The Times, Monday, Feb 05, 1866; pg. 11; Issue 25413; col B THE LOSS OF THE LONDON. ----------------------- OFFICIAL INQUIRY. [continued] By Mr. TRAILL. - When he and the carpenter nailed down the hatchway on the Tuesday they used three-inch batten nails and wooden battens. The battens ran the whole length of the combings, and the nails were about an inch apart. The battens were of American elm. The tarpaulin, when battened down, would protect the edge of the frame of the skylight, the tarpaulin being battened to the bottom of the combings. The tarpaulin and sail were knocked off on the weather side, and lay to the leeward. The nails were not drawn, but the sail and tarpaulin had been torn away close to the battens. Captain HARRIS. - From your answers I would infer that you think the skylight was carried away by the flying jibboom? Witness. - Partly I think by the flying jibboom and partly by the sea. Captain BAKER. - You think that one started it and the other carried it away? Mr. TRAILL. - I suppose you don't mean to give so close an opinion as that, to say that one started it and the other carried it away; but you mean that between them it was started and carried away? Witness. - Yes. Mr. TRAILL. - Were the fastenings of the skylight carried away? Witness. - I don't know. By Mr. O'DOWD. - After the skylight was blown away he and others were employed throughout the night in nailing down the sails and tarpaulins over the hatchway, but the seas kept constantly carrying them away. About 3 o'clock on the morning of the 11th of January he was called from the hatchway by the purser to secure the stern ports on the port side. He went to the stern ports and saw them working in and out as the sea struck them. The sliding shutters were down. They had been put down on Tuesday morning, and kept down. There were bull's-eye dead lights in the centre of the shutters, which were as strong as the shutters themselves. Two of the shutters on the port side were working in and out, and had knocked the sashes right in. The grooves of the upper part of the shutters had given way and broken the glass of the sashes inside. Such shutters slide up and down. The inner part of the port frame was of wood about three-quarters of an inch thick. The outer part was of iron. Inside the ¾in. wooden head there was a great thickness - he supposed the frame of the ship. The shutters were not broken, but the glass and frames of the sashes were, and he endeavoured to secure the ports by shoring them with a spar placed against a post on the main-deck, so as to make the shutters bear right out against the iron frame. At that time not much water had entered through the ports. The fixing by means of the post stood for a little time, but as the ship got deeper in the water the sea drove the ports entirely in, the water entering in large quantities. The seas ran down through the upper and into the lower saloon. About 7 o'clock he saw the two ports on the starboard side partly driven in, and the sea washed in through them also. At about 8 o'clock the carpenter gave him orders to see the plugs all in the boats, and he put plugs into all the boats then on board. These were the port cutter, the two pinnaces, and the jolly boat. The two lifeboats and the starboard cutter had been washed away previously. The lifeboats had been carried on the davits abaft the binnacle. They had been washed away on the Tuesday morning. When the plugs were in one of the iron pinnaces was lowered. There were sailors in her when she was lowered, but he did not know how many. Her head came down first, and she filled before the stern reached the water. Subsequently he got the port cutter ready, and put some buckets and other things into her. This was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. He was in the cutter, and helped to lower her. After the iron pinnace was lost, which was between 9 and 10 o'clock, the captain gave orders that the foresail should be loosened and the main yards braced, so that the port side of the ship should be brought to the lee side, and the ship was brought to on the starboard tack. As she was wearing round the fore tack was carried away, and nothing more could be done. The ship then merely rolled about in the sea. The mizen staysail had been blown away that morning while she was on the port tack. There was nothing in sight that day. Every one was anxiously looking out, but nothing being seen it was thought useless to hoist a signal. The crew in the port cutter had considerable difficulty in getting the boat away from the ship, for the ship sucked her in. They waited for "a smooth" and then lowered her. As soon as she pitched in the water they unhooked the tackle, hauled their oars foreward, and shoved her bow round before the wind. Others jumped in as they pushed the boat round. They then pushed off, fearing that the boat would get too full, and in from three to five minutes they saw the ship go down stern foremost. After 20 hours at sea they were picked up at sea by an Italian bark and brought to Falmouth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Evidence from the quartermaster to follow..... Petra