The Wreck of the Ironsides on the French Coast -  Board of Trade Inquiry - 'An inquiry, instituted by the Board of Trade, was held at the Town-hall, Cardiff, on Thursday, before Mr. R. O. Jones, stipendiary magistrate, with Captain Harris, of the Board of Trade, and Lieut. Elton, of the Coast Guard service, as nautical assessors. Mr. W. O'Dowd appeared on behalf of the Board of Trade. The inquiry was into the conduct of the captain and the circumstances of the wreck of the screw steamer Ironsides, upon a reef at the mouth of the St. Nazaire river, on Dec. 23rd.

The steamer left Penarth Dock at 8 a.m. on the 22nd December last, with a crew of 18 hands, all told, and under the command of Captain Alexander Neil. She was loaded with 838 tons of coal, consigned by the Powell's Duffryn Company to St. Nazaire. The evidence taken before the court of inquiry was to the following effect :—

John Courtney Curtis Hole, acting boatswain and mate of the ship, said the night of the 22nd was very hazy. About 12.30 that night he saw a light, which he took for La Blanche light, about nine miles away. About half-past one on the morning of the 22nd the vessel was going at full speed, and the fog was very thick. A man was sent to look out, and the captain told witness to get the lead-line, in order to get soundings. The order was given at the same time to "slow" the engines. Witness went to get the deep-sea line, and heard an order given to the engineer to stop, in order to cast the line.

He procured the line, and was about to heave it, when be heard the captain say "Hard-a port" to the helmsman. Witness immediately dropped the line, and went to assist at the helm, when the vessel struck on the rock—seemed to glide on to it. They had been looking out for the red light and La Blanche light; but did not see them before the vessel struck, because of the fog. Did not hear the captain give an order to the engineer after the vessel struck. The water soon began to fill the hold, and some of the crew began to get the boats out without the captain giving orders.

Half-an-hour after she struck they got into the boats. About twelve hands got into the lifeboat, and about six into the jolly boat. They struck about three o'clock. The little boat towed the large one at first, but the captain afterwards ordered them to pull in the direction of St. Nazaire. Witness was in the lifeboat, and they were pulling about three hours before they were picked up by a French pilot.

In reply to Captain Harris, the witness said the compasses did not agree by two points; but he was unable to say whether the bridge compass was the same as the standard compass.—

By Captain Neil: Shortly before the vessel struck the captain told him to port half a point, and he did so he had forgotten to mention that before.

A man named Bolton, an able seaman, was called. He said that at midnight he was on the look-out and saw a light; but could not say whether it was a shore-light or a passing ship. At two o'clock on the morning of the 23rd, he went to the wheel, and directly after that the fog got very thick. When the propeller was stopped (about 20 minutes past two) the fog was so thick that he could not see his hand before him. He saw La Blanche light less than a minute before the ship struck on the reef. The light then appeared about two points to the port bow. The course at the time was S.S.E.S, or S.E S.S. That course was altered by the direction of the last witness half a point more southerly just before she struck.

Richard Rowe, the first engineer, gave evidence as to the condition of the engines. William Lomas deposed when the fog was very thick he heard the captain order the engines to be slowed." At that time he could not see along the deck of the ship, so dense was the fog. He was on the look out for La Blanche light, but could not see it, and only caught it through a break in the fog, half a minute before the ship struck. Before he had time to report the light he heard the captain cry "hard-a- port," and just after she struck. He could not say how far the light was away.

Captain Neil, in his statement, said on that morning there was a higher tide than usual, and a very dense fog.

Captain Harris said on that morning it would not be high water at St. Nazaire until 6.20, and that was not a spring tide. The captain put in a written statement showing the course he steered, and attributing the loss of the vessel to an unusually strong tide on the starboard bow and the fog, which hid the reef on which the vessel struck. He had been at sea ever since 1847, and had been in command both in the coasting and foreign trade for ten years, and had never previously had a casualty.

Mr. G. S. row, managing director of the company to which the ship belonged, said he received an excellent and flattering testimonial from the late employer of Captain Neil. He had always found him a very sober man, and very attentive to his duties. The wreck of this vessel was a serious loss to witness and his co-owners but he would willingly give Captain Neil the command of another ship. The ship was insured for £11,000 on her hull and machinery, but to replace her it would cost the company £3,000 more. The Court will deliver judgment at ten o'clock to-day (Friday).' - The Cardiff Times [019] [361] 22nd January 1870.

The Wreck of the Ironsides -  Suspension of the Captain's Certificate - ' The court of enquiry into the loss of the screw steamer Ironsides on the French coast, under the circumstances narrated on Thursday and reported it another column, met yesterday morning and delivered judgment.

The Stipendiary Magistrate in giving the decision of the court, said they had considered the evidence which had been given, and from what had been stated by the witnesses, it appeared that up to the passing of the Hadique light nothing occurred to the vessel to call for any particular observation. After passing the Hadique the captain proceeded at full speed until he came to thick fog. Then he commenced going on at half-speed but did not take any steps to bring the vessel to a stand still. Knowing as he most have done the nature of the coast he was approaching, and that he not see la Blanche light, he ought to have used the lead line, and taken proper measures, by means of soundings, to have ascertained the actual position of the ship. Had he done this and consulted his chart he would have seen that he was in a very dangerous position.

Had he taken the course he ought to have done, he might at that moment be in command of the steamer, instead of being before a court called to examine into his conduct. The court had attended to what had been advanced by the captain, and to what had been said in his behalf, both as to his previous services and also as to what the owners of the Ironside had said respecting their intention to employ him again. But notwithstanding this, the court felt that it must award such punishment as would mark to the public and also to the master himself the necessity there was for a person in the responsible position as commander of a vessel—who was thereby entrusted with a large amount of valuable property, and also the still more valuable lives of the crew—to take proper care, and not neglect those precautions which were required in navigating a ship. The captain knew very well that he ought to have taken the precaution of heaving the lead line, and putting the vessel to seaward; but having so frequently made the voyage, he probably got careless from over-confidence. It was of the utmost importance that such conduct should be rebuked, and the sentence of the court was that the captain should have his certificate suspended for three months. That judgment was given with the full concurrence of the gentlemen who had acted as assessor with him, by whose knowledge and experience he has been much guided.

The sentence was then entered, and the certificate will remain in the custody of the Board of Trade until the expiration of the period of suspension.'  - The Cardiff Times [019] [361] 29th January 1870.