ON THE STEERING OE VESSELS. 205 



5 knots an hour. The perusal of the extract of the report on these trials 

 received by the Committee and appended to this report, shows at once that 

 the conditions under which the experiments were made were such as to pre- 

 clude the possibility of their throwing much light on the subject. The 

 greatest speed of tho vessel was 5 knots, and the effect of the rudder with 

 the screw reversed was so small, that the vessel, in most instances, turned 

 her forward end into the wind. 



On the receipt of the report of these trials, a letter was written to the 

 Admiralty, urging them to have experiments made with larger and more 

 powerful ships, but as yot no further communication has been received. 



In accordance with the resolution by which they were appointed, the 

 Committee have communicated with the Admiralty, the Board of Trade, the 

 Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, and other Corporations, and copies of 

 the last year's report were forwarded as soon as they could be obtained ; no 

 intimation has yet been received of any action being taken by these bodies. 



It appears, from an article in the ' Nautical Magazine ' of December, that 

 the last report of the Committee was discussed at the conference of the 

 Association for the Reform and Codification of the Law of Nations, held last 

 year at the Ancient House, City of Bremen, when the following resolution 

 was agreed to : — 



" It is the opinion of the Conference that the existing international rules 

 for preventing collisions at sea are not of a satisfactory character, and that it 

 is desirable that the Governments of the maritime states should take counsel 

 together with a view to amend these rules and to adapt them more carefully 

 to the novel exigencies of steam navigation;" 



The article in tho ' Nautical Magazine ' was written by Sir Travers Twiss, 

 and in this and in a subsequent article he discusses the facts established by 

 the Committee, and their bearing on the question of the alteration of the 

 rule of the road at sea, pointing out the absolute necessity of modifying 

 Article 15 of the Amended Board of Trade Steering and Sailing Rules, which 

 are likely to become law. 



These and other notices which have appeared in English and foreign pub- 

 lications show that the subject has already attracted considerable attention ; 

 and it is important to notice that in no way have the conclusions of the 

 Committee been in the smallest degree controverted. 



Numerous collisions have occurred during the year, which, to judge from 

 the law reports, might in many instances have been avoided had the effect of 

 reversing the screw been known and acted upon ; but it does not appear as 

 if a consideration of this has influenced any of the judgments given. 



The collisions have for the most part been with small ships, and so have 

 not attracted much attention ; but the loss of the ' Dakota ' was a disaster of 

 the first magnitude, and if it was not due to the porting of the helm with 

 the screw reversed it might have been, for as soon as the officers became 

 aware of their extreme danger (the shore being on their port bow) the helm 

 was put hard aport and the screw reversed full speed, after which, according 

 to the evidence of Mr. Jones, a pilot on board, the vessel turned to port until 

 she struck. The evidence offered by the Secretary of the Committee was, 

 however, rejected by the Commissioner of Wrecks (Mr. Rothery), on tho 

 ground that the ship was virtually lost before the screw was reversed. It is 

 to be noted, however, that the orders to reverse the engines and to port tho 

 helm were avowedly given in the hope of saving the ship, and that had there 

 been a chance of escape, such action, as shown by all the experiments of the 

 Committee, must most certainly have reduced it. 



