188-
their starboard anchor. He did not see the After the colli- Perla touch their hull, sion the Skramstad went over a little to starboard. If both vessels had continued on their courses they would have cleared each other, for he could see clear water between them. Their helm was not starboarded after they saw the Tai Cheong's red light. The Tai heong was under a board helm when she struck them. He heard no whistle from the Tai Cheong, When the vessels were fast together they moved towards the shore. When they got clear of the Tai Cheong they continued to move towards the shore and they sank close to it.
Cross-examined-After the vessels struck, the stern of the Skramstad turned round to. wards the Hongkong shore. When the Tai Cheong struck them he thought she was going full speed ahead. When she pulled out from their side she was going full speed astern. When the collision took place the Skramstad was moving forward. The Tai Cheong pushed them for a distance of about three cables. She remained stuck in the Skramstad at about the Between the same angle at which she struck, time when he saw the Tai Cheong's green light and her red light he did not pay any attention to the Perla's "light. He could not tell in the least what was the distance between the Tai | Cheong and the Perla. He could not give any reason for having concentrated his attention to the Tai Cheong except, he supposed that, the Perla was behind. When he first saw these two steamers they were both steering a course that would carry them across the Skramstad's bows, but he took no notice of the Perla until he saw her after the Skramstad was struck by the Tai Cheong. He heard no whistle except their own. He would have heard either the Perla's' or the Tai
Cheong's whistles if they had been blown. He had been down in the hold of the Skramstad since she was raised. The collision bulkhead was not started; it was situated about 20 feet from the bow. There was a solid bulkhead between the fore hold and the engine room. When he was on the forecastle after the colli- sion he shouted to the Tai Cheong to give them a shove ashore as the water was pouring in. The carpenter took soundings bat did not report the result.
V. Fredholm, A.B. on board the Skramstad at the time of the collision, stated that he had been at sea between 11 and 12 years. On the evening of 20th November he put cut the sidelights about 5.15. He then went on the forecastlehead to act as look-out. After going through the Pass, the ship was steering for a bright fixed light about right ahead. He noticed the green and masthead lights of the Tai Cheong on the port bow and he saw the ball of the Perla following her. The Tai Cheong altered her course and got a little on the starboard bow and showed her red light. He noticed that the Skramstad altered her course and went under her port helm. Afterwards he saw the Tai Cheong alter her course and open her green light again, and he thought there was going to be a collision. Immediately afterwards he heard a single blast of the Skramstad's whistle and an
answer from the engine-room. He shouted through the ventilator to those in the forecastle to come on deck as there was going to be a collision. The Skramstad was never under a starboard helm. As the Tai Cheong came in upon them showing a green light that showed she was under a starboard helm. He beard no whistles from the Tai Cheong.
Cross-examined-The Tai Cheong and the Skramstad were going red to red when he saw the Perla's red light. If the ships had kept on their courses the Perla would have passed the nearer to them and would have been well clear -perhaps half a ship's length.
C. Cristofersen stated that he had been carpenter on the Skramstad for 14 months before the collision. On the evening of 20th November he was on the forecastle up to the time of the collision. He gave corroborative evidence to that of the two previous witnesses with reference to the approach of the two ships prior to the collision. When he saw that a collision was about to happen he put his head through a ventilator and sung out to the fire- men to clear out.
Cross-examined-He never noticed the Perla at all until after the collision. Au officer on
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
thero
He
[March 10, 1902.
"
the Tai Cheong asked how much water they of the collision, gave evid nce regarding the and had in the hold and be replied that receipt of the order "full speed astern
от was 10
12 feet.
sounded the reversing of the engines. The engines were the water in the hold after the collision going full speed astern from 5.45 till 6.7, when and found one foot of water. He reported they were stopped, the propeller being out of He was below until the engines were this to the captain who ordered him to the water. sound again and this time be found five stopped. or six feet. This was abuut eight minutes After other evidence, Mr. Morgan Phillips after the first sounding was taken. When he addressed the Court, and the cise was adjourned. went on deck again he saw the Perla passing their starboard bow. He sounded "again" and found 10 feet. It was after that he told the people on the Tai Cheong that there were 10 or 12 feet of water in the hold.
A. Marcasson deposed that he had been on the Skramstad for 20 months as second officer. On the evening of the 20th November he came up from below a little before six o'clock. He saw the red light of the Tai Cheong broadening on her port bow. He then saw the Tai Cheong's green light opening up. As soon as that light opened he heard a short blast on the Skramstad's whistle and s the captain put the telegraph indicator "Fall speed astern." That wasdirectly after the whistle. When he saw the Tai Cheong's green light he thought there would be a collison: The Tai Cheong struck them on the port quarter.
Cross-examined-He did not see the Perla's lights until she struck the Tai Cheong,. They were about half a mile from the shore when the collision occurred. After the Skramstad got clear of the Tai Cheong she moved a little nearer the shore before sinking. When the Tai Cheong pulled out, the Skramstad sank six or seven feet by the bows, which brought the propeller up, but not altogether clear of the
water.
Re-examined-When they got clear of the Tai Cheong they were making stern way.
By His Lordship-They floated for four or five minutes after the Tai Cheong pulled clear of them.
Cross-examined-It was the Chinese pilot who directed him to steer for the bright white light. In coming through the Pass the helm had to be altered to avoid junks.
The case was adjourned.
Friday, 7th March,
Mr. Slade having addressed the Court, His Lordship intimated that he would reserve his judgment.
The Court adjourned.
The Perla case will come up for bearing to-day.
REVIEW.
The East of Asia Magazine. A non-political illustrated quarterly. Shanghai: ~ North- China Herald Office.
SOME weeks ago we briefly noticed the German edition of a new quarterly magazine devoted to Far Eastern subjects, under the title of Der Ferne Osten, We have now before us the English edition. which is substantially the same with the change in the language of the letterpress We must note, however, that the English edition contains only 60 pages as against the German edition's 104. This is principally accounted for by the absence in the former of the translation of a four-act play The Cattle-butcher's Retribution, which appears with numerous illustrations in the German magazine, but is represented only by a coloured plate and one page of description in the English. The other omissions are alight. In partial compensation, there is an article by Mrs. Timothy
+6
Chinese
Richard on Chinese Social. Customs." The East of Asia Magazine remains Thor Nass, a seaman on the Skramstad,
a valuable and interesting volume to all who stated he was steering the vessel from four feel the attraction of things Chiness, and the o'clock up till the time of the collision on the topographical section of the publication should 20th November. In coming through the Pass give it a substantial merit in the eyes of the they kept to the starboard side. He saw a foreign resident in the Far East. We have lot of junks in the Pass. After leaving already noted, in our review of Der Ferne Osten, the Pass, they had the bright light at the main features of the first number. Dr. A. is finely illustrated Kowloon right ahead. He steered for that H. Smith's "New Peking light. The witness went on to corroborate the and excellently descriptive. For some reason the evidence of the previous Skramstad witnesses titles of the illustrations are omitted, as is not with regard to the movements of the ships in the case in the German edition. Mr. Voskamp's Mr. Odontius's approaching each other.
Story-teller in China," "Chang Chih-tung and the Reform Move- ment in China," and Mrs. Richard's
a variety of read- Social Customs" offer ing; and the series of articles on Russia, Great Britain, and Germany in China, as illustrated by the Settlements at Port. Arthur, Weihaiwei, and Kiaochau, is of per.. manent value. We hope to have an oppor- P. Stevens deposed that he had been chief tunity of alluding to these again. In con- engineer of the Skramstad for 14 months before clusion we trust that the enterprise of the pro- the collision. When she came through the moters of this new magazine will be rewarded by Lyeemun Pass he was on deck and remained the sale it deserves. The publication is at the there until the collision took place. He pro-same time ornamental and highly serviceable —- ceeded to corroborate the evidence given by a by no means common combination of qualties, previous Skramstad witnesses as to the appear and no more than $1.50 a number is asked for it. ance of the Tai Cheong's lights and the move. ments of the two steamers before they collided. After the collision and when the Skramstad's propeller came out of the water as she sunk by the bows he stopped the engines. The Skram- stad had stern way on her even after the engines were stopped.
Thursday, 6th March.
Cross-examined-In entering the Harbour they were under moderate steam and the engines were making 56 or 37 revolutions. When they were put full speed astero, the number of revolutions was about 70 or 72
Captain . Hanssen, re-called, stated in reply to Mr. Slade that he had no idea how far the Tai Cheong cut into his ship. He could not say whether it was more than half an inch but it was not 10 yards, for that was more than the width of the ship there. He could not say whether the distance whichthe Tai Cheong out into was 5 yards; he had no idea as 10 that, He did not exactly know where he was going to anchor when he got into the Harbour; he did not, however, intend to go inside the Harbour among the ships. He did not have any com- the Chinese pilot about munication with anchorage.
M. Merck, second engineer of the Skramstad, who was on duty in the engine room at the time
An enquiry has been opened into the circum- stances attending the death of Hong Ping, the Chinese diver who was suffocated on the 22nd inst., whilst guiding piles in thirty feet of water at the Naval Yard extension. This is the . second fatality of the kind within a recent period. Mr. F. A. Hazeland, Police Magistrate, is conducting the enquiry, and in addition to the exhaustive evidence to be taken, all the appliances used in connection with diving have been brought into Court.
The four days' manoeuvres in the New Territory in which most of the troops in the Garrison have been engaged, concluded yesterday when "B" force (defending) returned to barracks. The attacking troops came from the direction of Taipohu, their object being to penetrate the defence holding the high hill Some very valu ble less.ns behind Kowloon for the defence scheme of the hinterland from an attack overland will no doubt be learnt when the umpires' reports from both sides have been collected. The weather, though very threaten- ing at times, favoured the operations through- out. The defence force come in to-day.
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