Phe late arrival here of the Empress of Japan is accounted for by the fact that when uly a few hours out of Vanesuver and hound for the Orient she was san into by the barque Abbey B. Palmer off the Straits of Juan de Fucv. The ellison eceurre! about 3 o'clock on the morning the firth instant he sailing vessel struck the Empress of Japan on the pew bow and besides inflicting severe dame, a part of the bridge away. There hole obs th The barque's how was smashed in, he figure-head carried away and her badly inju,'ed, and she only "se ok. The barque was n Honolulu ts Port Biskely about 25 m les north-west of Cape Flattery when the evilision occurred; she was clos hauled and could vot change her course When the steamer was siz! minutes before the e: ash. the barque is estimated at She was picked up Seattle on the night of the ress of Japan put in at Victoria and work of repairs was entrusted to the Athion Iron Works, who effected the un Aertnking in remukably quick time, the pilot house being rebuilt and heavy: plauking put in to protect the chart rom from adverse weather. Planking was applied to the port side of the vessel was thus enabled to proceed on her yoy: eross the Pacific without any fear of weather, and though five days behind schedule time wien tex curity she was only three days bs'ind on arrival here, We understand she will undergo a thorough overhauling at Hongkerg, Further details than we have been able obtain of the collision in which the R.M.S. Empress of Japan was concernest are given in the": i Press" as follows Victoria, 7th November.
The R.M.S. Empress of Japan, Pybus, returned to the Royal Roads in diss collision with the 1,767-ton American steel bark Abbey Palmer, formerly the wnfortimate Blairmore, which capsized and sank three years ago in San Francisco harbour. The collision took place off the entrance to the Straits, and the Empress seriously damaged that Capt. Pybus deemed it advisable' to return and go into the dry dock. The bark w damaged, ould not sail on up to the bark, it seems, crashed into the Empress car part of the bridge. bulwarks, tot her upper some of her plates near the water-line on the port sid Her officers said that she was not taking water, but they had last night given the liner quite a list.
The Japan left the outer wharf on Mon-night for the Orient, and was putting the miles between her and the Vanconver Island coast until about that "darkest hour before dawn," when a steel bark, luckily in ballast, loomed up out of the night, and before a warning ery could he shouted, crashed into the Tiner just forward of amidships on the port side—near her bridge, in fact. The steel bark come into the Empress, side bow on, and the seaman who was doing lookout duty on the how of the sailing vessel was thrown over on to the liner, "He fell on to the cover of one of the lifeboats, and was picked up uninjured. He was brought in by the steamer, When the excitement had in a measure subsided it was seen that the bark had disengaged herself and was <qu away, taking advantage of the fair breeze prevailing to come up the Straits en route to her destination on the Sound to which she was bound from Honolulu in ballast Tt was said on the Empress that her bow sprit had been carried nid her stem diy broken, although what other injuries she had received could not be learned.
The Empress was seen to he badly injured, and on examining the battered bulwarks, the splintered bridge and the bent plates, Captain Pybus put about and returned. He was reported passing Cape Reale at noon yesterday, and at 3.20 passed Carmanah, where he signalled, "Report me to my owner repairs necessary." Nothing further was learned until arrival in the Roads, when she cast anchor and a boat came off and landed the purser. who went to make arrangements for surveying the steamer, ete.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.