(From The. Times, 18th October, 1889.) AMONG the many risks to which vessels navigating the sea channels near our coasts and the fairways leading to our ports are exposed, that of sunken or floating wrecks has of late years become very prominent. The enormous and ever-extending traffic in the navigable waters around us, while yielding substantial benefits to the nation, is, unfortunately, attended by an increased namber of collisions, at times causing vessels to sink or to be abandoned and drift helplessly about, often directly in the track of other ships, thus creating an additional liability to disaster. In the year 1877 the Legislature, being impressed with the increasing risk to navigation from this cause, passed the Removal of Wrecks Act, whereby provision was made for the marking and removal of sunken or floating wrecks obstructive to navigation in the waters adjacent to our coasts. The responsibility of so marking or removing was placed upon all harbour and other local authorities in respect of instructions in -waters within the limits of their jurisdiction, or in any approach thereto, and upon the general lighthouse authorities ia respect of wrecks in waters over which no local authority had jurisdiction, the general lighthouse authorities being, for the English and Welsh coasts, the Trinity House Corporation; for the Scotch coasts, the Commissioners of Northern Lights; and for the Irish coasts the Commissioners of Irish Lights.

It may be stated, without fear of contradiction, that since the passing of the Act of 1877 all wrecks dangerous to navigation near our coasts have been promptly dealt with under its provisions, and a serious risk to shipping thus considerably reduced. The usual course on discovering a sunken vessel in the way of navigation is, first, to. moor a wreckmarkiag vessel close by, showing marksby day and lights by night, indicating on •which side vessels should pass, and to advertise the danger freely among the shipping community. As soon as possible after this, operations are commenced for dispersing the wreck by submarine blasting; but if there should be a reasonable prospect of recovering the vessel or any part of her cargo, the explosive operations' are deferred -while salving work is going on, the obstruction being meanwhile effectively marked. Whatever is recovered has to be sold, and the proceeds devoted to paying the expenses of removing the obstruction. If a surplus should remain after paying all expenses, it is handed over to the representatives of the ship or underwriters, or whoever may be entitled to it. But the cost of dispersing a wreck is necessarily high, and very soon swallows up any proceeds which may be realized from the sale of goods recovered fiom hei; therefore the results are seldom satisfactory to owners or underwriters.

A, recent case is worth referring to, as showing the urgent need for prompt and effective action on the part of the authorities. Intelligence was sent to the Trinity House from numerous sources that a large wreck, bottom up, was floating about in the Channel between Dungeness and the Isle of Wight, directly in the track of shipping. Promptly a Trinity steamer from Ramsgate was despatched with orders to find the wreck, to destroy it if possible; if not, to ride by it and maik it with a light at night and report its position, so that the information might be at once communicated to all concerned.

Here was a danger threatening every ship of the constant streams of ships passing the locality. The consequences of a steamer, full of passengers, running at high speed and striking on this wreck are terrible to contemplate. After a harassing search, the obstruction was found off Beachy Head, and efforts were made at once to take her in tow, notwithstanding that a heavy sea was running.

Not ranch success at first attended thete efforts, it being discovered that she was held by her dragging anchois and chains, which had run out when, she turned over, which were entangled with her spars and rigging. Attempts were made to sink her in the deep water, but, as she was laden with barrels of petroleum of light specific gravity, such efforts proved fruitless, and also involved serious risk of setting fire to the whole cargo by the explosive agents employed. The Trinity House officers succeeded, however, in reducing the strain of the hanging mooring gear by blowing away some part of the fore end of the vessel, and after watching her all night, showing a light on the wreck from a lantern lashed on to a boat-hook, which, with great difficulty, they managed to fix upon the hull, they made fast a hawser to her, and at last got her in tow, making way at the rate of about a mile an hour. All these operations were conducted under very trying conditions of weather, and at great personal risk. Ultimately the wreck was towed inside the Isle of Wight and deposited on a mud bank, a terrible danger being thus .removed from the most frequented marine highway in the world.

The wreck proved to be the Astracana, bound from Portland, U.S., to Havre, and had been in collision with a steamer unknown (which sank in deep water), whereby her bows were sfove in, causing her to be abandoned by the master and crew. It turned out afterwards that the cargo was crude petroleum with a very low flashing-point, and therefore extremely dangerous to handle, and that it was practically unsaleable in this country, the vessel having been bound from America to a foreign port, and the cargo consigned to a firm on the Continent able to make use of the oil. The Trinity House authorities, after collecting a great number of drift casks from various parts of the coast, thus had upon their hands about 5,000 or 6,000 barrels of crude petroleum, which, it is believed, they eventually sold for shipment to a Continental port; they had also to disperse the wieck, so that in the position then occupied by her she should not be an obstruction to yachts and other local small craft. Whether the sale of the petroleum ever realized the amount expended is, perhaps, doubtful; but the main point is that the navigation was promptly and effectively cleared. It would be possible to narrate many other similar instances of useful work accomplished under the Bemoval of Wrecks Act, 1877, and the fact that no complaints have ever been made public respecting such, obstructions is a sure indication that the authorities have carried out their obligations with fidelity and zeal.

So well, indeed, have the duties as defined been carried out, that the responsibilities of the authorities have been extended by the Legislature. Last Session a Bill, promoted by Sir EDWARD BIRKBECK, Bart., M.P., and others in the interests of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION, passed through both Houses of Parliament, and is now law, providing that, in addition to vessels sunk so as to be dangerous to navigation, the authorities may be called upon to light or remove wrecks sunk in positions where they are or are likely to become dangerous to Life-boats engaged in Life-boat service.

Life-boats, drawing but little water, are at certain times of the tide enabled to go over sands which it would be impossible for even a tug to venture to cross—and it unfortunately happens that vessels are sometimes wrecked on such sands and remain there, of no danger whatever to passing navigation, but occasionally in the possible track of a Life-boat. Again, a vessel may be stranded on the coast} entirely out of the way of general navigation, but possibly in such a position as to be a danger to the Life-boat going out or coming in. By the new Act the authorities may be called upon to remove such wrecks, and charge the cost of doing so upon the Mercantile Marine Fund. * * * Another phase of this question is that of wrecks or derelicts in the Atlantic.

Floating derelicts in mid-ocean are fully as dangerous as icebergs, in many cases more so, by reason of the comparatively small surface exposed to view. The officers of the United States Hydrographic Department are following up this subject with commendable vigour. They issue a monthly pilot chart of the Atlantic, on which a variety of useful information is given for the benefit of navigation between the North American continent and Europe, and a leading feature in this ehart is the plotting of the positions of all wrecks known to have occurred near the American coast, and the mapping of the courses of all derelict vessels concerning which they have been able to obtain definite information.

The most noteworthy of such derelicts is that of the W. L. White, timber-laden schooner, which was abandoned off Delaware Bay in March 1888, and which cruised about in the Atlantic for ten months and ten days, was reported by passing vessels no fewer than fortyfive times, and ultimately was stranded on one of the small islands of the Hebrides in January 1889. This derelict drifted to and fro in the mid-Atlantic for at least six months, and during that period was a constant peril to Transatlantic navigation.

Her course was mapped by means of the reports made from time to time by masters of vessels who had fallen in with her, and it is not impossible that one or more of the " missing " ships may have struck her, doing themselves fatal injury, while her unsinkable timber cargo would prevent her from foundering, no matter what hard knocks she might receive. We learn that the American Government have sent out vessels in search of some of these derelicts, and have in one or two cases succeeded in dispersing them, but such work is not easy to accomplish at any distance from the coast.

Obviously this matter of attending to or giving ample information concerning such marine obstructions is of international importance. The responsible officers of the United States Bureau are of opinion that the various commercial nations should unite in the effort to keep the seas clear of such obstructions, and that the subject is one that may well be discussed at the International Maritime Conference at Washington. In this view it is easy quite to agree, but the task of keeping the seas clear, except near the coasts of the various countries, is probably surrounded with too many difficulties at present to make the project practicable.

Nevertheless, in the interests of navigation at large, the matter is well worth discussion, and if it is raised at the Washington Conference it may be hoped that some practical suggestions will emanate from the assembly of experienced men who will have the question under their consideration.