MORE ABOUT THE COSPATRICK

Evening Star, Issue 3777, 2 April 1875, Page 3

MORE ABOUT THE COSPATRICK

Ou the day the San Francisco mail left a statement was published in England that two more survivors of the Cospatrick had arrived. The following appears in the •Glasgow Herald * of February Bth : -Brixnam.—A pilot named Salisbury, who landed yesterday at Brixham, reports having, on Saturday evening, off Torbay, spoken the the full-rigged ship Ooldstrcam, belonging to Lfith and Smith, Fenchurch street, London. The captain of the Ooldstream informs Salisbury that he had come from St. Helena, and has on board two of the crew of the Oospatrick who had been taken to St. Helena by an outward-bound vessel. The Gold stream, it is believed, is bound for London, acid is reported as having passed Plymouth yesterday at ip.*. At the second day’s inquiry by the Board of Trade into the burning of the Cospatrick, Smith, the despatching officer to the New Zealand Government, states that ke was quite satiated with the cargo and stowage, and attributes the origin of tho fire to some f ttempt to get sit the spirits or beer. Our London correspondent writes

When asked how he accounted for so few being saved, Mac Donald said he attributed it to the burning of the heats. Ail were working so hard in their endeavors to put out too flames, tbit this ohftuco of Moapo was neglected. At first it might seem to imply culpable mismanagement, but as all the boats, if successfully launched, would only iiaTO held one-third of the passengers and there would have been a rush for them that would, moat likely, have reaulted In the same fate as that of the eighty poor women. Perhaps, after all, the captain acted best in directing all his efforts to quell the fire. The disaster may probably Mt as a check upon emigration generally. We may, however, hope it may bo tamed to good account in causing better provision to be made in view of such accidents. What is the best result tbat could have happened bad there been no confssion, and if all the boats had been successfully launched ! Why that about 130 out of 479 souls might have escaped. But even this would be presuming the - boats to have been properly supplied with sails, oars, nautical instruments and provisions. As to the latter, there were none; oars, one and a b*'f { whilst the sail was simply an old rag V-fi. ° lanket tllat enabled the boat to drift before the wind. Surely, it may be asked, why does not the law insist upon a complement of boats sufficient to hold all the ships company? And, further, why is it not made compulsory for provisions and water to be stored in tho boats ? It would have been easy enough for each boat to have carried provisions for a few days, and if properly supplied with sails four days migli have enabled them to reach the African wast. To say tbat every kindness wa shown to the poor survivors is hardly nece airy. On the British is’cepre no efforts wer ■pared. Warm baths were provided, an weak brandy and water administered, witt such medicines as appeared suitable. At fct Helena they remained eight days in tho hos pital, gradually recovering, and by the time they reached England were pretty fairly re established in health. 1 must not omit t< tell you of the clever way in which the * Daily News’ managed to forestall its com

yotitors in publishing M'Denald’s narrative though, indeed, it grates harshly ea ene’t feelings to'tell a story of smartness in con Motion with ao awful a disaster. Thh mo»«nt the telegraph , apprised us that the Myonaa had Macdonald on board all th newspapers were ou the alert, and it war arranged to dispatch a small steamer to met! her, and obtain the detired particulars. Hk Irtgorter of the ‘Daily News,* however, tool the trouble to.i(a«p the whereabout* of Mat dmald s relations, and rashed down to Scot and, where hi* mother lived, Explainin, « that he was goioj; °a the steamer to meet her boo, hj oaereci to convey a letter to him, which

whieh was of ooures, eagerly accepted. Armed with this he went oft. The moment the Vyanga was boarded a rash of newspaper reporters was made for Maodenald, bat they wore told he was in his cabin and could see no one. In this resolution he was persistent, I but the * Daily News ’ reporter seat him word that he was the bearer of a letter from his mother, which pioved an ape» aeaams, *nd being admitted he succeeded in obtaining, bit By bit, an account of the disaster. Having thus got all the information he wanted, ha handed Macdonald a cheque for MOO, en the understanding that he would ivo him twenty-four hours’ start and peri 'ml Q0 * n * ormat * on others during that