The chief event which has occupied the public attention at Singapore for a week past, is the frightful collision which took place between the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamers Erin and Pacha, on the night of the 21st instant, and which resulted in the almost immediate sinking of the latter, and a serious loss of life.

On the afternoon of the 22nd instant the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Erin, Captain Tronson, from Calcutta, arrived here, presenting a very disabled appearance, her bowsprit being gone, and her bows very much injured. It was soon ascertained that a collision had taken place on the preceding night between the Erin and the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Pacha, Captain Miller, which left this [port] on the preceding afternoon, and that the latter was totally lost.

It appears that on the night in question the Pacha was proceeding up the Straits, standing on the usual course, north-west by west ; but as Captain Miller, who only joined the vessel at Hongkong, had been told that there was a variation in the compass of about five degrees, and as Horsburgh's Chart lays down a bank a good way out from the land off Mount Formosa, he felt rather anxious as to his position. About half-past eleven o'clock some lightning over Mount Formosa gave him a glimpse of it, and immediately afterwards he saw a light which he considered to be on shore or to proceed from some boat or other vessel close in with the land. This light, which it was afterwards ascertained was the light at the masthead of the Erin, and which as customary, was lowered at half-past eleven for the purpose of being trimmed, then disappeared ; and as Captain Miller thought he was too close in to clear the Formosa bank on his present course, the helm was put starboard and the course was shaped west by north, and afterwards west to run out towards the middle of the Strait. The light was again seen, as well as a red light on the port side, and a blue light being burned in the Pacha, and answered from the other vessel, it was now known to be the steamer Erin coming in the opposite direction, but it was thought that by a still standing out the Pacha would give clear berth both to the shoal and the approaching steamer. The object of this movement on the put of the Pacha was not guessed at on board the Erin, and the latter therefore kept porting her helm so as to pass the approaching vessel on the larboard side, in accordance with the rule laid down by the Trinity Masters. Both steamers therefore went out towards the middle of the channel, approaching each other on two curves. The hulls of the steamers were not visible until they were close to each other and collision became inevitable. The Erin's engines were then ordered to be reversed, but too late to prevent them coming in contact, the Erin striking the Pacha a little before the starboard paddle-box. The Pacha's masts immediately fell over the side, and she went down within less than seven minutes after the accident, in about 25 fathoms water. Many of those on board the Pacha were asleep, and had barely time to rush up from below before she sank, and some it is probable never gained the deck. Of those who escaped, some clambered at once on to the Erin, some swam from the sinking vessel to the other, and the rest swam about or clung to hencoops, &c., until the boats were lowered from the Erin and picked them up. Two European and two Chinese passengers, the third officer and the clerk in charge, and ten of the European crew, were drowned. The Erin sustained considerable damage, and the water rushed in at her bows, but being built with water tight compartments only two filled, and as the pumps were got to work with the engines, it was found that the water could be kept sufficiently under to enable her to reach Singapore, whither her course was directed, after having remained near the spot where the collision took place about four hours to pick up the survivors. A considerable part of the goods in the Erin is of course damaged by salt water, and the whole have been landed. She has upwards of 1000 chests of opium for China, much of which is damaged. It will require some further time before she can be sufficiently repaired to enable her to prosecute her voyage. The Pacha had on board upwards of 400,000 dollars of specie shipped in China and 30,000 dollars shipped in Singapore, and very little of the latter, which belonged chiefly to natives, was insured.

An investigation into the causes of the collision was commenced at the Police Court on Monday last, before the sitting Magistrate and the Master Attendant, aided by Captain Barker, of H. M. S. Amazon, which is still pending. Whatever may be the result of the enquiry, the public will not be satisfied unless every possible precaution be taken to prevent these frightful collisions from occurring in future. The neighbouring seas are not yet traversed by numerous lines of steamers running in various directions, and crossing each other as in the British channel, so that vessels on these eastern lines are not likely to meet with other steamers more than once during a passage, and then they will be met coming from opposite directions on the same track or nearly so. Surely under these circumstances regulations could be made sufficiently stringent to prevent almost the possibility of collisions taking place, at least between steamers running on the same line. We would suggest, for example, that it should be rendered imperative when one steamer meets another during the night, for each to reduce their rate of steaming to half speed until well past each other. and at the same time to bring their heads in the direction of the true channel course, whatever that may be, and not to deviate from it under any consideration more than is sufficient to bring them into a position to pass each other on the port side according to the existing rule. If either commander thought he was in the neighbourhood of danger, he could easily stop his engines until the other vessel had passed, when he could pursue what course he pleased.

The passengers missing are:

Dr. Briscoe and
Mr. Hardoin, and two Chinese deck passengers.

The Pacha's ship's company when she left Singapore consisted of fifty-one, of whom the following are missing :-

Messrs. T. Gresdale, third officer, and
R. Orton, clerk in charge;
M. Johnson and T. Williamson, able seamen ;
C. Rose, J. Lawlord. Dume and Robinson, stokers ;
T. Cooper and R. Wilkins, stewards ;
Leech, officers servant ; and
E, Silverthorn, butcher.

The opium, which formed the principal part of the cargo of the Erin, has been landed and surveyed, and the damaged portion has been in course of sale by public auction for some days past. Between five and six hundred chests in the whole, out of some 1140 chests which were shipped in the Erin, will require to be sold here, which it is thought will bring about 150,000 dollars.

From the Singapore Free Press, 31 July, 1851

SG Page 304 - 1851.

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