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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 17TH AUGUST, 1889.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.--No. 358.
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The following Notice is published for general information.
By Command,
FREDERICK STEWART, Colonial Secretary.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 17th August, 1889.
NOTICE.
A special Sessions of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace will be held in the Justices' Room at the Magistracy, at Eleven o'clock in the forenoon of Monday, the 26th day of August, A.D. 1889, for. the
purpose of considering an application from ISRAEL WEINBERG for permission to remove his business as a licensed Publican, now carried on by him under the sign of The Rose, Shamrock and Thistle Hotel, at House No. 308, Queen's Road Central, to House No. 290, Queen's Road Central.
Magistracy, Hongkong, 14th August, 1889.
H. E. WODEHOUSE,
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 359.
Police Magistrate.
The following Finding of Marine Court of Inquiry into the loss of the British Steam-ship Altnacraig, Official No. 84,361 of Aberdeen, WILLIAM BUYERS, Master, is published for general information.
By Command,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Ilongkong, 17th August, 1889.
FINDING.
FREDERICK STEWART, Colonial Secretary.
We find that the British Steamship Altnacraig, Official No. 84,361, of Aberdeen, of which, WILLIAM BUYERS, whose Certificate of Competency as Master is No. 95,437, was Master, left Iloilo on the 12th July, 1889, on a voyage to Delaware, with a full cargo of Sugar, 8 Passengers, and a full complement of Crew.
That all went well until the morning of the 14th, when at 7.25 she struck on a reef, sustaining so great damage that she shortly filled with water, and had to be abandoned in about Lat. 9° N. and Long. 118° 20 E.
We are of opinion that safe and proper courses were steered until the time of the Cross Bearings being taken at 5.30 A.M. on the 14th, and that the course subsequently set would have been a proper one, supposing the position given by these bearings to be correct; but we are strongly of opinion that, this position was not a reliable one; the bearings were taken in a "rough and ready" manner, without either azimuth ring, style-pin, or compass corrector; the difference between the bearings was only three points, and they were laid off on a chart of comparatively small scale, all of which combined was conducive towards error, and supposing the courses and distances to have been correctly kept,—and there is no evidence to lead the Court to a contrary opinion,-an error brought about by such combina- tion, of less the one point in each of the bearings, would place the ship on the reported Marabout Shoal at the time of striking. Against this, however, is the evidence that the Island of Koma Komayan was on the Fort Bow of the vessel (steering S.W.), and this could not have been the case if the shoal is in the position marked on the chart, and the vessel struck on it.
The case is so circumstantial, and there being no written evidence, (the logs having been lost), that v
we are not prepared to say that the Master was guilty of not navigating his ship with sufficient and seamanlike care, and we do not therefore deal with his Certificate. We would recommend to him, however, more care for the future in dealing with cross bearings.
The rush of water into the ship after striking appears to have been so great that no effort to keep her afloat would have been of any avail.
The officers and crew appear to have conducted themselves properly, and proper discipline to have been maintained.
Given under our hands at Hongkong, this 15th day of August, 1889.
R. MURRAY RUMSEY, Ret. Com., R.N.,
President of the Court.
J. W. MCFARLANE, Navigating Lieut., R.N. A. SCOTLAND, S.S. Ghazee.
E. LE BOUTILLIER, S.S. Benarty.
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