This was a preliminary enquiry into the circumstances attending the collision b tween the China Navigation Company's steamer Tamsui and the Norwegian steamer Hermes, which occurred in the river on Thursday last.
Captain Froberg of the Puvchi and Captain Suenson of the Store Nurdiske sat as Assessors or Nautical Advisers.
No representative of the China Navigation Company putting in an appearance the proceedings were conducted in Norwegian.
lan of the river was put in and Captain Jensen of the Hermes, together with the first and second officers and the first and second engineers, gave evidence. It was stated that on the day named the Hermes was coming up from Woosung and after crossing the bar and off Gough Island she met the Tamsui proceeding down the river. Captain Bull, the P. & O. pilot, was in charge of the Hermes and he noticed the Tamsui about ten inlautes before the collision took place. Between the Zamsui and the Norwegian vessel was a large lorcha, which was going from Shanghai to Woosung and beating up against the wind. Both ste ners kept their own sides of the river. 'The lorcha was going about and would not x" through the wind and the Hermes hal ts starboard her helm to clear the lorcha. After this the Hermes' pilot ordered her hela hard over to port to go over t" Gough Island but she would not answer her helm and the engines were onlered full speed astern. The orler was carried out in ten seconds, but despite the fact that the Hermes lot go her a with fifteen ners collided with grest force, doi mage already referred to in these columns, Me. Kauclsen, an Upper Yangtze pilot, gave the following evidence in English T was a passenger on boort the Herm when the collision took place. I was sitting on a skylight on the lower bridge when I saw the masts of " lorcha about half a point on the port bow. This would be about two minutes before the collision.
"Then I saw the Hermes' head swing away to port and I noticed the pilot ring the telegraph full speed astern." That would be about a minute and a-half before the collision. The lorcha was close alongside the bank when I noticed her; otherwise I never paid any attention not expecting in the least that anything like a collision was going to happen. The Hermes took a sheer to port to avoid the lorcha. This way about minute and a-half before the collision with the Tamsui, which was coming down the river.
At this stage the Court rose.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.