The Court-martial on the loss of the ` Doterel '
ended on Saturday, in what Coroners call " an open verdict." The Court find that they do not know how the explosion was caused. That is their meaning, at least, though they say that two distinct explosions occurred,--the first " being an explosion of gas evolved from the coal stored in the bunkers, and the second an explosion of powder stored in the fore magazine." There is no direct evidence to show the cause of the presumed explosion of gas in the bunkers, but " as the ship was about to complete with coal, a light may have been introduced into the bunkers, for the purpose of examination." That verdict is really nothing but a guess, fol- lowed by a statement that if there was gas in the bunkers, and if the gas exploded, a light must have come in contact with the gas—which, the hypothesis granted, is quite certain. This is most unsatisfactory, but not so unsatisfactory as the evidence of the experts, which shows that there is always gas in the coal-bunkers of war-ships, that nobody has an idea of ventila, tion beyond lifting the lids, and that lifting the lids is rather worse than useless. We suppose a remedy will be applied now; but until it is, the coal-bunkers of men-of-war ought to be watched like magazines. Nobody goes into the latter with naked lights.
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