A marine Court of Enquiry has yone into the circumstances connected with the loss of the British steamship White Cloud. The constitution of the Court was as follows:—Command-r H. Murray Rumsey, R.N,, Stipendiary Magistrate; Staff Com? mander R. J. Rogers, R.N., IMS. Tamar; Captain D, Bowles. of the Empress of Japan; Captain R. Nelson, of the Taiyuan; and Captain F. W. Huestes, of the Simla, The owner of the vessel _was represented by Mr. Looker (Messrs. Deacon and Hi tings).
Neither the owner nor captain of the White Cloud was present, and this was remarked on at the opening of the Court. However, evidence was given by the chief officer, and first and second engineers of the boat, who, with the absent Captain, were the only Europeans on board. The crew numbered 23 Chinese.
The evidence of D. B. Adamson, the chief engineer, contained the first part of the story. Generally speaking, he said, he was satisfied with the condition of the ship when she left Hongkong. They left on the Friday afternoon at about four o'clock. Up to about nine o'clock ab night all was well. There was not much of a sea on Then a nasty chop of the sea came on—it was not bad weather—and the result was that the ship began to make water under the covering hoard and down into the bunkers. At half-past ten, when the water was uvt over the stokehole plates, he started the donkey on the bilge, and at eleven o'clock he went up and asked the chief officer to put the ship's head to the wind to give him an opportunity of clean out the water. The ship was put hea to wind, and he cleared her of water, and at half-past eleven she was kept away on her course again. He was relieved by the second engineer at about 12 o'clock, and at about a quarter past-one the second engineer called him and told him the water
They then put the bilge injection on, and yeas rapidly increasing in the stoke-hold, by so doing they kept tie water fairly level.
about four o'clock, when he relieved the second engineer, things seemed to be going on fairly well, but at five o'clock they put the bilge injection on again. Soon afterwards the second engineer tala hima plank ad given way, and as the water was coming in in great force he told the Captain, They could sce the plank as all the inside lining had practically rotted away. About. five feet of the plank had started. He agreed with the Captain as to the desirability of leaving the vessel. The water was pouring in, and the Gros were out, and the sea was just getting up at the time. Had they Stopped in it would just have been a case of foundering, and he suw that the sooner they got out the better.
The story of the chief officer, Stephen Francis Golpel, was longer. He described the steamer asa paddlewheel ship with a walking beam. Fey left on the Friday afternoon, and Mr. Robinson, the owner, saw them off in a launch and seemed to be in a hurry for them to get away. He told them several times to go. faster. The witness took the first watch, up to midnight, and all was then going well. He went below, and the next thing that happened was' the second engineer coming below and telling him the ship was sinking and to get up. Witness ridiculed the idea at first, but he got up and went on deck, Captain Raymond told him to put oura boat, and he did so, but told the captain he would want some' chow, and some more chow and some water, before he left the ship. Captain Raymond said it was all right; he had got the chow and water in his boat. He eft the ship because the Captain ordered him to do so, but he did not see any necessity to leave her so quickly. The ship had a small list and he was told that two planks were out and that the fires had been put out. He did nothing more than he was told todo by the Captain, and he was sufisticd that that was the proper thing for him to do. 'The remainder of this witness' evidence told of the leaving of the ship, and of how she shortly afterwards broke into fire.
The evidence of the second engineer, Albert MeCulloch, was in general agree: ment with the foregoing. He added that before leaving the ship the Captain said his duty was to see that the ship did not Decome a derelict and asked if there was any kerosene. Witness went to get some, but the Captain called him back saying that planks had yone from the ship's side Witness brought a tin of kerosene and they sprinkled it on the deck and set fire to it. This was with the idea that the ship should not remain a float danger.
Shortly after this had been heard the Court. gave its finding as follows:—We find that the British s.s, White Cloud, 64,126 of Hongkong, of which Arthar Raymond was master, the number of whose certificate was 509, issued at Now Zealma, left Hongkong on the 8th of September on a voyage to Manila, he White Cloud was built in 1875 ab Hongkong, and that time has been employed as a river steamer between Hongkong and Macao, and more recently between "Macao and' Canton. She wis unclassed, and last underwent a Government survey as a river steamer in Hongkong in September, 1893.
After leaving Hongkong on the voyage to Manila the ship encountered only fair weather and moderate swell. Tu about: six hows the working of the ship had caused her to strain so much that there was 18 inches of water in her.
From this time onwards she made water in quantities, the planking opening and unitting the water in jets. Three pumps were employed in clearing the ship, but of these the donkey pump broke down, and the bilze pump was insufficient. a plank was burst in by the rolli ship. The water increased until it put the fires out and the engines stopped of themselves. All hands then took to the boats, the master axmaining behind with the second engineer to set fire to the ship in order, it is said, to avoid her being left as a danger to navigation.
The Court has not been assisted in its investigation by the evidence of the master, though he lis been served with " notice to attend. From the evidence it appears that he left the port on a voyage to Manila a few days ago.
The Court have no hesitation in forming the opinion on the evidence before it that the loss of the White Cloud was to.be attributed to her not being in seaworthy condition for the voyage to Manila, She was not prematurely abandoned, and her loss was not caused by any wrongful act or default of the master or officers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.