308
The President-What was the second officer doing?
Witness-He was in one of the boats. The President-Before that, I mean. Witness-He was getting the boats ready. The third officer was on the bridge when the ship struck and he then came on deck.
Tho President-Did not everyone come on deck? When the boat struck I should have thought everyone would have come on deck.
Witness-He assisted me in getting the boats ready and went for me to the chief engineer to see if the pumps were working. The chief engineer. carpenter, and two men were getting the pumping gear ready.
The President-For all the use it was it might have been broken up. What did these officers do in getting the boats ready? I ask that because so many lives were lost in the surf. Witness-They assisted in lowering the boats and superintended the boats generally,
The President-But there was nothing to superintend. No provisions were put into the boats. The falls had to be coiled, the gripes cast off, and the boats lowered to the level of the rails. What were yon guided by in choos- ing this particular spot for landing?
Witness-I pointed out the place where I wished the boats to land, I
out to the third officer.
The President-Had you any special reason for choosing that spot? You saw
a boat capsized and yet you went straight through the surf yourself. There is a wide expanse of bay lower down to which you could have gone.
sang
Witness-The weather was very bad and I could not see far. Only this spot presented a fair landing place. My boat was damaged by striking the ship. It was on account of this damage that we went through the surf instead of running off further to look for a better landing.
In answer to Commander Robinson witness further said-I was navigating with Admiralty ohait 1985, dated 1887. The ship was not under command for some minutes before she was beached. The course taken on this occasion was apparently the same as I have taken on other occasions. We were twenty minutes to half an hour from striking to beaching. No one was lost from the ship.
By Captain Pybus-There was no panic amongst the passengers and no difficulty in getting them into the boats. lowered with people in them. I officers did their duty well.
The boats were
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
| under the boat with several others. I dived from under her and I found those who had been under hanging to the keel. I tried to do this also, but the surf washed me away. I was nearly played out, but I managed
was and to keep myself afloat
washed on to the beach. I believe two were missing from my boat, which was eventually washed on shore. I did not think at the time of looking for a better place to land at. The second en- gineer's boat was also capsized. None of the boats got safely to shore.
H. O. Pritchard, second officer, said he had been ten months in the Namoa. He was in his berth when the ship struck and the captain ordered him to clear away the boats. He went to his lifeboat and a few Chinese sailors assisted him to clear the boat. Part of the crew got into the boat. He did not try to prevent them, but when they were in the boat he tried to get some of them out to allow of the passengers getting in. He did not use any force, as he could not get to the crew. The boats went without him and he then went to the third boat, lowered her and put the remaining
were seven passengers in her There
pas- and
crew in three of the sengers
the
boat.
three Only
nut of the six oars were used. Witness decided himself to land at the sandy beach about half a mile off. As soon as the boat got in the surf the sea broached her to, and as he was getting an oar out a sea struck her and she was swamped. Witness was carried out of the boat and washed ashore.
The Court then adjourned until the 20th,
STEEL JET IES TO BE SUBSTITUTED
FOR SOLID STONE PIERS.
ence :--
We have received the following correspond.
Peninsular and Oriental Steam
Navigation Company, Hongkong, 15th October, 1897.
The Editor,
The Daily Press. Dear Sir, I beg to band you, for publica- tion, a copy of a letter from the Honourable the Colonial Secretary announcing that His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to ac ede to the prayer of the memorial petition- think the decking for the substitution of steel jetties instead
of solid stone piers for this harbour.
His Excellevey's decision in this matter will, I am sure, give general satisfaction.-- I am, sir, yours faithfully,
H. A. RITCHIE, Superintendent.
By the President-It was three-quarters of an hour from the time the ship struck to the time we were all out of the ship.
W. S Barrows, the third mate on the Namoa, said-1 hold a second mate's certificate issued at Liverpool. I was on watch in the forenoon of the day on which the ves-el struck. We were not steering any course but by the captain's orders. I had not been through the Fairway Island passage before, having been on the China coast trade only two months. We were going about eight knots when the ship struck. The captain then told me to get the boats ready. went to the foremost boat and with the assistance of three quartermasters lowered it. I also got two other boats on the starboard side ready. I did not have anyone to assist me but the three quartermasters. The work of getting ready the boats occupied about eight or ten minutes. Then I helped to put the life belts on the passengers. I had no difficulty in getting the passengers to put them on. This took four or five minutes as far as I can remember. I was then called to the wheel. I afterwards went to my boat and I heard the captain call out Take the passengers ashore." All the passengers were on the port side. I went and brought six of them over to my boat, which was lowered to the rails. I also got a quartermaster and one Malay sailor. They all got into the boat. They went down the tackle. I tried to do the same but fell overboard. I got into the boat all right and went off, the quartermaster and the Malay pulling, while I was steering. I believe I ought to have had another sailor. I hare never been to boat stations, I knew there were some stations. I had no special order as to where I was to go, nor had I an order to shore off. I acted on the general order of the cap- tain to take the passengers on shore. When we got to the surf I was in the act of turning | the boat round when she capsized. I went
(Enclosure.)
dear
Colonial Secretary's Office,
14th October, 1897.
October 21, 1897.
THE DIAMOND JUBILEE PER-
MANENT MEMORIALS.
The following correspondence with reference to the Diamond Jubilee Permanent Memorials for Hongkong is published in the Gazette :-
GOVERNOR TO SECRETARY OF STATE.
Government House, Hongkong, 27th April, 1897. Sir, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatches noted in the margin on the subject of the celebration of the comple. tion of the sixtieth year of the reign of Her Majesty the Queen and to inform you what steps are being taken in this colony to com. memorate that auspicious event.
2.-I enclose a copy of the Government noti- fication showing the composition of the Com- mittee appointed by me for the purpose of de- ciding what form this commemoration should take. Mr Chater is Chairman of this Com- mittee; Mr. Jackson, Honorary Treasurer; and Mr. Stewart Lockhart, Honorary Secretary.
Mr. Chater is proving himself a most ener- getic Chairman, and, in conjunction with his colleagues, is sparing no trouble to make the celebration a success.
3. At the first meeting of the Committee it was resolved that the occasion should be marked by the establishment of a permanent memorial of an event at once so auspicious and so unique. The general public was accordingly invited to send in to the Committee any suggestions they might have to offer on the subject. In re- spouse to this invitation no fewer than twenty These were duly suggestions were received. considered by the Committee which rejected all the suggestions except five, and these were referred to a Sub-Committee for consideration and report. I enclose copies of the report of the Sub-Committee.
4. From the inquiries of the Sub-Committee it became apparent that the most popular schemes were :-
1. A road round the island. 2.-A hospital for women and children. 3. A scheme for obtaining nurses from
home and training nurses locally. Mr. Chater, Mr. Jackson. and Mr. Lockhart then waited upon me and inquired whether the Government would give its support to this pro- gramme and stated that such support would be thoroughly appreciated by the great majority of the Community,
5. I accordingly sent to you on the 14th April the following telegram:-
"Jubilee celebration proposed erection at once Hospital Women and Children; In- stitution training Nurses at cost of $50,000, also road to be made by degrees round the island $225,000. May I propose vote of same sum as public subscription estimated at $50,000, exact precedent Fiftieth Jubilee? Chater promises that deficit (if any) in future shall be made good by one per cent, increase of rates yielding $30,000 per annum. To this telegram I received the following reply on the 22nd April :-
"
Sir, I am directed to acknowledge the re- ceipt of your letter of the 5th instant forward- in a memorial addressed to His Excellency the Governor praying for the substitution of steel jetties in the place of the solid stone piers now in course of erection in this harbour and I am to request you to be good enough to com. muuiente to your co-signatories that His Ex- cellenry has been pleased to accede to the prayer of their memorial, aud that the neces-proposals, I addressed a letter, a copy of which sary steps will be taken to give practical effect to their suggestion. I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant.
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary,
H. A. Ritchie, Esq., Superintendent Peninsular
& Oriental S. N. Co.
An extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders and directors of the Club Hotel, Limited, was held at Yokohama on the 27th September to consider a contract entered into by the directors for the sale of the Hotel Metropole at Tokyo. The meeting confirmed the sale of the hotel for the sum of $83,50, on terms that the purchaser takes over the liabilities and profits of the hotel from the 1st October, paying 10 per cent. of the purchase money at once, and the balance in six months, and in the meantime paying interest at the rate of 7 per cent. on the unpaid purchase money. The name of the purchaser was not mentioned; Mr. Litch- field, the Chairman, informing the meeting that the directors were dealing with an agent.
In answer to your telegram 14th April I consent subject to my despatch 17th March." 6. Having received your sanction to the
I now forward, to the Honorary Secretary of the Jubilee Committee. This letter was laid before meeting of the Committee yesterday.
7.-I transmit an account of the proceedings of the Committee from which it will be seen that with the exception of two dissentients they unanimously resolved to adopt the three schemes to which I have specially referred.
8.- When it is recognised that this decision involves an ultimate expenditure of over £30,000, it is hardly necessary to state that the European residents of this Colony are deeply imbued with the strongest feelings of loyalty and affection towards Her Majesty the Queen. I would call your attention to the letters which the local Committee have received from members of the German, Portuguese, and American Communi- ties, and I anticipate also a cordial response from the Chinese, whether naturalised British subjects or otherwise,
9. Under the circumstances I have described there can. I think, be no doubt that the different nationalities in Hongkong appreciate to the full the benefits they derive from their residence in this the most remote and not the least im-
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