BURNING OF THE MONTMORENCY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 470, 15 April 1867, Page 1 (Supplement)

BURNING OF THE MONTMORENCY.

(Hawke's Bay Times, listli iladch.) "While busily engaged tinning the past night preparing for the issue of this morning's paper we were suddenly J inierapied by an alarm of fire, and on proceeding to the beach we discovered ; that the good ship Ivi. ntmoreucy, bm bo recently arrived from England as to 1 have been chronicled in our last issue, ! was on fire between her main and | fore-masts. The flames were rushing ' up tbiough her forward hatchway to the height of 30 or 40 feet, without at i that lime a hieath of air to divert ■ them to the right or left. This oc- ;

curred about I a.m., and was, as ii afterwards appeared, but shortly after the tire itself was discovered on board —so rapid was the progress of the devouring element when once it made its appearance. No person seems to have been abroad On the Spit, at the time of the discovery of the fire, for rockets were sent aloft, and blue light signals burnt, with the view of calling attention on shore, but to no purpose, or not until the vessel was in actua. flames was it seen or known to be on tire : even tiien it was Erst seen from the Barrack-hill, and the news was then brought down by a horseman—who rode briskly to the Spit to arouse.

the folk, and send help that might be needed to the sailors known to be still ou board, it was known that at least otic of the ship s beats was on shore,

and the captain also (we believe this being the first night he hud been away from the vessel since her arrival); and it was not known how much help might be needed by the first odiem and those left in charge. The cry of fire speedily aroused the captain of the ill-fated vessel, and we may say the 'whole of the inhabitants ou the Spit. Several boats put off as quickly as possible, and great numbers of people assembled on the beach, to watch the progress of the flames, and anxiously await the return of the first boat with news. By the aid of a powerful glass we were enabled from time to time to observe the work of destruction. The flames, as we have said, were ut first confined to mid-ships, between the main and fore masts. As might be expected, the rigging and masts soon caught fire, first the main-mast and afterwards the mizen, the flames being driven aft by a breeze that then sprang up—producing a striking spectacle, especially when the sails (being burnt through) suddenly unfurled, and scattered showers of burning fragments, which, blowing aft, fell iutu the sea like a golden rain. At halfpast 2, the mizi-n-mast being burnt through at the foot, aud the main-mast at the main-top, both gave way at the same instant, the former falling clean over the stern into the sea, and the maintop head downwards to the deck—forming with the yard and the standing muiu-mast a representation of the Roman letter A —being retained iu this position by the standing rigging, which was of wire, and therefore not easily destroyed, even by flames such as those which were by this time raging from stem to stern. Soon after this, (at about 2'45 a.in.), a boat was seen in the offing, making for shore, ami speedily the welcome news was told, aid received amidst loud cheers, —that ail hands were saved.

From enquries made at this time and since, we have Wen able to gather, that at about midnight the watch discovered smoke coining up the fore hatchway, and immediately alarmed tiie first officer and the remainder td| the crew ; that every practicable measure was taken to extinguish, or stay the progress of the fire, but in vain, ibi being overcome by the effect of the !suffocating vapors, they were at lengto .compelled to desist, and fasten down the hatches. The fire, however, had

grown too strong ro he so kept under, and tiie bursting forth of the flames with uuconUuilahle fury, warned the seamen of the necessity for getting om the boats as tho only means of saving their lives. They took to the boats at abi ut 1.30 a.m., hut remained is proximity to the burning ship until she had become au entire wreck- Ai 4 a.m. the foremast, being burnt off ai the foot, 101 l backward on tlie deck, land in its fall bringing down the rejmainder of the stump of the mainmast. I Nothing now remains of the ship that j but yesterday looked so fair, and thai !had done her duty so far and so Well, ibut a flaming hull, w th some remnant of the bowsprit. At, daylight she had burnt nearly to the waters edge.

In addition to a very valuable cargo for this port, none of which had been lauded, and ail of which is destroyed, a large amount of valuable property is lost b} - the passengers, who, of course, are totally deprived of their properties We have one particular instance where title deeds, plate, and heirlooms of ge-j aerations past are, by this sad mishap, totally and irrecoverably lost, and we have been informed that Captain il'Kenzie, who by his affability and' gentlemanly conduct during the voyage endeared himself to all, has lost all his earthly goods, which were in ais cabin, and uninsured.

(Hawke’s Bay Times, Ist April.) j The account we gave of the burning of the above ill-fated vessel in our impression of Thursday last extended to the hour of going to press, at which time she was still burning furiously, although but little of her was left above the sea level except the stem and stern posts. At that time, the s.s. Star of the South, Captain Bendall, was in the act of proceeding to her in order to get her clear of her moorings, and tow h<r up to the Eastern Spit. This, however, proved a task of some difficulty, owing t<? the-entanglement of the ves-

sel with her fallen masts, her wire, rigging, aud the chains by which she' was moored; us well as the danger ♦ !>/» tOO iJClii burning mass. A second tuiempl. however, made on Friday morning, proved more successful, as she was got clear and towed fairly over to the Spit, where she was left aground. During the whole of Thursday, the night fob lowing, and the greater part of next day, the vessel continued to burn more , ;r i e s« fiercely, until, being run into by (he steamer, the sea effected an entrance, and, coming m contact with the incandescent iron, produced an explosion so loud as to cause a general rush to the Spit, when she was to be seen enveloped in an im mense body of steam, which continued to issue from the heated material for a considerable time; and she gradually filled and settled down, Ou this takin place a quantity of empty iron tanks floated off her and were safely landed on the Spit to the number of twentyfour.

Oa Saturday an auction sale was held by Mr. John Stuart, of the remains of the vessel, and the residue of her valuable cargo as then lying on the beach, in about 12 feet of water, and we consider the prices realised as most satisfactory. We quote as follows : Lot I.—The hull, and all belonging to the ship at that time in her, £llO. Lot 2,—The residue of the cargo as it then lay in her hold, £lO5. Lot 3.—Anchors and cable, as it lay at the Government moorings, £lO. Lot 4.—Life boat, £lB. Lot B.—Captain’s gig, £l2 10s. Lot 9.—Pinnace, £5. Lot 11.—Life boat, £l9. 21 iron tanks, from £l 14 to £4 each. We estimate the total proceeds of the sale at about <£3oo, little more or less. In our report of the arrival here of the ‘ Montmorency,’ speaking of betquick passage, we remarked that tinpassage from pilot to pilot occupied 90 days, but we inadvertently omitted to add that from port to port (Plymouth to Nelson] was but 88, —being one of the most rapid we have known, audio which the ill-fated vessel bore out her welUearned fame as a first-class Black liner. \N e a.so understand that Oapt. M'Kei.zie’s absence from the ship on the night of the hre was, in a measure, owing to indisposition, —ue being physically unable, on that • veiling, to undergo toe passage to the ship, against a strong flood tide and neau wind. He Las gamed the Cordial sympathy of all parties who have made uis acquaintance since his arrival in Napier, as well as the esteem of the passengers who came under his care i from Lugland to our port.

THE ‘MONTMORENCY RECORD.’ Few of our readers perhaps are aware the fact —which we inadvertent!) omitted w state in our notice ol the .irrival of the vessel in port —that, duritw the voyage of tiie * Moatuiurency ’ hour Ureat Britain to .New Zealand a newspaper was published R,r the entertainment of the passengers. We Have been favored with a “erusal of the ‘ Record,’ which is entirely in manuscript, and can speak trout what we know when we say thatj ns contents are of a highly interesting] character, and well worth the attention of the colonist, as it will also bo of great interest to those whose fortune it was to be voyagers together m the ill-fated ship, and to their Iriends I'doth at home and in the Colony. A proposal for the publication of the ‘ Record ’ has been made to us, ami the work will bo undertaken contingent upon the receipt of a sufficient jhst of subscribers to warrant it. There (were thirteen numbers issued during I the voyage, and an appendix will be I I added, descriptive of the arrival of the (‘Montmorency’ at Rapier, and her I subsequent destruction by tire.