The Chief Officer, Third and Fourth Officers, two Quarter-Masters, and 16 Lascar scamen wer washed off the ship and reached the shore alive, also two saloon passengers. The remainder of thi ship's company and passengers were lost.
The survivors remained on the island till the next day, when they were taken by some fisherme to the neighbouring island of l'ehoe, where they were well treated by a native priest, and then Makung in the island of Ponghou, where the Mandarin received them and cared for them with t greatest hospitality till they were taken off by the steamer Thales (Capt. HongIxs) and carried Amping, from whence they were taken in H.M.S. Porpoise to Hongkong.
The Court has carefully considered the evidence brought before it concerning this deplorab disaster, the evidence consisting only of the accounts given by the survivors so far as their memory serves them. Upon this evidence, the Court has formed the following opinion :---
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That the loss of the ship is to be attributed to her being drawn over to the Eastern side of the Formosa Channel either through "head reaching" while "laying to or through a current setting, more southerly than was expected and calculated for, or possibly to both of these causes.
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That the Captain was zealous and unremitting in his attention to his duties, the ship was not re too long and the precaution of “
"laying to was taken in good time. But we cannot help thinking that he committed an error of judgment in too readily concluding afterwards that the ship was drifting on a safe course, and that in consequence more strenuous efforts were not made to get the ship roum on the starboard tack; though the soundings obtained and the observations made for the purpose determining the direction of the drift seem to have assisted in confirming him in the belief that estimation of the drift course and set was correct, and in this estimation he was supported by opinion of his Officers. Assuming, however, that the position at 8 PM. on the 9th was correct, an there is no reason for supposing otherwise, then allowing a speed of 12 knots with a set of 2 knots and another knot for “send of the sea, the ship was probably making 15 knots an hour good. This a a course just clearing Turnabout (which was steered for but not seen) would place the ship at the tim she was "bove to" about 21.5 miles S.S.W. of Turnabout. From this position to Sand Island is S. M W. 86 miles, and this then was the actual set and drift of the Bokhara during the 22 hours betwee the time of laying to" and striking, being at the rate of about 3.5 knots an hour, which under th circumstances does not appear unlikely.
+
The Court, therefore, feels assured that if the ship had been put on the other tack, or if meas had been adopted for checking her drift and keeping her more up to the sea, this lamentable catastrophe would probably not have occurred. They come to this conclusion regretfully because they feel sur that if the possibility of the drift taking the ship as it did had presented itself to the Captain, no effor would have been spared by him to extricate the ship from her perilous position. It is, moreover, tok borne in mind that the Court's calculations are based on present knowledge, which was not in th possession of the Captain and Officers at the time of their calculations.
The Court is further of opinion that it would have been well if, at or about the time of “laying toj the additional precantion had been taken of bending some storm canvas.
The ship appears to have been well found and not overladen, and though not so heavily powere as some more modern vessels, still she had sufficient power in proportion to her tonnage to make le a thoroughly seaworthy vessel.
Proper discipline appears to have been maintained on board. The conduct of the crew waj according to the testimony of the Officers, entirely satisfactory. The Court has also before it th voluntary testimony of Dr. Lowson, one of the two surviving passengers, to the gallant conduct the Captain and Officers, in which testimony he is supported by Lieut. MARKHAM, of the Shropshi Light Infantry, the other surviving passenger.
Finally, we do not find that the loss of the Bokhara was caused by the wrongful act or defaul of any certificated officer, and as no blame attaches to them, the certificates of the survivors are 184 dealt with.
The Court desires particularly to bring to notice the humane conduct of the people amongst whoe the survivors were cast. The fishermen who took them off Sand Island, the native priest at Pelioe wis relieved their immediate wants, and the Mandarin at Ponghou who, it appears, treated them with the greatest kindness and hospitality.
Given under our bands at Hongkong, this 22nd day of October, 1892.
R. MURRAY RUMmsux, Retd. Comdr. R.N., Presiden
JNO. Horario WOOLWARD, Staff Commander, R.N
A. E. Houaiss, Master, S.S. Thales,
JOHN R. HILL, Muster. S.S. Batavia,
HUGH CRAIG, Master, S.S. Mermuir.
overnor. No.
807
Su Ven
Date.
1892
26 Oct
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