THE SKERRYVORE.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 644, 12 July 1876, Page 2

THE SKERRYVORE.

A passenger by the Skerryvore to New York sends to an exchange an Interesting account of the vova<*e The ship appears to have been loaded Chiefly with exhibits for the Centennial Exhibition. Alter leaving Lyttelton, New Zealand, the troubles of the passengers and crew commenced. The writer says—We had a very good run (for such a vessel) to Cape Horn, which we were in the longitude of on 9th February. I need not say we had favorable winds ail the time, and that the captain passed his time between eating and sleeping and displaying his ignorance of everything, navigation included, for he was dunce enough not to know that vou gain a day on the completion of the eastern round of the world, and that consequently he should have dropped a day to put him right in his calculation of our position. However, he was pigheaded enough to ridicule the idea, and to go on keepin" the ship’s lime until we reached New York, when of course we found that, instead of its being Saturday, May 6th, as he made it, it was Friday, May sth. Fortunately the chief mate was quite able to take correct sights, and work them out properly, so that we always knew where we had got to, but the ship was sailed by the captain’s calculations, he having an awful “down” on the poor old mate, and trying on every occasion to annoy him and frustrate his attempts to put things straight. When the captain left Melbourne he had plunged the ship heavily in debt, which was only added to by his Lyttelton exploit. It seems he had already lost a vessel some years before, andthe penalty oflosmg another, except by causes beyond his control, would be the loss of his certificate, which with him would be beggary. He had falsified his accounts, and was afraid to meet his owners, to whom he knew he would have to give up the vessel when he reached New York. It seems that the Sunderland code of morals admits of the captain losing a ship entirely—say, by foundering, lire, or running on some hopeless coast; but the partial loss, in which something is saved, and the vessel’s insurance only recovered in part, is a mistake; so that, whilst a captain who lost his ship would get another at once, as a matter of course, he who only made a partial loss would he|ruined for ever. At any rate these are the ethics of Captain Stoddart, late of the Skerryvore. Time after time—again and again —he used to harp on the one subject, about the loss of the vessel. This made us uneasy and watchful, and I kept a gimlet eye on him, and canvassed every remark he made, and noted his utter regardlessness of our position and frequent dangerous proximity to shore with a foreboding heart. In the course of the voyage the suspicions of the writer and the crew were aroused by the captain not merely painting the lazarette, but doing it himself. Shortly afterwards the mate observed that the vessel was very deep In the water, and soundino- revealed the unpleasant fact that there was over seven feet of water in the hold. The writer continues—The captain and chief mate were at once fetched on deck, when the former came up looking of a sickly green hue, and with a furtive glance looked at the pump rod, and kept it idly danglingon his hand, saying it was useless to try to save the vessel, as she had too much water in. “ Good God,” said I, “ are you not going to try to pump the water out of her,” “ I know what to do, he replied, and sulkily gave orders for ‘ all hands at the pumps.” We all wired in, the two mates, five seamen, and I, and the captain, for very shame sake, was obliged to join in. Shortly afterwards the captain paid a second visit under the cabin floor, and then the ship was easily kept dry. The writer says:—What is the conclusion ? Why, that when he was first down in the lazarette. he bored the hole to sink her (two augurs are missing, which are not to be found, and he was known to have them) took the plug out at a suitable time to himself, and when he found we were determined to save the vessel if possible, went below again and put in the plug, and thus stopped the leak as suddenly as it broke out. I could give you more circumstantial evidence, but it is too long. From this time Jackson and I watched him night and day, for we were afraid he might lire her, failing sinking. However we arc here. A new captain has charge of her, and Stoddart has gone to England. A considerable portion of the exhibits must be damaged, but we cannot tell how much yet. 1 ______