A THBILLING ADVENTURE AT SEA.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2379, 17 November 1881, Page 3

A THBILLING ADVENTURE AT SEA.

The Liverpool ship Borrowdale, Captain M'Allister, arrived in the Mersey on September Slat, and landed Captain Thomas Peabody and nine men, being a portion of tho crew of the large American ship B. B. Fuller, which was totally destroyed by fire at sea, and by which disaster tho crew of twenty hands had a vary narrow escape with their lives. According to the statement of Oapt. Peabody the B. B. duller left Cardiff on August Ist for Valparaiso with a cargo of coal. About a quarter past ten on the night of August 24th. tho captain, who was asleep in his cabin, was arousal by a choking sensation in his throat, and on rising found his room full of smoke. He instantly went on deck, and ascertained that the chief officer, whose watch it was on deck, had just discovered that the vessel was on fire, which seemed to have originated in the vicinity of the cabin, in the lower hold. All the hatches wore immediately put on and caulked down, whilst all the ventilators were closed and the cabin shut up for the purpose of smothering the flames, which had not so far been visible. Finding that the smoke still gained egress the captain gave orders for holes to be bored in the decks, when large quantities of water were pumped on tho burning cargo. This also seemed to have very little eSect, and orders were thou given for the boats to be lowered and put in readiness for the crew to leave their vessel, as her condition seemed to be becoming hourly more dangerous, and she threatened to disappear at any moment beneath the surface of tho water. About this time the caotain, mate, carpenter, and four sailors entered the cabin, from which they suddenly reappeared, all vomiting blood, and their heads seeming to swell to unusual dimensions. This extraordinary circumstance was no doubt owing to the inhalation of the combined gas and smoke. Fortunately all of them recovered shortly afterwards. During the provisioning of the boats another incident occurred, which almost deprived one of the crew of his life. Ho had volunteered to go below in the forward part of the vessel to obtain two casks of water, but on reaching the spot he was overpowered by the smoke and was hauled up insensible. The chief officer and some others of the crew however managed to secure tho water. For safety thawbole of the crew got into the boats and remained all night about half a mile from the. burning ship. On going aboard the vessel in the morning it was found that tho houses and deck planks were unbearably hot, and nothing further could bo done to save the ship. A» the boats lay oS they could see large volumes of smoke issuing from different parts of the vessel, mingled with sparks of fire. On tho morning of the 26th the mizen—mast of the vessel fell with a tremendous crash, followed afterwarde] by the foremast, and at twenty minutes past ten on tho same night tho vessel foundered going down with a loud report. The three boats of tho B. B. Fuller then pulled away from the spot, and for two days were beating about in the hope of being picked up by a passing vessel. For tho most part the sea was rough, and tho frail crafts tossed alarmingly about. Finally a sail was sighted to tho westward, and this the boats chased until they came up to her. She proved to bo the ijondon barque Paraoca, going from Reunion to Bt. Nazsire with sugar. The men were all received on board, and two days afterwards tea of them, including the captain, were transferred to tho Borrowdale, which brought them to Liverpool, the rest remaining on board the Paraeca. The shipwrecked men were in tho open boats for four days and four nights, during which time hut little sleep could be obtained. They lost almost all they had, but expressed themselves in high, terms at the exceptionally humane treatment they received at the hands of tho captains of tho two British vessels, Paracca and Borrowdale. On arrival at Liverpool they wore received by the American Consul. Tho E B. Fuller was a ship of 1360 tons register, and was owned in Boston by Mr Baker McNear. She was built at Bedford, Maine in 1874. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is supposed t<? ' have arisen from spontaneous combustion.