The-Hong-Kong-Weekly-Press-1896-03-12 — Page 11

March 12, 1896.]

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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.

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ency is 2,003, Canada, applying for an inquiry was read

Mr. John A. B. Ross, the master, was the fest witness. He said-I have been in com- man of the barque Lynnwood seven years. I was a royage from Shanghai to Manila, and wet Shanghai river on the 10th February, The was a N.. gale and snowstorm ou the th wad on the 10th thers was a northerly gale. and we steered nut cast. On the 11th there wasan E.NE. gale and we ste-red S.S.E. from the Saddies. At night the wind increased. Up to the 13th we had thick weather and snow storins, and we could not take observations by

the

about eleven o'clock in the morning a huge sea three or four Esh. The food was ravenously struck the craft, lurching her over and shaking devons d. but not in a large quantity: the crow the foretopmast out. The mast was hurled bad beru se weakened by their sufferings that about the hoat with every roll, but the fore say they found it impossible to eat without ex- and the jumper stay "prevented it from going | periencing much pain and one or two at then overboard and the crow were in great danger of; were so smarted that the food made them being struck, as it was impossible thou to get sick. Altogether the Esmeralda covered the loose inast under contral. To make matters 2.54 miles, dhe furthest point they drifted to wor the main topowst suapped and in its fall ; was abour 2004 nules from Hongkong, and smashed through the latch. but happily the not a single vessel was sighted for sixty-two damage was not very serious, and thed the dave. The voyage was certainly cue of the main boom gave way and was carried uft, and west adventurous we love had to record in in its career it smashed the spokes of the steer. these parts, and it may be taken for granted ing wheel. After much exciting work the that the crew are deeply thankful for their crew managed to get both

the foremast providential escape and main mast overboard, as this was decried the wisest course to adopt as the sides of the vessel were threatened every minute with destruction. The boat was now quite dis

The following was communicated to the masted, the gale continued, and the sea was altogether too rough to admit of the rowing pre papers by the local Government ou

the 27th Folaruary boat being lowered. It was also impossible ten received that foul bills of health are being Istorination having that day to put up jury masts, and the vessel feed in Hongkong on account of the plague. drifted before a westerly wind. On the

Ca special Guzeffe is being issued nosifying that following morning the weather calmed soute.

the pot Hongkong is infected, and inpos what, and the crew managed to erect a jury all vessels arriving from Hongkong a .foremast and a jury fore yard out

wreckage, and to make a square sail, but genre of nine days from the date of depar. then the gale was too strong for them to make i last one of plague on board.

uze from Hongkong or from the date of the The Health headway against it and they were driven : Officer has discretionary power to release vessels streak right ahead, and we attempted to wear

of the

further out to sea. A week passed by before the crew were enabled to rig a jury mainmast. and in the interval they had been travelling further and farther away from land. The make shift masts and sails were practically useless to them as the wind continued to blow hard

1

QUARANTINE AT SINGAPORE,

before the expiration of the nine days, which he will exercise in cases where it seeins unlikely to imperil public health. The Straits Times of the 20th says:It is improbable that the regular mail steamers from Hongkong will be quarantined at Singapore, unless there has been

on board a case of bubonic plague."

sun, so the ship was worked by dead reckon. ing. I have lost my memorandum with the ship, and the mate's log has also been lost. On the 13th it was blowing hard and raining heavily and I hove to because I did not consider it pru- dent to run on as I could not see land or any lights. I was then entering the Formosa Straits. I also bove to on the night of the 14th as could see neither light nor land. At noon on the 15th the wind was N.E. to E.N.E. and I monning of the 16th I was on deck keeping watch. steered S.E. with the patent lag over. On the The sky was overcast and the weather thick, and we were going about eight knots, and were under light sail. At 10 am. I saw a white the ship, but she fell off to S.S.W. and then struck a rock on the Pratas reef. We tried to get her off. but the wind drove her further on and she was striking heavily. We then cleared the boats away, and at daylight (6 a.m.) I saw that the ship was in a helpless condition and that she could not last long. At 10 a.m. lowered the boats and left, as the masts were working badly and I considered it safest to leave. We landed on a small island, made some pre- parations, and then started for Hongkong in

We

from the west and the vessel drifted before it in an easterly direction, and it was impossible for the crew to have any other but very gloomy forebodings for their future fate. Alto- gether there were eleven in the crew, consist- ing of the captain, Mr. J. T. Harrison, the first mate, Mr. D. H. Potter, the second exempted from quarantine, has received the second day out, and the next day we were picked

mate, a cabin boy, six Japanese sailors, and one Chinese cook. When they left the Marianna Islands they had with them as pro- visions two piouls of rice, one bag of corn for some chickens, one bag of flour, and a few cans of meat. This stock had dwindled down very considerably and yet they were still drifting further and further away from land and quite out of the track of vessels. On, on they went, with sure starvation staring them in the face, and with no prospect of meeting another vessel, and themselves in a helpless condition. The crew hoped against hope that aid would at last come to them, but it was that hope deferred that makes the heart sick. The orew were forced to live on short rations and for many a long weary day they had to exist on about forty unts for breakfast, a table. spoonful of tinned meat for dinner. and a few more nuts for tea. The supply of tinned meat was soon exhausted and the crew had to eat the cargo. Copra is about the most sickly kind of food for even a starving man. It consists simply of cocoanuts cut up into chunks, aud is valuable for the oil that is extracted from it. The copra that these poor fellows had to eat was evil smelling stuff, and age had turned it rotten; even a starving pig ou board refused to put his snout to it some days before the crew were driven to it themselves. The sufferings of the crew were indeed heart- rending. They were in a half famished coudi. tion, they suffered the agonising pain caused by an insufficiency of food. and death from hanger appeared certain. They had seene fresh: water on board, but of this they could only obtain a cupfail o day.

The Hongkong Chamber of Commerce, having addressed the Government asking them to wire to Singapore asking that steamers from this port not carrying Chinese passengers might be following reply:-

Colonial Secretary's Office. 4th March, 1896.

29th nltimo, I am directed to transmit for the Sir,With_reference to your letter of the

of Commerce the enclosed copies of a telegram information of the Committee of the Chamber despatched on the 2nd instant to the Colonial Secretary. Straits Settlements, and of his reply thereto. I have the honour to be, sir, your

It was not until the 1st February that they got an east wind and their hopes, which were theu almost at vanishing point, became higher. The jury nasts and sails at last proved usétul, but there was an immense space between the and Hongkong, for which port they resolva to shape their course, as they had been drifting on an average fifty miles a day. The wind was a very fair one, and on the morning of the 6th February they saw land for the first time since the awful gale; but the land was only an uniu habited island-the Uraccas Island, and it was useless to make a call there. The vessel éarac straight on to Hougkong and it was with feelings of immense joy that the crew took | on board a pilot, on Sunday morning, who had brought with him a quantity of rice aul

most obedient servant,

(Signed) J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,

Colonial Secretary. The Secretary. Chamber of Commerce.

COPY OF TELEGRAM SENT TO THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. ON THE 2ND MARCH, 1896. Chamber Commerce applies for exemption from quarantine vessels without Chinese pas sengers. Please telegraph what exemptions allowed.--Secretary

COPY OF TELEGRAM RECEIVED FROM THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, STRAITS SETTLE-

MENTS, ON THE 3RD MARCH, 1896. Exemptious at discretion of Health Officer. dependent on estimated risk to public health,"

QUARANTINE AT BATAVIA, The following telegram was received from Batavia on the afternoon of the 4th Aarch- "Colonial Secretary. Hongkong. Hurkong doclared infected—Crusul “

THE WRECK OF THE BALQUE

LYNNWOOD.”-

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MARIAP COURT OF INQUIRY

two boats. We abandoned one boat on the

up by the Russian man-of-war Vladimar Mono- mach, about sixty miles from Hongkong. We were taken on board and the boat was towed close

boat again. We lay there until the next morning, in to Gap Rock lighthouse, where we got into the

Cassius and brought to Hongkong. Bearings when we were picked up by the German steamer by the compasses were taken at Shanghai and no deviation was found. I had not been the voyage between Shanghai and Manila before. When I set my course S.E. on the 15th I judged it would take me at least forty miles eastward of the Pratas reef. We sighted nothing at all after the 11th and we had no observations. We

saw no stars; the weather was too thick. We use the lead on the 15th, and during the time we hove to; twenty-two fathoms was the last sounding we got. From the soundings and the look of the water 1 estimated that we were off the Formosa Bank about 2 p.m. on the 15th. I allwed for the heave of the sea in the reading of the patent log. I cannot say why the mate's log and other books were not saved, except that in the confusion and hurry they wore over- looked.

The President remarked that it was decided to feuve the vessel at six a m.. but she was not left until 19 a.m., and it always looked better in these cases when all the charts, legs, and work books were produced.

Witness. continning, said-We saved the ship's register and papers. I have not found chronometer, charts, the official log, and the

any deviation in the ship's compasses since I took command, except once when I was in the English Channel. We had a cargo of petroleum, but the deviation was not very much. There was only one coripass on deck. It was a spirit compass, and was on the after part of the deck house alt two feet from the wheel.

A Marine Court of Inquiry was held eu the 7th March at the Harbour Master's office to I had always used the compass as a standard investigate the eireumstances attending the loss aud for steuring by. There were two of the Nova Scotian barque Lynnwood, official į other compasses in the ship-one in the cabin No. 80,135, of Willsor, Nova Scotia.

and our in y room. We altered the The Court was constituted as follows-Hon. | course to S.E. at boon on the 15th. Previous to Commander R. Murray Rumsey. R.N.Stipen that I had been taking the distances run by the diary Magistrate). Commander A. Henderson, patent log. I did use the hand log. We RN, HMS Immortalit. M. J. R. Gals- hope to the first time for six hours, and for worthy, master British steamship Sin Sang, Mr. the second time ten hours, and I made J. Williamson, master British steamship Chow allowances for the drift. The mate and I kept f, Mr. W. J Dermody, master British barque the dead reckonin lependently and compared Highland Forest.

results, which were satisfactory.

The letter of Mr. John Ross, the master of the Lynnwood, whose certificate of compet-

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Mr. Michael Courtney, the first-mate, said he held a master's certificate. He spoke to working