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Show City of WfiKliiiiKloii Invest Ration. Ra-tion. New York, lo. An ofticial investigation inves-tigation into the cause of the wreck ol the City nf '(i.-iiii.tli was opened yesterday by Captain Scott of the itoynl Xavy. Captain Phelps way the' first witness, and testified that, after the first two days from Queens-town, Queens-town, he was unable to make astronomical astro-nomical observations and that the wind was a westerly head-wind the entire passage. No soundings were takeu. Me did not notice the least change hi the color of the water. They were eight days in a fog. The ship struck at ll:lo p.m. of the 23th. She was not going at full speed, as it was time to clear the fires, lie did not know what the speed was, but supposed it was alnjut nine knots, lie was on deck when the vessel .struck and immediately oixlered signal sig-nal guns lired. Boats were lowered promptly, without confusion, and sent to the sliore in perfect order. The ship was in first class order, willi a full complement ol men, provisions and coal. On leaving Liverpool it was well found in all respeels. The general instructions of the company are that tho meridian of Cape Race is to bo passed at about latitude 2. lie answered these instructions. Capt, J. Hammond, passenger, testified 'that he never saw a I tetter disciplined steamer. There was no confusion in lowering the boats. He never saw an officer touch a glass of liquor. John Sheen, the first officer, never saw the ship steer better. Ho had no reason to suppose she was making more than she should have done. The log was hove every hour. The fog was so dense we eoultt not tell the proper color of the water. When lite, ship grounded the engines were slopped. The lead was not hove during dur-ing the voyage. They did not heave the lead because ihey thought il would be useless, lie never cra-sed the At- j nun ic wnen me weaiuer nan oeon so continuously thick. Reckonings were made with more than usual care jon account of Ibe thickness of the i weather. His reckoning agreed with that of the captain within a few miles. (According to his reckoning the ship i should have been very much further; ! south than she was. He allriUited this to either the northerly current or an error of tl ic compass. He had been crowing in these steamers for four years, and had always ttccred lliem the same cuin.se, wOiich had taken them clear of everything. There was three-fourths of n point difference between the compass on the bridge and the standard compass. A. M. Anderson, third officer, testified testi-fied that he had not the slightest idea that the ship was making more northing north-ing Uian si to woijld by the course nteeml. lie noticed no discolored water which would load to believe tho Ibe ship was not going riglit. ilia reckoning of th voyage was over 100 miles out of the way. He did not remember exactly what it was. He attributed thi. large deviation to an error in the compass, and that error to the large amount ot iron and steel forming part of the cargo. They steered so as to go to the southward, of the 42d degree pf latitude in passing pass-ing Cape liacc, as the instructions of (lie company rcmure. They look the temperature of the water every two hours. Thomas Bruce, engineer, tes-' tiiicd that the engines were not slowed down or slopped during this thick weather, but they were always ready to do so. When the ship struck and lie was owlercd to stop the engines en-gines the average steam guage was twenty-seven pounds. |
