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States any more than the Goveruments of Great Britian, Germany, or France.
Everything is at a complete deadlock, and 1 claim that General Otis is entirely responsible for this. I believe that if Admiral Dewe, and General Otis were to telegraph to Washington for permission to act as circumstances may direct they would get what they asked for. I have only to add that I deeply regret that our brilliant and immortal Dewey was not pro- claimed military governor of the Philippine Islands. If he had been. I am satisfied that a
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
far more satisfactory condition of things would exist.
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"I may say in conclusion," said the Captain, 'After having carefully examined the situatio I think it my duty to warn all Americaus seek- ing business opportunities to avoid the Philip pine Islands until things become more settled. The mining element of the United States, more especially, should shant the Philippines."
THE PACIFIC ABLE.
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A telegram of the 28th December in the Mani. la papers states that two powerful companies have been formed by American financiers with the object of securing from the United States Government a concession for laying a cable across the Pacific placing the United States in telegraphic communication with Hawaii, the Ladrone Islands, the Philippines, and, in. oidentally, China and Japau. One of the Companies has been organised by a group of New York capitalists, headed by the rich banker J. Pierpont Morgan, and is re gistered under the laws of the State of New York. The other Company is registered under the laws of the State of New Jersey and includes many well known financiers. Beth Companies bave command of unlimited capital, and public interest is much excited by the con- test between the two and speculations as to which of them will gain the concession.
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[January 14, 1899.
as I was in hopes of getting the ship back to Hongkong. I put the engines ahead with the helm hard uport, but the ship was so much by the head that she would not steer, though I got her head round to north, so I had to give up the idea, and I put the engines full speed astern to get as close to the shore as possible, but I saw it was non-e. The wind was blowing her right round. I sent for the chief officer and told him to collect everybody on the ship, takes the remaining boat, lay off the ship and save himself. I ordered Quarter-master Smith off the bridge into the boat. Before he left he in sisted on putting my life-belt on me. They both begged of me to leave the bridge and ac- company them. I ordered them to go and suve themselves and leave me alone. They left me on the bridge. I eventually found out they had not got into the boat, which I saw go away. I stopped on the bridge then till the water was coming over the forecastle head. I then walked down to the lower bridge and into the chart room and set my dog loose. Then I walked down to the lower deck and saw the boatswain and two Chinamen. I told them to jump over- board and save themselves. I then went into- the saloon to see if there was anyone there, I found no one, but there were two bags of mails. I tried to get them out but they were too heavy for me. I came on deck again, and immediately the ship turned over on her starboard side and went down. I went down with her. On coin-
to be handy for the bridge. After I had finished the second officer reported to me that there ware eight bags of mails on board. I told him. All right," and went on to the bridge. I asked the third officer if Chung Island was abeam. He said not yet. I waited till be reported it abeam. It was then 6.34 p.m. I asked how long it had been on the fore-point bearing, and he replied uins minutes, I went down to the chart room to lay the posi- tion off aud the fourth officer came to the chart room and reported one and a half miles as the distance given by the fore-point bearing off Chung Island. The fourth officer had been on the bridge with the third officer all the time. I went on to the bridge at 6.35 and found the chief officer in charge. He had had his tea and had gone to relieve the third officer. It was 6.34 when Chung Island was reported on the bean and I gave the order to starboard. Immediately after this I went on to the bridge. As soon
as I got on to the bridge I gave the order to starboard. The chief officer repeated the order to the quarter-master at the wheel. I was then on the starboard side of the bridge looking for Ling Ting Island. I saw Ling Tin Is and right ahead as she was swinging under her starboard helm. I asked how her head was, and the chief officer said south one degree west. (Sir William Thomp- son's compass was in use.) I told him to steady | her at south 15 degrees east by compass. There is little or no deviation in the southerly courses.ing to the surface I saw the funnel disappearing. When he reported ber steady at south 15 east I saw that Ling Ting was well open on the starboard bow. I told him that this would take the ship well clear of all dangers and to keep a sharp look out for the Ling Ting rocks and to let me know if he saw them or if she was setting in at all. I also told him I was going down below to take my boots off as my feet were very sore. I went and took off my boots and socks and then went to look at the chart and laid off the beam bearing of Ling Ting on the chart, and shaped a course from that for the Gap Rock, assuming to pass Ling Ting
THE LOSS OF THE GLENAVON." two miles off. I then returned to the bridge
MARINE
ENQUIRY.
EVIDENCE OF CAPTAIN PITHIE,
A. Marine Court was opened at the office of the Harbour Master on the 12th January to make enquiry respecting the circumstances connected with the loss of the British steamship Glenavon, official No. 84,305, of Glasgow, William Pithie, number of whose certificate is 0701, was master and commander. Commander R. Mur. ray Rumsey,. R.N.. Stipendiary Magistrate, presided, and the other members of the Court were Staff Commander K. J. Rogers, K.N., H.M.S. Tamar; Mr. Rupert Archibald, master British steamship Empress of China; Mr. H. Mowatt, master British steamship Athenian; and Mr. W. A. Evans, muster British steam- ship Monmouthshire.
The letter of Mr William Pithie, of the Glenavon, applying for an enquiry, was read. The certificated officers have each been supplied with a copy of such letter
The warrant constituting the court was read. Captain Pithie said-My certificate Was issued at Aberdeep in 188!. I have been in command of the Glenavon for two years, For two years before that I commanded the Glenfalloch. I left Hongkong at 5.25 p.m. on the 29th of December in the Glen- avon, bound for Loudon, with 3,300 tons of cargo. The draught of the ship was 22 feet aft and 20 feet forward. We had a full com- plement of crew and officers-55 all told. The ship was in proper and seaworthy condition. I passed Green Island at 5.54. The light was lit at that time. I set a
course south 34 degrees west. making south 30 degrees west true. I gave four degre s variation westerly. The third officer was on the bridge at that time with me. After the course was set I pointed out to him Chung Island. There was a slight haze at the time. The lower part of the Island was obscured, but the hill was quite plain. I told him to look out and take a fore- point bearing of the Island. i left the bridge to verify the course. I found I was steering all right. I met the second officer in the chart room, and with him I then made up the chronometer rates. Then he went aft to his tea, and I had my tea in the chart roum, so as
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and found the chief officer standing on the starboard side. This was about seven o'clock. I asked him if he had seen the rocks and he replied that he had seen them on the starboard beam. I remarked that it was very hazy and that we seemed close to the land, and be replied that he did not think so, as the haze was so very deceptive. I then asked him again if he was sure he had seen the rocks and to replied that he was quite sure he had seen them. I was looking for them myself on the star- board side but I could not see them looked ahead on the starboard side and saw all clear ahead and as the rocks were on the star. board beam I concluded we would go clear of everything. I then went to the midship part of the bridge to see how her head was, but before doing so I looked ahead on the port side and I saw Ling Ting rocks just open on the port bow. I gave the order hard aport, and jumped to the telegra, h and gave the order full speed astern." I looked to see if she would clear. but shortly afterwards she struck scmething with her bottom, but not the rock which I saw. She was going off and had got the rock abeam when she struck. I immediately gave the order to clear away the boats and save the pas-engers and mails. The passengers on board were one lady and child cabin passengers, 30 Chinese steerage passengers, and two distressed British seamen. The Chinese were the crew of the new Indo-China bout. I sent the carpenter for. ward to sound the forehold, and on his return be reported eight feet of water in the forehold. I stopped the engines to allow the boats to clear. I ordered the quarter-master to sound round the ship. and be found sixteen and seventeen fatbonus all round. I sent for the chief officer and told him to stand by the ship, and send all the boats away except one. The boats were lowered and everybody got into them except myself, the chief officer. Quarter-master Smith (who was at the wheel). the second engineer, the lamp-trimmer, the second steward, two or three of the engine-room staff, and a few Chinese who were firing off rockets. I be second steward weut into a boat but he was frightened and re-
turned. I sent for the eugincer and the second engineer came. I told him to get the firemen out of the hold and keep two or three Lands; that I was going to steam into shallow water
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I saw a light and struck out for it, but after about an hour I gave it up as I did not seem to get any nearer, so I made for the Island. Before reaching the Island I was getting very exhausted, when a sampan picked me up after I had been two hoars in the water. Î got those in the boat to let me have a look round, and eventually we came across Quarter- master Smith. There was still life in him and I tried to bring him round, but I was so bad myself that I could not do much for him. About an hour after we landed on Ling Ting. Afterwards I met the fourth engineer, the lamp-trimmer, and about 30 Chinese. In the morning we searched round the Island but | could see nobody. Eventually the second engineer turned up. He had swam ashore. We left for Hongkong in a junk and arrived here in the afternoon.
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By the Court-When we passed Green Island I think we were going ten knots. I estimated the speed by the revolutious–59. She had been going at that speed for about 15 miuntes. I put her on full speed directly after clearing the fairway. Fifty-nine revoln. tions is not full speed, but that is the speed we generally go, I stendied the ship ou south 34 west. I steadied her by the same compass they were steering by-Šir William Thompson's. The compass was last tested when I was up at Shanghai, four or five days before. We had put in Manila hemp cargo at Hong- kong. I have gone out of Hongkong harbour many times before, having come out eat for the last 15 years. I have invariably stood over to get within a mile and a half of Chnug Island in preference to working down by Latoma Island. I set the course south_31- west after passing the Green Island light, because I laid it off the chart roughly before I left the island, and after setting the course i went into the chart room to verify it. i he course was to take me down the mid-channel. I intended to run on that course until the east end of Cheung Island was abeam. From that point I lay off another course-south 15 degrees east That would be two miles east of Ling Ting and a
mile nud half off the Ling Ting rocks.
B&W the third officer take the beam bearing, but not the bow bearing of Chung Island. He took it from the upper bridge, where we were steering from. I did not elleck the bearing by the compass. After she had run till Chung Island was abeam I went down to lay off the next course, south 15 degrees east. In the meantime she was runuing on a course south 34 degrees west. It was about half a minute from the time Chang Island was reported abeam to the time the course was altered to sonth 15 degrees east. When I told the chief officer to keep a look out for the rocks I calculated that there was light enough to sue them about one mile off. At the speed we were going it would be 7.10 p.m. as far as I remember, I am perfectly sure the chief