The San Francisco Mail.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1667, 22 June 1875, Page 2

The San Francisco Mail.

THE COSPATRICK DISASTER.-NEW ZEALAND SKIPPERS COMPLAIN.

William Stewart, captain of the ship Tweed, has addressed a letter to the Times shewing how frequently ships are exposed to the danger which resulted so disastrously in the case of the Cospatrick, owing to the untrustworthy character of sailors. He says during his last voyage, to New Zealand in June, he had not been long at sea when he learned that sailors were plundering the cargo, and that naked lights were seen in the lower hold among the merchandise stowed there. Two ordinary seamen were detected passing sardines and preserved milk into the forecastle. They were brought aft, and after being confined, confessed that they were sent into the hold by the crew, and that several sailors had been many times into the hold with naked lights surreptitiously obtained from the emigrant's lamp. The letter continues : — " Before sailing every possible precaution had been taken to prevent the crew gaining access to the hold, but it was accomplished by the men cutting a passage through the coals, removing the bulkhead and passing out the plunder, which they secreted under the coals until they could get ii into the forecastle. When tbis discovery was maclte I refused to supply them with tobacco. Then their conduct became daily most disgraceful. They combined to neglect duty in every possible way, shamming sickness, &c, although pronounced by the surgeon to be quite well. Their conduct became daily more mutinous and disorderly, and they could not be kept out of the forecastle at night, although the ship was running in dark, foggy weather and in the vicinity of ice. On arrival at Otago the ringleaders were brought before the police magistrate and sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment with hard labour for neglect of duty, and eight weeks for embezzlement of cargo. There is scarcely a vessel going to the colonies whose owner does pot have to pay heavily for los 9so occasioned by plundering cargo ; but what is of much more consequence is the danger to valuable lives by crews getting into ships' holds with naked lights amid inflammable cargo, whereby many a good ship and many unfortunate passengers have been sacrificed, whose fate could never be told, for the ships have been posted as missing. While I was in New Zealaud, the (J.ithcart, another emigrant ship, arrived at Lyttelton with mutiny on board. IE Mr PJirnsoll would take a few trips from the docks to the Downs in some of the outward bound vessels, he would see a little of what masters have to contend with through the drunkenness and bad conduct of poor "ill-used Jack." Captain Montgomery, captan of the Queen of the Ai;e, writes confirming Captain Stewart's remarks, and recounting similar experience to that of the Tweed during bis last voyage to Auckland. He contrasts the heavy punishment awarded to burglary with the trifling sentences for endangering hundreds of lives by plundering cargo with naked lights. He. adds that if his vessel or the Tweed suffered the fate of the Cospatrick, every effort would have been made to censure the owner and cap tain ; while the noble British seamen, who caused the calamity, would have received a large measure of public sympathy.