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In the Journal of last Thursday, we published
a report of the enquiry instituted by the Board
of Trade, before a numerous bench of the county
magistrates at Falmouth, into the circumstances
connected with this melancholy occurrence, up to
Saturday.
In addition to the evidence given on that day,
which we then inserted, Wm Clemence, of St Rew,
who, with his wife and eight young children were
passengers in the John, positively swore that he
saw the captain in the vessel in his cabin asleep
an hour after she had struck.
On Monday the enquiry was resumed.
John Barker deposed that he was a first-class
Trinity pilot, residing at Coverack. On the
evening of Thursday 3rd inst., between eight and
ten o'clock, he was in charge of a ship to
the S.S.W. of the Lizard, in sight of the Lizard
lights, which he saw about half past eight
o'clock. It was rather hazy; he could see the
lights at from twelve to fifteen miles distance;
he could also do so between nine and ten
o'clock.
On a clear night from the deck of a ship the
Lizard lights can be seen for a distance of
twenty-four miles. The land could not, on the
night in question, be seen at further than four
or five miles, so far as he could judge. At about
ten o'clock it blew a strong breeze, and they
took in the main top gallant sail. If he took his
departure in a ship from the Rame-head, steering
west, it would bring him about Helford, and
within three or four miles, in passing of the
Falmouth light. If he had made such light coming
down Channel he should haul up south to clear the
Manacles. South-by-west might do if Falmouth
light was on the beam three or four miles off.
West-south-west would not carry him clear; it
would carry him on the Manacles.
Falmouth light of a clear night can be seen ten
or twelve miles off. On the night of the third
there was nothing in the weather to prevent a
ship going up or down channel with perfect
safety. On leaving the Falmouth light - steering
south - he should know he was clear of the
Manacles. When he saw the Lizard lights, the
course of a ship from the Rame-head downwards
would be west-south-west; that would carry him
six or eight miles clear of the Lizard outside of
it.
Between twelve and one o'clock that night
there was a freshening breeze and sea; it was low
water between twelve and one o'clock; between
three and four in the morning there was a strong
sea; the rise and fall of the tide at the
Manacles is from sixteen to eighteen feet spring
tides. If he commanded and emigrant ship, he
should steer his course at sea; he should not
consider it necessary to keep the ship quiet to
get the passengers to rights. He has seen the
wreck; there is a beach on each side of her, the
nearest to the south side, a quarter of a mile
distant, round a point not visible from the
wreck; a bold cliff immediately inside the ship.
Strangers could not very well land passengers
there.
TUESDAY The bench sat today at ten
o'clock, but did not consider it necessary to
call any further witnesses in this case.
Mr Tilly, in an able speech of more than an
hour's duration, reviewed the whole of the
evidence, and commented on those parts which he
considered were such as to exonerate the owners.
He also pointed out that in some things they had
even exceeded the requirements of the
passenger's act, and said he was sure the
bench must have seen that in the things wherein
they fell short, it was not done from any
meanness, or with a view to save or leave
anything undone for providing comforts for the
poor unfortunate persons who had perished.
He said he could not account for the position in
which the ship was put by the captain, and he
certainly could not offer any defence on that
point; he believed the captain had made some
great mistake. He had, however, been unable to
find that on the evidence there was the least
shadow or plea to be detected of the captain
having been drunk.
With regard to several of the witnesses, he would
not for a moment insinuate that they had
voluntarily made false statements, but in the
hurry and confusion subsequent on their
distressing situation, and the darkness when the
ship struck, he had no doubt they had confounded
many of the circumstances. He would leave the
case in the hands of the bench, trusting they
would see it in a favourable light, and acquit
his clients, who he believed were honest and
respectable shipowners, and wished to do their
best to provide properly for their passengers.
Mr O'Dowd, solicitor from the Board of Trade,
was then allowed (although not in strict order)
to address a few words to the court. He submitted
that the clauses of the act had not been properly
complied with, in confirmation of which he
referred to the ship's boats, the want of
rockets and lights for making night signals,
&c. He said he had great pleasure in seeing
that this first inquiry under the act had been so
ably carried on, and he wished it to be
understood that the Board of Trade had no other
object than to see that the poor emigrants should
have proper protection, and that the owners of
emigrant ships should be compelled to do what is
right towards the public.
The court the adjourned till two o'clock,
when the following report was read, addressed to
the Board of Trade.
To the Right Honourable the Lords of the
Committee of Privy Council of Trade.
MY LORDS - With reference to
the melancholy circumstances attendant on the
loss of the barque John, and which you will find
fully related in the accompanying copy of the
evidence taken before us, we have to report that
the said vessel, which was about 463 tons, as per
register , sailed from Plymouth for Quebec, under
the command of Edward Rawle, on Thursday the 3rd
of May instant, between the hours of two and
three p.m., having on board five cabin
passengers, and 1981 statute adult passengers,
equal to 263 souls. That the crew consisted of
nineteen persons, and immediately previous to
sailing, the government emigration officer at
Plymouth made his inspection, and signed a
certificate of clearance. The ship left Plymouth
with a light wind from the north, and from a
mile-and-a-half off the Rame-head she was steered
on a westerly course, with the wind N.N.W., and
so continued until the Falmouth light was sighted
between half-past eight and nine o'clock in
the evening, soon after which the course was by
the captain's orders altered to W.1 S.; in
ten minutes afterwards the captain again altered
the course to W. by S., and in about twenty
minutes he again changed it to W.S.W. That they
continued on this course about an hour, when by
the captain's directions the vessel was
steered S.W., and a few minutes afterwards struck
on the Manacles Rocks.
The wind then was, and since about eight p.m.
had been N.N.W. The ship almost immediately
afterwards surged off, whereupon the captain ,
finding the rudder gone, gave orders to run the
vessel on shore with a view to save the lives of
the passengers; she quickly filled and,
ultimately, at about half-past ten, settled down
about a quarter of a mile from the shore. The
tide was then low, and the decks remained nearly
free from water for two hours afterwards. During
such periods ineffectual attempts were made to
get out boats; only one of these, however, was
launched; she subsequently broke adrift with five
of the crew and a passenger on board her, and
ultimately reached Coverack. That, as the tides
rose, the passengers and crew were forced from
the deck to the poop and rigging; during the
night a large number of passengers were washed
off the wreck, and about daylight the survivors
were gallantly rescued by boats from the shore,
manned by coastguard-men and fishermen.
That the captain and all the crew were saved,
but, unfortunately, only from about seventy to
eighty of the passengers. The captain having been
incarcerated on a charge of manslaughter, did not
appear at the meeting before us.
For a more particular statement of the
circumstances that led to the terrible
catastrophe, your lordships are referred to the
accompanying evidence, upon which we now proceed
to offer the following opinions;-
That the ship was provided with four boats
- three of which were inefficient, the other
doubtful; that the lifeboat was neither stowed in
the proper place nor prepared for immediate
service as directed by the act; and to these
circumstances probably the staving and loss of
the lifeboat and the delay in endeavouring to get
out the long boat are to be attributed.
That, with the exception of one single
lantern, there were no means on board the ship of
making a signal of distress by night. We think
that, had there been adequate means of making
such signals, and had they been shown when the
ship first got on shore, while the weather was
moderate, the boats would have come off at an
earlier period, and thus have rescued a much
larger proportion of passengers.
That with respect to the above deviations
from the provision of the Passengers' Act, we
consider that the Government emigration officers
and owners of the ship are culpable.
That, either from the ignorance or gross
and culpable negligence of the captain, the
courses steered by his orders were the direct
cause of bringing the vessel on the Manacle
rocks.
That after the vessel struck, the conduct
of the captain was most reprehensible in every
respect; he appears to have taken no active means
to save the lives of the passengers, did not
assist them to leave the ship, quitted her
himself while many of the passengers were still
in the rigging and he and the mate were the only
two persons who secured anything for themselves;
the captain saving his cloak and the mate his
quadrant.
That the chief mate appears to be ignorant
of his duties and responsibilities and is
culpable in not having personally rendered
assistance to the passengers.
That the conduct of the crew, with the
exception of Andrew Elder, and one or two others,
appears to have been very bad, but would probably
have been different had a better example been set
them by their officers.
That the conduct of the chief boatman of
the coastguard and his men, and of a fisherman
named James Hill, and others associated with
them, in going to and taking the passengers and
crew off the wreck, was highly commendable.
The circumstances of this case render it our duty
to suggest to your lordships that in all
passengers ships the first mate should be
required to have a certificate of competency
instead of one of services only, and that the
number and nature of the night signals required
to be provided by the owners of passenger ships
should be specified.
We have the honour to be, my lords,
your
lordships' obedient servants,
F.M.WILLIAMS
C.RASHLEIGH
FRANCIS HOWELL
R.ROBERTSON.
Upwards of 100 of the bodies of the unfortunate
persons who perished in the John have been
recovered at St.Keverne, and all have been
interred. The greater part of there were taken up
by dredging. The whole of the passengers saved
have now returned to their respective homes. An
extraordinary and melancholy circumstance in
connexion (sic) with this sad disaster is
related. A respectable man , of South Molton, in
the north of Devon, named Pincombe, with his wife
and six children, were passengers in the John,
and all of them perished. It appears that Mr.
Pincombe would have gone out in another ship, but
while corresponding with the owner for the
purpose of getting the passage money reduced by
£1, the berths were all taken, and he was
obliged to wait for the John, in which, as we
have said, he perished, together with his family.
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