The Daily Press of the 22nd reprints from the Singapore Free Press in full the first Eingapore into the loss of this fine steamer.
of the enquiry by the Marine Court at
on the tik instant, the first witness called enquiry was commenced at Singapore ing Captain Johnston, the master. Ho stated that the Kildare, which was a steamer of 2,277 tons net register and 400 horsepower, built at Sunderland by James Laing in 1883, left Java on the 17th of September with 450 tons of coal and 4,000 tons of sugar on board, drawing 25 feet aft and 23 feet 10 inches forward, with her Plimsoll mark sport, which we have already published; but he mentioned as the chief reasons for abandoning the ship, that it would have been impossible to tow her, that all hands were exhausted, and they had no bread or fresh water left." The chief enginer confirmed the Captain's evidence, and mentioned that the pumps were choked with the small coal, the crank pits of the engines buried in coal. It is satisfactory to see that the various witnesses all testified to the ex it treatment they received on board the ship, and to the willingness with which all hands, including the Chinese, Arabs, and West India-men who made up room. staff, worked to save the ship. following is the evidence of two of the able seamen Henry Smith—I was an able seaman on board the steamer Kildare, On Friday night, September 28th, when I came on deck at midnight the mate told us to go aft to the wheelhouse and stop there to be on the spot if anything happened to the steering gear. About half-past three in the morning we found that the wheel-chain bad. dropped out of the quadrant, The carpenter came and looked at it and thought it likely that we could get it on. While we were looking at it the quadrant broke. We
orders to keep her head on to the sea and then shipped the hand-gear and received wind, I stopped in the wheelhouse and was steering. A Manila man was at the lee wheel. Orders then came to port the helm two points. called the rest of the watch at eight bells and was just turning into my bunk after having changed my wet clothes when all hands wore called on deck, and I saw that the wheel had carried away. The rudder head and quadrant were carried away and were flying about everywhere. The weather was then so bad that we had the door shut and could see no one about the deck. We then tried to secure the quadrant a8 well as we could. Doin this the mate had his leg broken. We hai just laid him down in the smoke room when a sea stove the wheelhouse and bundled us all up together, We then tried to get forward but some of us had to take to the rigging and some to the booms and we could not stand on the deck for fear of being blown off by the wind. We had food of some kind during the gale, but of course we could not cook anything. I got into the cabin and stayed there till next morning. I was not there when they were build: the raft. I was sick. @ ship had 4 very heavy list when we left her. The lee rail was nearly in the water, It was not safe to go on the lee side without a rope round Fred By Captain Craufurd—She was steering very badly five and a half points either way when we left her. She would have torn the quarter off any ship towing her. Ido not know if she was making any water down the hatches.
By Captain Blair—I did not notice what draught she had when we left Java. Ihave seen her loaded deeper on previous voyages. She steered very well, so she must have been in good trim,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.