"BONNY," (S.S.)
The Merchant Shipping Acts, 1854 to 1876.
IN the matter of a formal investigation held at Liverpool, on the 8th and 9th
February 1877, before H. C. ROTHERY, Wreck Commissioner, assisted by Captain
GRANT, R.N., and Captain CASTLE, as Assessors, into the circumstances attending
the stranding of the steamship "BONNY," of Glasgow, on the south end of Grand
Canary Island, on the 15th day of January 1877.
Judgment.
The Commissioner. The object of the present inquiry is to ascertain, if
possible, the causes which have led to the stranding of the steamship "Bonny,"
on the Grand Canary, early on the morning of the 15th day of January last. It
appears from the copy of the ship's register, which has been brought in, that
the "Bonny" was an iron screw steamship, built at Govan, near Glasgow, in the
year 1869, by Messrs. Randolph, Elder, and Co.
She was 1,277 tons gross and 797 tons net register. She had two engines of 250
horse power, and was owned by the British and African Steam Navigation Company.
Mr. Alexander Elder, of No. 48, Castle Street, Liverpool, being the managing
owner.
She left Mattacong on the 8th of January last, laden with a cargo of between 800
and 900 tons of African produce, consisting chiefly of palm oil and palm
kernals, bound therewith to Liverpool, calling on the way at Grand Canaries and
Madeira. At this time she had a crew, according to the master, of 45 hands. I
may observe that a vessel could hardly have been better officered or better
equipped in every respect than this vessel was. The master, of course, had a
master's certificate; the three mate's also had each of them a master's
certificate. She also had a boatswain, a carpenter, four quartermasters, 10 able
seamen, a purser, a doctor, six stewards, a cook, a butcher, four engineers, and
12 firemen; and she had eight passengers. She drew 17 feet of water aft and 14
feet 8 forward.
On the 10th, at 7.15 p.m., she passed Cape Verd Point, bearing east and by
south, distant eight miles. She continued her course from that time until the
14th of August against a head sea and a head wind, blowing, I think, from the
north-east. At noon on the 14th an observation was taken, which placed her in
26° 16' north and 16° 6' west.
I should here observe that the captain has brought in a chart, on which he had
laid down the vessel's course from Cape Verd Point, and the gentlemen by whom I
am assisted on this occasion inform me that assuming the courses steered to have
been as stated in evidence, and as shown by the log, the vessel's course has
been very correctly laid down. I should also observe that the veessl had three
compasses on board, a steering compass aft, which seems to have been the most
correct, a compass on the bridge, and a tell-tale compass in the captain's
cabin. The captain produced a paper with a copy of the deviations for the bridge
and after compasses, but as this was only a copy made by himself I desired him
to produce the original which had been furnished to him by the compass
adjusters; this he did to day, and on comparing them I find that the card which
he gave in yesterday is quite correct, and agrees with the original. I may add
that there are perhaps not many vessels whose compasses show so little deviation
as this vessel's did, at all events upon a north to east course.
From noon of the 14th the vessel was steered north-east by the steering compass,
and that course was continued till 10 p.m. when it was altered to north-east
quarter north, the object, as the master has stated, being in order that he
might make a good north-east course. In other words, he thought probably that he
had got a little too far to the eastward, and he therefore put her a quarter of
a point more to the northward. At 12 o'clock the second officer came on deck,
but shortly before he came up the third officer, who had had the previous watch,
had observed something having the appearance of land on the port bow; he called
the second officer's attention to it, and the master having then been called
came on deck, went on to the bridge and, as he has told us, believing this land
to be the easternmost part of the Grand Canary, ordered the helm to be ported so
as to bring it on his port beam. There is some slight discrepancy on this part
of the case between the master and Hoey, the quartermaster, who was at the helm
at the time, and who I must say has given his evidence very well and very
clearly. According to the evidence of the master, the helm was put at once to
northeast by east half east; but according to the evidence of the helmsman, it
was first put to north-east easterly, then in about 10 minutes afterwards to
north-east and by east easterly, and that course was continued for 20 minutes,
when it was altered to east-north-east. It is not very important except as
bearing on one part of the case, to which I shall presently have occasion to
refer. It is sufficient to say that the helm was ported so as to bring the land
abeam.
The land, which had been at first indistinctly seen, gradually became clearer as
they proceeded, so that for some time before 1 o'clock there could be no doubt
whatever that it was land, high ground, but at what distance might perhaps be
doubtful. Shortly before 1 o'clock the captain seems to have gone for a second
time into his chart room, to look at his chart, and on coming out again observed
something white, as he has described it, on the port bow. He immediately
apprehending, as he said, danger, ordered the helm to be put hard a-port, and
ran forward to the bridge, put the telegraph hard a-port and also telegraphed to
the engineer in the engine-room to stop the engines. At the instant that he was
doing this the vessel seems to have taken the ground, the vessel's head fell off
to about east and by north and became fast. Efforts were then made to get her
off by backing, and by setting the sails aback, but without avail, anchors and
hawsers were also laid out, and a good strong strain brought upon them, but all
their efforts failed. In the meantime the purser had been despatched in a boat
to Las Palmas for assistance. At daylight some fishermen came on board, and they
then for the first time ascertained the spot at which they had grounded, and
which the master at my request has marked upon the chart. The spot at which he
has placed her is at the top of the bay, inside and to the northward of
Maspalomas Point.
On the return of high water efforts were again made to get the ship off but they
failed. On the 16th a schooner was hired, and 40 tons of cargo were put on board
of her. Attempts were then again made to get her off, but again without success.
On the night of the 16th a brig with two lighters arrived from Las Palmas, and
15 tons more of the cargo were taken out; and at about 1 p.m. on the 17th she
came off, making three inches of water in the engine-room, but which was easily
kept under by the donkey engine. She arrived at Las Palmas, re-shipped her
cargo, and then proceeded to Madeira and home to Liverpool, where she arrived,
as I am informed, on the 27th of January.
Such, briefly, are the facts of the case. Mr. Tyndall, on behalf of the Board of
Trade, has produced before us for examination the master, the three officers,
the chief engineer, the quartermaster, who was at the wheel, and Robert Hooper,
the look-out man at the time. At the termination of their examination Mr.
Tyndall charged the master with having been careless in the navigation of his
vessel, especially in not using the lead on the occasion of the stranding of the
vessel, and this charge we have now to investigate.
It will be at once observed on examining the chart, that when the vessel ran
aground she had got something like 10 miles to the westward of the course on
which the master thought he was. I am, however, advised by my assessors that the
mere fact that the vessel should have got some 10 miles to the westward of her
course is no evidence that the vessel had been carelessly navigated. A current
may easily have carried her that distance to the westward without its being
necessary to attribute blame to the master. The master has told us that during
the winter, and especially after strong north-east winds, he has known the
current in those parts to run a knot, or even a knot and a half an hour to the
westward, and that he allowed half a knot thinking that it would be sufficient.
He may have made a mistake in not allowing more, but it is not such a mistake as
would fairly lay him open to the charge of negligent navigation.
Again, it has been said that there is a discrepancy between the evidence of the
master and that of the mate as to the amount of error which had been allowed for
in the time of the chronometer. The master stated that in entering Sierra Leone
he examined his chronometers, and found that they showed an error of 25 miles to
the east, and that consequently in calculating his position he made allowance
for this 25 miles. He also told us that he verified the error on passing Cape
Verd Point, and found it to be 25 miles. The mate, on the other hand, told us
that in calculating her position at noon on the 14th they allowed not 25 miles
only, but an additional four or five miles, and that consequently they had
placed the vessel about 30 miles to the west of the spot where the chronometer
would show her to be. But assuming this to be so, it would only show that the
captain in laying his course had assumed his vessel to be 30 miles west of the
spot shown by the chronometer, and would consequently lay her head more to the
eastward, so as to pass clear to the east of the Grand Canary.
But although we are not disposed to impute any blame to the captain on those two
points, the question remains whether there were any circumstances which should
have led him to think that his vessel was running on the island and not clear to
the eastward of it, and we think there were.
And, first, it is clear from the evidence of all the witnesses that although the
wind itself continued to be as strong as ever the sea became gradually calm. The
log indeed shows that in the earlier part of the day the sea had been breaking
over the fore part of the ship, and the captain has so admitted, but as they
approached the island, and especially after sighting the land, the sea had
become calm, quite smooth, as some of the witnesses have said. Now I am advised
by my assessors that this fact should have warned the captain that he was
approaching the island to leeward, and that if he pursued the course on which he
then was he would inevitably run upon it, his course at the time being
north-east a quarter north, and the wind being from the north-east. This then
ought to have been a clear indication to him that he was running into danger.
But there is another fact which should have warned him that he was not at the
place where he thought he was. He has told us that when he first sighted the
land at 12 o'clock, he thought it was in the neighbourhood of Areynaga Point,
that he thereupon laid his vessel north-east by east half east, bringing the
land on his port beam. Now it is clear, wherever you put the vessel, having
Areynaga on her port beam, she must inevitably, if she continued a north-east by
east half east course, have been standing away from the land, but we find all
the witnesses saying that as they went on the land was continually becoming
clearer. This, in our opinion, also ought to have warned the captain that he was
not where he thought he was, namely, off Areynaga Point, and it should have
induced him to exercise greater care than he seems to have done, and if he had
then taken a cast of the lead, there can be little doubt that it would have
indicated to him (for there were soundings for a considerable distance at that
place) the true position of his vessel.
Now although we think that the master has shown a want of proper care and
caution in the navigation of his vessel on this occasion, a want of care
probably originating in the fact that he has been so long in this service, for
as he has told us he has passed this place for some years past about eight times
a year, trusting in that knowledge; he held on, yet apparently with some doubt,
for he seems from 12 to 1 to have gone more than once to consult his chart.
Still, however, he continued to hold on his course till his vessel ran ashore.
We think that he is to blame for this, but at the same time, looking at the very
high character he bears, looking to the measures he took after the vessel was
stranded, looking to the certificate which has been given in from the passengers
who were on board the vessel at the time, we think that we shall be doing our
duty, not indeed in reprimanding him, but in recommending him to be more
cautious in future, and not to place too much reliance upon that knowledge which
he undoubtedly possesses, but which may, as it has done in this case, mislead
him, more especially when the weather is hazy, and when it is extremely
difficult clearly to distinguish the features of the land.
We shall direct that his certificate shall be returned to him, and, of course,
the certificates of the other officers will be returned to them.
There will be no costs in this case, the master not being wholly free from
blame.
(Signed)H. C. ROTHERY, Wreck Commissioner.
Finding.
The Court, having carefully inquired into the circumstances of the
above-mentioned casualty, finds, for the reasons stated in the annexed judgment,
that the stranding of the said vessel on the occasion in question was due to her
having drifted some 10 or 12 miles to the westward of her proper course. The
Court also, although they were of opinion that John Claney, the master, was not
wholly free from blame, for not having observed, before the vessel ran on the
beach, by the smoothness of the water, that she must have been under the lee of
the island, and by the appearance of the land and the course he was on, that he
was not where he thought he was, off Areynaga Point, nevertheless returned him
his certificate.
The Court made no order as to costs.
Dated this 9th day of February 1877.
(Signed)H. C. ROTHERY, Wreck Commissioner.
We concur in the above report.
(Signed)JOHN S. CASTLE,Assessors.
"JOHN F. G. GRANT,
(No. 25.)
W. 880.
