The French cruiser Jean Bart arrived at Woosung on Wednesday evening on her way to Shanghai to relieve the Edairenr, but unfortunately met with most serious mishap—a mishap which might very well lave been rendered disastrous to a degree. The Hawaiian sailing vessel Helen Brewer (which by the way arrived here some days
ork with a cargo of kerosene oil for the having made a record passage from New Standard Oil Ca.) was riding at anchor, Pilot Tilbura being in charge, with tugboats in attendance, ready to cross the Bar, when a collision between her and the war-vessel took place, at 0.30 a.m.on Thursday. It was dark at the time and naturally the accounts given by the two captains differ: somewhat materially, The impact waa at any rate very severe. Frenchman, who was in charge of Pilot Nigg, struck the stem of the sailing vessel with his starboard side between the forward and midship guns, carrying away about ten feet of the rail on a level with the deck, while the bowsprit of the ship swept his upper works, completely smashing one boat and the after smoke-stack. The sailing vessel was fortunately provided with collision bulkheads and but for their holding, there is.very little doubt that she woul have foundered. Assit is, she has suffered considerable injury, her head-gear being carried away and' her stem twisted, and it will he necessary for both vessels to be docked and thoroughly overhauled. The Jean Bart came up the river early on Thursday and the Helen Brewer followed her on Friday morning, to be discharged and docked. Her forward compartments are full "of water. The Jean Bart is a second-class cruiser built of steel at Rochefort in 1889 at a cost of £283,240, Her displacement 0 tons, length 346 feet, beam 43.6, maximum draught 19.6, with 8,000 indicated horse power.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.