Wreck Report for 'Algitha', 1888

(No. 13.)

"ALGITHA" (S.S.)

The Merchant Shipping Acts, 1854 to 1876.

IN the matter of an Investigation held at North Shields on the 4th day of May 1888, before LEIGHTON MILLS, Esquire, and T. J. RICHARDS, Esquire, Inspectors appointed by the Board of Trade to inquire into and report upon the circumstances attending the supposed loss of the British steamship "ALGITHA," of North Shields.

Report.

Board of Trade Office,

North Shields,

16th May 1888.

SIR,

In pursuance of the instructions conveyed to us in your letters of appointment as Inspectors of the 20th ultimo, we have inquired into the circumstances attending the supposed loss of the "Algitha" s.s., of North Shields, and beg to report as follows:-

The "Algitha" was a British steamship built of iron by Messrs. Leslie & Co., at Hebburn-on-Tyne in the year 1877. Her length was 280 feet, her breadth 34.9 feet, and her depth 24.15 feet. She was rigged as a schooner and fitted with two engines of 200 horse-power combined. She was registered at the Port of North Shields, her official No. being 76,648, and her tonnage, after deducting 652.74 for propelling power and crew spaces, was 1,218.87 tons registered.

She was owned by Mr. H. E. P. Adamson, of North Shields, and others.

Messrs. Hawthorn, Leslie, & Co., forwarded plans of the vessel, with an intimation that she was not built by their present firm, but by the original firm of A. Leslie & Co., which is now incorporated in the present one. From these plans and specification it appears that the dimensions of the vessel were as already given. She had a poop 36 feet long and 7 feet high, and topgallant forecastle 40 feet long. The engines were placed amidships, with an iron house 7 feet high built round all the openings. It was 55 feet long by 11 feet wide, and was protected for its whole length by the bridge house. The vessel had tanks under the main and after holds for 300 tons of water ballast, but there were no tanks under the engine and boilers.

She was built under Lloyds' special survey to class 100 A 1. Strong iron coamings 2 ft. 6 in. high on upper deck were fitted to the hatchways. Shifting boards were fitted in the holds. The bulwarks were of iron 3 ft. 6 in. high, and there were eight freeing ports on each side. She had five iron bulkheads, four of which extended to the upper deck. The main deck was of iron, and the upper deck of yellow pine; the poop, forecastle, and bridge decks also being of wood. She carried four boats hung in davits, two on each side of the bridge. The sizes of the hatchways were, fore hatchway 8 ft. × 10 ft., main hatchway 24 ft. × 12 ft., and two after hatchways each 8 ft. × 10 ft., and 12 ft. × 10 ft. respectively.

Mr. Adamson, managing owner of the vessel, stated that at the time of her loss she was classed 100 A 1 at Lloyds', and she had been repaired from time to time under the inspection of their surveyors. A freeboard certificate had been granted by Lloyds' Register, and was on board the vessel when she sailed. She was always well kept up, and was overhauled in dry dock in September 1887. The vessel cost 33,000l., and when she last left Shields she was insured for 12,000l., and her freight, amounting to 1,000l., was covered by an annual insurance for 1,500l.

Mr. John W. Armstrong, formerly marine superintendent for the owner, stated that the vessel was in good condition and well-found. She carried four boats, two of which were lifeboats. She had three deck pumps, besides the donkey and main engine pumps. There were two ventilators to the fore-hold, placed abaft the forecastle, about 5 ft. high; three to No. 2 hold-one of which was 5 ft. 6 in. high; and two about the same height, but smaller in diameter, on the bridge. There were two ventilators to No. 3 hold, one 5 ft. 6 in. high, and the other about 2 ft. 8 in. All the ventilators were on 3/8" iron coamings, bolted through the deck.

Mr. George Oyston, superintendent engineer, stated that before the vessel last left the Tyne he examined the engines and boilers; the latter were secured in their seats by stays from the sides of the ship. He found the engines in perfect order, but upon examining the boilers he and the chief engineer considered that, as the top plate of each centre furnace along the line of fire-bars was much pitted, they should be taken out and renewed. Some minor defects were remedied at the same time, and the repairs, which had occupied several days, cost about 190l. At this time the bilges in the engine room were properly cleaned.

Mr. William Keen, manager of the Stone Quay Boiler. Works, South Shields, stated that he superintended the repairs to the boilers in December last; no examination was made by him to ascertain the general condition of the boilers. Two centre furnace tops were renewed, two patches were put on the starboard wing furnace, and one patch was put at the end of the furnace in the starboard boiler. The fore end plate in way of manhole was renewed in the port boiler, and angle iron rings at fore ends were renewed in way of furnaces, and a patch was put in the shell at the fore end.

Mr. John Pickering, fitter for the Mickley Coal Company, stated that the vessel was laden on the 13th and 14th December last with 1,936 tons 2 cwts. of Mickley screened coal, and 101.19 cwt. of Mickley coke for cargo.

Mr. James Willis, Government Inspector of Mines, stated that this coal, worked from the Five-quarter and Six-quarter seams of the Mickley Collieries, is coking and manufacturing coal. Inflammable gas or fire-damp is very uncommon, and all the coal is worked with naked lights. It is practically free from pyrites, and is not therefore liable to spontaneous combustion.

George Matthews, coal trimmer, stated that the vessel had two decks and four hatchways. The lower hold was completely filled with cargo under Nos. 2, 3, and 4 hatchways, but under No. 1 hatchway in the lower hold there was a space for about 8 tons of coal. In the 'tween-decks there was no cargo under No. 1 hatchway, and coke was stowed under hatchways Nos. 2 and 3 up to the upper deck. Coal was stowed under No. 4 hatchway, but there was space for about 50 tons in the after part of it. The three bunkers were also filled with coal.

The vessel was fitted with shifting boards in both holds, from the top of the ballast tanks to the upper deck, with the exception of the spaces under the hatchways.

From statements made by Mr. T. G. Reah, fitter for the Framwellgate Colliery, it appears that he supplied 156 tons 12 cwt of coal for bunkers; by Mr. Jackson, fitter for the Brockwell Colliery, that he supplied 250 tons of coal for bunkers; and by Mr. Harbottle, fitter for the Croxdale Colliery, that he shipped 96 tons 8 cwt. of bunker coal, making a total of about 503 tons for bunkers.

Mr. Williams, Board of Trade Surveyor at North Shields, stated that he visited the vessel in the Tyne Dock on the 15th December last. She was drawing 21 ft. 10 in. forward, and 22 ft. 3 in. aft, and had a clear side of 4 ft. 11 in. She would rise one inch in saltwater, and would then have a freeboard of 5 ft.

It appears that in 1884 the Board of Trade granted a load-line certificate to the vessel, which enabled her to load to

 

4 ft. 7 1/2 in. in summer.

 

5 " 0 1/2 "

winter.

 

5 " 5 1/2 "

North Atlantic winter.

This however was before the Load Line Committee's Tables were published, and under those tables she is required to have a freeboard of

 

4 ft. 6 1/2 in. in summer,

 

4 " 10 "

winter,

 

5 " 2 1/2 "

North Atlantic winter,

and a certificate in accordance with these figures was granted by Lloyd's Register.

Mr. Williams also stated that he had known the vessel for five years past, and she had always been kept in good condition.

Mr. Robert Falconer, Board of Trade Surveyor, North Shields, visited the vessel on the 23rd December to ascertain the cause of her detention in the river. He found that it was owing to repairs to boilers which had then been completed; and as the boilers were then filled with water he had no opportunity of inspecting them. He inspected the vessel, and found the forward end of the fore-hold was ventilated by two ventilators passing through the sail-room, the trunk-warp through which were of wood having openings in them. This arrangement, being liable to allow gas to accumulate in the sail-room, was altered at his suggestion, so that the opening in the side of one of the trunks was closed, and the other ventilator was utilised to ventilate the sail-room, so as to remove any gas which might accumulate there. There was a ventilator abaft the centre of the fore-hold, which with those above alluded to would efficiently ventilate the fore-hold. The after-hold was also properly ventilated with three cowl ventilators, and the vessel appeared to be generally in good condition.

Mr. Robert M. Young, pilot, stated that he boarded the vessel at 6.30 a.m. on the 24th December last at the Middle Dock Buoys, and she proceeded to sea. She was in good condition, well-found, and carried four boats. It was dark, and he did not notice what freeboard she had. About 7.15 a.m. she was abreast the Tyne Pier, and he left her, the vessel proceeding on her voyage.

The vessel had a crew of 23 hands, was bound for Savora, and since the pilot left her, as above stated, she has not been heard of.

The points for our consideration in this case appear to be as follows:-

First. The general condition of machinery, hull, and equipment.

Second. Were the deck fittings and openings properly constructed and secured?

Third. Whether proper precautions were taken to prevent explosion from coal gas or spontaneous combustion.

Fourth. Whether she had sufficient freeboard.

Fifth. Whether, as laden, she had sufficient stability.

Sixth. What is the cause of the vessel not having been heard of since she left the Tyne on the 24th December last?

As regards the first question, we find the vessel was in machinery, hull, and equipment, in all respects in good and seaworthy condition.

Secondly. The hatchways, hatches for ditto, engine and boiler casings, ventilator fittings, and other deck openings, appear to have been substantial and well secured.

Thirdly. Having regard to the manner in which the vessel was ventilated, and to the evidence of the Government Inspector of Mines, there does not appear to be any reason to suppose that her loss was owing either to explosion of coal gas, or to spontaneous combustion of her coal cargo.

Fourthly. We find the vessel had sufficient freeboard.

Fifthly. As regards the question of the stability of the "Algitha," the ratio of her depth to breadth was 69, a proportion which has, in many cases of vessels fully laden with homogeneous cargoes, been found to be unfavourable to stability. Looking, however, to the manner in which the vessel was stowed, there being 102 tons of coke, forming a considerable part of the cargo in the 'tween-decks, in which, it was stated besides, there was comparatively large vacant spaces, we do not think it would be reasonable to question her stability as loaded when she last left the Tyne.

Lastly, as regards the cause of the loss of this vessel, which has not been seen or heard of since leaving the piers at Tynemouth on the 24th December last, there is no evidence to enable us to form an opinion as to what has become of her.

The vessel was not over insured.

We are, Sir,

Your most obedient servants,

 

(Signed)

L. MILLS,

Inspectors.

 

 

T. J. RICHARDS,

 

The Assistant Secretary,

Marine Department,

Board of Trade.

54010-22. 180.-5/88. Wt. 23. E. & S.