THE BURNING OF THE BOMBAY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 5, Issue 268, 22 May 1865, Page 3

THE BURNING OF THE BOMBAY.

A private letter, received at Plymouth from an officer at Rio Janeiro, gives a few, further particulars of the loss of the Bombay. At 330 p.m. one watch was piped to quarters to exercise in firing. On the man whose duty it was to hand up the shells going below he discovered the fire. The fire bell was immediately rang, and the pumps rigged and played on the fire, but the flames burst up the hatchways, and in a few minutes all communication between quarter-deck and forecastle was effectually stopped. The order' was then given to cut all boats, and in eight minutes they were in the water with the exception of the launch, and when that boat was being lifted the flames coming up the after hatch burnt the stay and she came down by the run. The greatest order, coolness, and intrepidity were displayed by all, Mr. Watts, the master, taking time of every occurrence with watch and notebook in hand. The mainmast soon went over the side. The order was then given to every one to look out for themselves. They immediately jumped overboard and swam to the boats lying off, those who could not swim holding on by ropes; some fell and were drowned. Orders had been given for no boats to go near the burning ship, but the jolly boat, manned by volunteers, pulled in three or four times, and brought away every one they could see. At 7 p.m. the ship blew up, and not a particle of her remaining. The boat arrived at Monte Video at 11 p.m. Dr. Smallborn, Mr. Franklin, boatswain, and about 90 men are lost; and the admiral’s secretary, and, and clerks are all at Monte Video. The Scots'nan publishes the following extracts from a private letter written immediately after a conversation with Lieutenant Stirling, who brought home Admiral Elliot’s despatch ■ “ The Bombay left Monte Video on .threi morning of the 14th December for target practice. She was about 14 miles away when a man handing shells in the shell-room perceived a little jet of steam coming up from tne after hold, and immediately gave the elarm. This was between two and three o’clock. The pumps were instantly set to work, and all worked well. But the men were suffocated, and could hardly remain to work them and the fire could not be * kept under. On one side was the spirit room, on the other the magazine. The spint-room took fire, the casks burst, and the spirits ran all over the stiip, which became one mass of flame. The order was given to lower the boats and escape. Some boats could not be lowered from the tackle being on fire. However, most of them were got out, but had to be kept at a good distance from the ship on account of the fire. Therefore all had to jump in and swim off from the ship to reach the boats. All the officers could not, which accounts for the great loss of life among them. Mr. Stirling says he swims himself very badly, and was an hour and a half in the water before he could be picked up. Many of the men clinging to bits of the ship were killed too, he believed, by the cables falling away red hot among them, and by the melted lead, of which there seems to have been a great deal in various parts of the ship for pipes, I think, and on the bowsprit. The melting lead pouring down on them made them loosen their hold of whatever they were holding by, and go down. The great anchors too, when their ropes were burned, fell and crushed them. The mainmast went over at a quarter to 5, only three-quarters of an hour after the first alarm of fire. By 5 o’clock, I think the crew were all either lost or saved. The magazine blew up abont 7 o’clock, and the ship went down, leaving not a vestige behind. Not an article of any sort was saved but the clothes in which the officers and crew jumped in the sea and most of them had thrown off jackets, &c., to jump in and swim. The behaviour of the men was perfect all through the origin of the fire is quite unaccounted for. The regulations about lire, matches &c., where very strict; no petroleum, or inflammable oil, were used on board. The after-bold contained biscuits, salt pork, &c., but nothing of a more dangerous character. The Bombay was only under sail at the fme the fire was discovered. Had she been steaming there would have been a much better chance, by turning on the engines and getting the fire under. The. weather was happily very fine, and the boats could therefore be reached and filled in a way that would have been impossible in less good weather,' such as they almost invariably had up to that time. The Bombay was too far away from Monte video for the fire to be early discovered there. “But 1 think about 5 o’clock it was telegraphed by the Stromholi to Adimiral Elliot, who went off in hey towards the scene. 'Hejamved in time to see lier blow up, . They got back to Monte Video about 10 o’clock at night. Admiral Elliot Lad only time to write a hurried despatch.” By a telegram received at the'Admiralty on •Thursday from Lisbon, it appears that the flerschel, (s.), arrived there on the 25th instant, with Captain Campbell and 525 officers and men lately belonging to the Bombay.