the rails, the port side of the ship was broken up, and nothing was standing except the masts. We could not get on board as there was too much sea to go beyond Slut Island, and we landed inside au unsurveyed bay. We conld not get the native boats to take us off to the ship. There was a body of about forty braves there under the command of an officer and they came with us. The vessel had apparently been looted, as there were marks as though bales had been rolled on the sand. We found a few balls of opium, sodden with water, and some of the ship's gear. rafts, doors, fittings, &c., in the village. We went back to Foochow at night and on the following day we made inquiries at the village to ascertain if any of the cargo was there and we left the braves to protect the wreck. We had on board We then left for Foochow forty-five all told on the articles and twenty- one native passsugers and two saloon passengers. There were also a firemau's cook, three pas- sengers' cooks, four officers servants. and a messroom steward who were not on the articles. The President What is the good of having
on them ? articles auless everybody is put
Captain Pybus-It is a common rule on the
! China coast not to put everybody on the articles. The President-When these common rules result in the loss of the ship then the trouble begius. The articles of a ship are supposed to contain the names of everybody on board. If you stretch a point a ship might be liable to capture, certainly to detention, if she is found to have people on board who are not on the articles. It might be the practice, but it is an unlawful rule and certainly a reprehensible one. This will probably make you more careful when
гор leaving Hongkong. For ⠀
know-you are only going by your recollection-you may have lost twenty or more men without knowing anything about them. How do you know that the saitors did not take two cooks?
Witness-The chief officer collects all the
tickets.
The President-Has he got the tickets of all of them: Will they be produced before this Court? From what I have heard-I do not know what the opinion is of the other members of the Court-it seems to me that we do not know how many have been lost or who may have been lost.
Witness-Some of them may have got away into the village.
In answer to further questions witness said, As far as I know seventy-seven souls were on board. Of that number nine were not on the articles and they were not passengers. They were on board with my permission, and they
307
generally consisted of cooks and servants paid by their respective employers. The sailing directions recommend the Fairway passage as generally unsafe for large vessels. I have been through the passage between Cow's Horn and Fairway Island frequently in the N. E. mon- soon.
The President-What reason can you give to the Court for not having saved the charts, log books, and such like?
Witness-Want of time. It seemed to me to be more important to get the crew away.
The President-You had a fall staff of
officers and it does not seem to have been neces- sary for you to superintend the disembarkation of twenty passengers.
Witness When the seas broke over the bows the chief engineer and firemen were anxious to get away. I really expected to get back to the ship.
The President-What did the officers do? Did you have stations on board for leaving the ship and manning the boats?
Witness-We had boat stations,
The President-Had the crew exercised at the stations P
Witness--Yes, about two and a half months
ago.
Commander Robinson-Did you abandon the
} ship?
Captain Pybus-They never practise any. thing of that sort.
The President--Did the officers know what stations they had to go to ?
Witness-Each officer and engineer knew what boat he had charge of.
The President-Did the crew know as well? Witness-The older men did, but we had
some new men.
The President-How often are the articles signed P
Witness-Every six months.
The President-If all the officers and some of the crew-say half-knew what boats they had to go to there does not seem to have been any necessity for you to superintend getting thepeople into the boats.
Witness was understood to say that at that time the ship was in a helpless position.
The President-I suggest that that was the proper time for you to have gone and saved your charts and books.
Witness-I have a copy of the chart I used. The President-It is always more satisfac- tory to everybody concerned in an affair of this sort to have the chart which was used.
- Witness-I asked the quartermaster to get the chart and log book.
The President-Why didn't he get it? Witness was understood to say that the quar- termaster got into a boat and went ashore. Themen were not having a very comfortable time.
The President-I do not question taat for a moment; it was exceedingly uncomfortable. Here is a ship on the beach and nothing could be done but to leave her. Practically every- body knows his proper station. There would be no crowding, and there would be simply nothing for you to do 'except to save the charts and log books.
Witness-I had all my work cut out to get. the people into the boat. There were one or two women who did not want to go. I thought it more important to induce them to go than to look for the charts. The sea was breaking over the bows.
The President.-But after the ship had been finally beached nothing more could be done. She was hard and fast and all that could be done had been done. Everybody knew his station and there were, on the average, three passengers for each boat. If anyone had refused to go each officer could have taken a passenger by the scruff of the neck. If he would not go
then I would have heaved him into the boat.
Witness-All the passengers might have got into one boat.
The President-There were only twenty al- together and if the whole lot had got into one beat it would not have mattered. What were the officers doing?
Witnes The chief officer assisted me in lowering the last boat.
The President-But before the last boat was lowered.
Witness-He assisted me in getting the boats ready and getting the passengers on deck.