COBRA MYSTERY DEEPENS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 4 December 1901, Page 4

COBRA MYSTERY DEEPENS.

The mystery surrounding the wreck of the Cobra becomes deeper .rather than clearer.

Recently a number of drivers belonging to warships went down at the scene of the disaster and made an examination of the bed of the sea. There were twelve fathoms, or 72ft. of water. The divers made a thorough investigation but found nothing. The wrecked Cobra seemed to have entirely disappeared. This proves that Skipper Smith's statement that the Outer Dowsing is a navigable channel was correct. The Admiralty have ordered that the court martial be held on board the Victory at Portsmouth. No preliminary inquiry will take place. The Central News states that the opinion of the authorities is in the direction of the belief that the vessel struck no shoal or rock, and that she collapsed without contract with any such object.

The remains of boatswain £. Cole were buried in Portsmouth cemetery with full service honors. Chief Engineer Percey and seven of the other survivors were present. R9ar-Admiral Pelham Aldrich was in command of a large naval force, and the Army was represented.

Among tho stokers who were lost was Henry J. Bridge, son of the policesergeant at Bristol. When leaving H.M.S. Marlborough on September 14 for Newc»stle to assist in taking tho destroyer to Portsmouth, he wrote his parents a remarkable letter, in which ho used the words : 'We are chancing our lives in the new boat. I should not be surprised if she went up with a smash.'

1 Retired Naval Officer' writes :—The wreck of the Cobra is one of the most remarkable of my long experience at sea.

When a ship breaks her back both ends droop downwards.

But in the case of the Cobra both ends about 400 tons each, are thrown up to a perpendicular position, and the after part containing machinery of 8,000 hosse power was not thrown up sufficient to bring its centro of gravity within its base or no doubt it would have stood upright as the f-jre part does now.

We hear from those in the dingy overladen yet riding the sea for 10 hours that they saw both ends of the vessel thrown up to tho perpendicular, and the fore p*rt remains so as evidence in deep water sufficient to float the boat.

If tho boilers burst altogether thcro was not force 1 3 blow the bottom out of the ship when sho is waterborne—with ribs and longitudinal griders—because steam seeks ihe least resistance upwards, and reduces pressure inversely to the space occupied.