The Times, Thursday, Feb 08, 1866; pg. 7; Issue 25416; col E THE LOSS OF THE LONDON. ----------------------- OFFICIAL INQUIRY. The inquiry directed by the Board of Trade into the circumstances under which the ship London foundered in the Bay of Biscay on the 11th ult. was resumed at the Greenwich Police Court yesterday, before Mr. TRAILL, police magistrate, and Captain HARRIS and Captain BAKER, nautical assessors. Mr. O'DOWD appeared for the Board of Trade; and Mr. W. M. HITCHCOCK on behalf of Mr. CUTTING, whose daughter was lost in the ship; Mr. Clifford WIGRAM, one of the owners of the ship, was also present. John MUNRO was the first witness examined. He said he was at present staying at St. George's Hotel, Aldermanbury. He had served his apprenticeship as a sailmaker, and had since been five years and a half at sea as a sailmaker, in the India and China trade. He left following the sea in June, 1852, and might therefore have forgotten some of the nautical phrases, but he was well acquainted with seafaring affairs. He had made three voyages to Melbourne, Victoria, and the one he was about to go in the London would have been the fourth. The ship left Plymouth at five minutes past 12 o'clock on Saturday morning. The weather was then beautifully fine, but in the afternoon of that day the wind began to freshen. The ship was then on the starboard tack. Sunday was what they called a "dirty" day; it was rainy, and the wind still kept freshening. Between 6 and 8 on the morning of Monday the vessel began to ship water pretty freely, and continued doing so all Monday night. The main hatchway did not fit tight, and the water came down with great force. The ladies in the second cabin were becoming frightened, and he sat up all that night for the purpose of talking to them. Early on Tueaday morning he heard a cry raised that the jibboom was carried away. He then went on deck and saw that the foreroyalmast was swinging to and fro; and soon after the topgallantmast went, and then the foretopsail. These wrecks were swinging about and some of the men went aloft to secure them as well as they could. The jibboom was not touched that day, nor was the deck at any time made entirely clear of water, there being more or less on it all the day. A great quantity of coal was at this time tumbling about the deck; some in bags and some in large lumps lying loose; these were the more dangerous. It was blowing very hard, and the vessel was shipping very heavy seas. He believed that the yards were hauled round to the port tack on that day or in the night, but the first time he saw the ship on the port tack was on the Wednesday morning. On Tuesday night the spanker was blown away. The weather on Wednesday was better than that on Tuesday up to about 12 at noon. On coming on deck on Wednesday he observed the officers and crew at work clearing away the wreck of the jibboom and endeavouring to get it into the ship. They were employed up to dark in doing this. The jibboom was lashed to the fore-rigging; it was lying over the bulwarks. The flying jibboom was got on board, and was lashed along towards the cuddy door, lying fore and aft the deck. The ship was rolling all the time, and therefore the jibboom must have been lashed to something, though he did not observe in what way. About 9 o'clock at night he tried to go along the deck to his own hatchway on the port side, when he saw the flying jibboom rolling about, striking against the bulwarks and then against the combings of the engine-room hatch. The jibboom was at that time totally adrift, and he was afraid to pass, and therefore made his way back again. He did not call the attention of the officers to this circumstance because at that time everyone was engaged; and another reason was that when on a former occasion he had spoken to some of them about something he was snubbed by them. He certainly considered the position of the jibboom to be dangerous to persons passing, and it was very likely to do damage to the ship. About 11 o'clock witness went down into the saloon, and he then heard a great body of water come down the engine hatch, and he immediately saw the engineers and stokers rushing up out of the engine-room, and he then heard that the engine-room hatch was gone. Captain MARTIN and Mr. GREENHILL were at that time on deck consulting together, and witness heard orders given to get sails out of the locker. Witness assisted in getting the sails on to the hatch-way, where spars, mattresses, beds, blankets, and other things were being pressed down to stop the water from going down. He at that time saw the skylight on the starboard side of the deck; but he had not time to see whether it was broken or not. They were, in fact, at work at that time up to their middle in water. He did not notice any attempt being made to replace the skylight; but that might have been done before he came to the hatch, as 20 minutes had elapsed since the accident had occurred. Every effort was made to choke up the hatchway, but it was all in vain. The heads of the nails by which they endeavoured to batten down the hatchway were so small that they would not hold the canvas. On the witness being asked whether he had seen Mr. GREENHILL at any time cover the skylight, he said that he believed he did on the Wednesday, before it was dark, see him putting something over the skylight, as if he was preparing for bad weather. When he attempted to get to his cabin at 9 o'clock on the Wednesday he saw the skylight, but he could not say whether there was any tarpauling over it or not. Before the skylight was broken away he saw the stewards baling out water round the after part of the lower saloon aft the engine hatch. Witness assisted for some time at the pumps till he became quite fatigued. He at the time observed that none of the sailors were working, and he made the remark that it was very strange that none but passengers were at the pumps. He went below, and asked whether any men would turn out and take their spell at the pumps. He then found the boatswain employed, assisted by Mr. ROWE, a passenger, taking down the names of the sailors who were disabled from working either by having been hurt, or being sick, and no less than 21 of the crew had their names put down as being either sick or hurt. Two young men did, however, come out and a lend a hand at the pumps, but with these exceptions none but passengers were working at them. About daybreak on Thursday the donkey engine was set to work, and from that time the men were relieved from the pumps. The weather was at that time frightful, the sea making a clean breach over the deck. The wind was very strong, but not so strong as it had been on the previous night. Half of the maintopsail on the port side had been blown away, while the other half was left, and the whole of the mizen staysail remained set. Captain HARRIS asked the witness to explain how this could possibly be. The witness said that, strange as the fact might appear, it, nevertheless, was true that half the canvas held on to the ship and actually went down with her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John MUNRO's examination to continue..... Petra