A most unfortunate collision occured at hal-past ten o'clock on Sunday night, near Woosung, between the P. & O. steamer Peking and the barque Hattie E. Tapley, resulting, it is feared, in some loss of life.
Tt appears that the Peking was ivin, at anchor, waiting till the flood shoul make to carry her over the Bar, As soon as there was sufficient water, she steamed out a short distance in order to turn round and come up the river. The Ulysses was pasaing upatthesametime. When the Peking was near the Lismore floating light, out side the Red Buoy, just as she was turning, she met the barque Hattie E. Tapley, which was being towed by the two tugboats Heron and Ewo. The Peking put her helm a-port, and kept on porting, in order to get out of the way; but the tugboat we got acroi her bows, and the barque, awinging round, ruck the Peking, almost amidships, with ier stem right on to the port-quarter of the steamer. At the same moment the Peking ran into the Ewo, and here the result was disastrous. The tugboat is said to have been almost cut in two, and in an instant cries fur assistance were heard in the water. The captain of the Peking immediately lowered a boat, and threw buoys over; but we are sorry to learn that Captain Jack, who was in command of the tugboat, and a native fireman, hat both been drowned. The damage done to the two larger vessels was trifling. The Peking's plates wore bent, but no injury was done to any part of her below the water-line; while the Hattie Tapley made a little water, which necessitated the working of the pumps, The body of Captain Jack of the unfortunate tug Ewo was found on Wednesday and brought to the Pootung Church, Mr, Stripling had it conveyed at once to the Mortuary Chapel and an inquest was then held upon it. After evidence had been taken, the inquest was, we believe, adjourned till Swlurday. Owing to the late hour which we heard of th body, and our reporter where, we are unable to give a full report of what took place at the anque have heard two accounts of the position of the body of Capt. Jack when discovered; one, that it was held by the chain cable, round which its arms were clasped, of the junk moored near the wreck of the Lismore, and the other that it was jammed in the window of the steering house of the Ewo, through wh the Captai been attempting to escape.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.