THE LOSS OF THE JAMES CHESTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 287, 1 August 1855, Page 5

THE LOSS OF THE JAMES CHESTON.

The following is an extract from a letter from tlie receiver of droits for Liverpool respecting the American ship James Cheston, White, from Baltimore for London, which was brought into Liverpool on the 16th of March by the mate and six of the crew of the Marathon : — "In forwarding the deposition of the mate of the Marathon, giving, the full details relating to the ship James Cheston, it appears to me altogether an extraordinary affair. It strikes me the pumps have been neglected, and when the water in the hold had been discovered, the crew have refused to pump ov proceed; that to prevent the ship remaining afloat, and becoming dangerous to other vessels, an attempt has-been made to scuttle her. If not picked up by any vessel the crew'will most likely steer for the West Indies. The mate of the Marathon, who brought home the derelict, deserves great credit, and is a good specimen of a manly and determined British seaman. He was so resolved to save the vessel that he actually made sail on the James Cheston before he set on the pumps.. I have ordered the ship to be placed in the Albert Dock, for security, and in order, also, to prevent any useless law expenses, or application for Admiralty writs, I shall bond and detain the ship and cargo until the representatives of the-dif-ferent parties interested shall appear, and either arrange the salvage or give the necessary security for the legal claims of the salvors." Tne deposition spoken of is that of John R. Thomas, mate of the Marathon, of Newcastle. It is as follows ;— " On the 28th of February, in about 30 N". lat., long. 40 W., wind E., light breeze, at about eight a.in , saw a vessel a-head ; came up alongside of her about ten a.m., hailed, and did not receive any answer ; the topsail yards were on the cap, and the topsails sheeted home, courses hauled up, jib set, and topsails flying adrift. Surtnising'thut the ship was abandoned, hoisted out the pinnace, and went on board. Found every rope adrift, and in the cabin everything in disorder, as if plundered, or as if everything of value had been removed ; there was not even a compass on board, and only bread and a bag of coffee in one of the side cabins. On sounding the pumps found ten feet, of water in the lower huld, and nearly three feet in the 'twixt decks. The cargo apparently consisted of provisions, tobacco, oil cake, wool, &c. Found two auger holes bored through the port in the 'twixt decks, and also found an axe laid iiear the port, as well us the auger. The water was rushing through the holes, and in a few minutes the ship must have, gone down ; with the Lauds who boai'ded •with me set to woik to heave the cargo overboard, to allow the water in the 'twixt decks to go into the hold, and cut a hole in the deck for that purpose; and then tinned to pump, after m.ikiug sail on the ship. Kept the pumps constantly going, and at about seven p.m., began to gain on the water in the hold : continued to pump ;i!l the night, and at a little past eight p.m. on the Ist of March, pumps sucked. Then took charge of the vessel, off the Western Islands, and parted company with the Marathon, and sue-

ceeded in reaching the Mersey, on the 16th. She proved to he the James Cheston, of Baltimore, a new ship, of about 1,200 tons, apparently bound for London."

Apprehension and Hommittat, of Garratt fob the Robbery of the Victoria Bank. — On Tuesday, the 23rd March, Henry Beresford Garratt, a powerfully-built man, with an immense quantity of hair on his face, was brought up at the Marlborough street (Loudon) Police Court, on a warrant from the authorities at Melbourne, backed by the Right Hon. Sir George Grey, the Home Secretary ofState, for having, on the 6th day of October, 1854, at Ballaarat, in the Colony'of Victoria, with others,.armed with pistols, entered the Bank of Victoria, and stolen therefrom £14,300 sterling and 250 ozs. of gold and upwards. Henry Webb, city detective, on being sworn, stated that he 4 assisted in apprehending the prisoner at the corner of John street, Oxford street, on the preceding day. Previously to taking him into custody, he stepped up to him and said, "How do you do, Mr. Garratt? I believe you have just arrived by the Dawstone, from Melbourne ?" The prisoner said, ;<Yes; but I dou't remember you. 1' Witness said, " The fact is, we are officers, and I hold in my possession a warrant for your apprehension for beiny one of the parties concerned in a robbery in October last, at the Victoria Bank, Australia." Witness searched him, and foun.i two revolvers and a dagger, also a receipt for £ 1,975, aud another for £300, lodged in Messrs. Coutt's bank. The prisoner had thirteen sovereigns in gold, and a. gold watch and chain, besides a naval certificate in the name of Latch, dated the Sth of June, 1853. At the prisoner's lodgings, in King street, witness saw a woman, who said she was Mrs. Garratt. He searched the room, and found two revolvers, one of which ■was capped and loaded. The prisoner, who refused to say anything was then remanded for a •week. Quin, the approver (who was transported to the colony, some ten years since for a burglary in London, and afterwards obtained a ticket of leave); has given the following account of the manner in which the robbery was'effected :— " He said he was a mason, living atGeelong. On the 6th of last November he arrived at Ballaarat, and visited the prisoner Boulton, at his tent in the bush. They adjourned to a skittle alley in the diggings, where he was introduced to Garratt, and joined in a hand of cards. > They then agreed to rob the bank, Boulton proposing. According to arrangement, they met the next day at Garratt's tent, the other prisoner, Marriott, being with them. Garratt gave them each -a revolver and blue shirt and crape to disguise their persons. Garratt's and Marriott's faces were concealed with the crape; he (Quin) and Boulton had white calico over their heads and faces, and hoies cut for the eyes. When all was rea.iy, they set out for the bank, and on reaching near to it lay down on the ground, and waited till Boulton, who knew the management of the bjink, told them to go. Garratt was the first to enter; he (Quin) and Marriott followed, Boul-~ ton remaining at. the door to keep watch. They demanded Mr. Buckley, the manager, and the cashier, Mr. Marshall, who were the only persons in the bank, to stand and deliver. Garratt seized Mr. Buckley, and tied him down and' gagged him. He did the same to Mr. Marshall, and then assisted in " clearing" the bank. They then left and made for their tent, where they shared the gold and notes. He afterwards accompanied Boulton to various gold districts, where they bought up gold, and disposed of many of the notes. He was apprehended at Geelong,—Captain M-Mahon, the chief constable at Melbourne, having offered them a free passage to another part of the colony—he disclosed the names of his confederates,"and hence the capture of B.mkon ami Marriott. Garratt hud sailed from the colony. Between £6,000 and £7,000 were found on the prisoners, besides papers and letters of credit relating to jg0,400. The two prisoners were committed for trial, which was expected to take place at the February assizes. The Government had issued a proclamation, offering £1.600 reward for the apprehension of the prisoners." The prisoner Garratt was re-examined on Friday, 29th March. One of Messrs. Coutts and Co.'s clerks slated that the prisoner came to his employers on tho 13th, and wished to deposit some money. lie said he had just come from the diggings «tt Ballaarat. He had three .hags with him, one contained £.301 in sovereigns and half sovereigns ; |auot!;er had £1,000 i v half sovereigns; aud the other had £1,000

also. He crave the prisoner an accountable re-' ceipt for £300. which was produced and identified. A policeman then disposed to having apprehended the prisoner, and ibmid the above receipt and various others upon him. William Taylor, who had been turnkey of Nottingham gaol in 1845, proved that the prisoner had been convicted of a burglary that year, and sentenced to ten years' transportation. Mr. E. A. Franklin, in the employ of Samuel and Montague, money brokers, Cornhill,' stated that he had been offered 499^ ounces of gold dust for sale by the prisoner, that he had purchased it, and given him a cheque for £1,957 6s. 3d., which he had subsequently stopped, and he was now willing to pay ihe money to the proper parties. After some discussions on this point, the magistrates adjourned the proceedings till four o'clock, wi,th the understanding'that the prisoner would then be committed to Australia for trial. A Ticket of Leave Man.—George Smith was recently, convicted, before Sergeant Adams, at Westminster, of robbery from the person.—Coomes, an ex-officer, called to prove a former conviction, said: They call the prisoner the Bishop of Durham, my 10rd,.. on the other side of the water, and he really can talk like a parson. He's one of Lord St. Leonard's men, my lord a ticket of leave, man. I've known him sixteen years, and a brother officer of mine know'd him five years before that, so that makes nineteen—all as a thief aud companion of thieves. He was transported in 1850 for stealing a watch at Egham races, and the first I saw of him after that was one day last August in Sinithfield Market, with two or three more gentlemen.—The assistant Judge: Gentlemen ! What do you mean by gentlemen ?— Witness: Thieves, my lord. I've seen him five or six times since by the Surrey Theatre with swell mobsmen. In IS4B he was convicted at Marlborough Street police court ; again in 1549. In 1849 he was tried at Guildford for a robbery at Epsom, but got off. And one day last August, an officer as I was with in Smithfield says to me, '"Bill," says he, " why, there's the bishop of Durham come back,;" and I looks at him, and " Yes," says I, " so it is ;'' and that was the first that I know'd of his being let out on ticket of leave.—Sentence deferred.—This person received £o with his ticket of leave. Naval Items.—The Admiralty intend to employ a number of North Sea captains well acquainted with the Navigation of the Baltic, to act as pilots to the fleet. The Thames Watermen's Company has been called upon by the Admiralty to provide their quota of men, 1,500, which, by the terms of their charter, they are bound to provide for the naval service in time of war. New Military Asylum.—The royal visit of the Queen to the General Hospital, Fort Pitt, has been productive of much good. Already it is supposed that Her Majesty, believing Fort Pitt to be most delightfully situated, has signified her desire that immediate attention be given to the best means of providing fur the comfortable reception-of her brave soldiers, and that such a general hospital be built as shall be adequate to the wants of the British Army. New Locomotive Power.—An Italian journal states that a carpenter has discovered a locomotive engine which may be set in motion without the aid of steam, human labour or fuel. Its daily cost is limited to the value of the grease required to diminish friction, and its use is free from any danger whatever. The inventor, Gioachino Papa, living at Brescia, is willing to dispose of his secret. The engine will cost 20,000f. if of 100 horse power, and lo,ooof. for every additional 100 horse power. The Panama Railroad. — Passengers by the George Law crossed the Isthmus by the Panama railroad in less than three hours," and by nightfall all the luggage and light freight were transferred from steamer to,steamer. This is a great change from the tedious mode of travelling in former days. The party which went out to celebrate the opening of "the road had arrived, and there was to be an oration, a dinner, bonfires, and explosions of powder in honour of the event. The Steam Packet Companies.—There is a report that when the new directors of the General Screw Company commence their duties, the line to Calcutta, vid the Cape of Good Hope, will be re-established. The Peninsula and Oriental Company are building three more new screw steamers, to. be called the Pera, Cintra, anri Ava. They will then have 49 steamers. Eight of their ships are already in

the Government transport service. Their staff of officers n«iw numbers 516; six of these are native Chinese. The New War Rocket.—The? present regulation war rocket, an invention of Sir William Congreve, is destined, in all probability, to go speedily out of use. The long wooden taillike appendage which constitutes an effective portion of the missile, and without which it has no directive flight whatever, has ever proved a sad drawback to the general efficiency of the weapon. Congreve rockets are most erratic'in. their flight, and can never be depended upon for hitting a target, even of considerable size and at very moderate distances. In the new war rocket (the invention of Mr. William Hale, and now being extensively manufactured for our service) there is no tail whatever, accuracy of directive flight being imparted by an ingenious application of the rifle principle, the rocket undergoing rotation as it pursues its course. The Times' City article reports that a process has been discovered of extracting from Irish peat ammonia, naphtha, various oils, and paraffine, at. a cost of not quite 7s. per ton of the turf, the products of which will sell for more than J4s. 6d. Ever since 1849, when Lord Ashley and Mr. O'Gorman Mahon surprised the House of Commons by a'premature announcement that Irish peat might in this way be made a source of wealth, experiments have been carried on by the inventor of the process, Mr. Keece, and his co-patentee, Mr. W. D. Owen and for some time past an incorporated company has existed, by whom regular works have been established at a place about forty miles from Dublin. Many difficulties are said to have been encountered, but a regular supply of peat products has now been sent to market for several months, for which prices are realised giving apparently ample returns. There is, therefore, reason to hope that the 3,000,000 acres of Irish bog may ultimately be regarded as among the most valuable resources of that- country. Guardian, Paris Exhibition. —Amongst the various articles about to be sent .from this country to the above exhibition, harness and saddlery will form no unimportant feature. We have seen a pair of harness and a lady's saddle, made by Laugdon, of Duke street, Manchester-square, which may vie with any thing of the kind yet produced. The harness is worked or embroidered all over with the quill of the peacock in the most beautiful and tasteful designs, executed by Tyrolese artists. It is much handsomer than that made for her Majesty, the buckles .and mountings being corded, to correspond with the work in the leather. The principal improvement as regards the saddle is* in the tree, which prevents its galling the back ; and the weight, too, is no more than 14 lb., instead of the 201b. or 241b. of the ordinary saddle. The shape of the sent is also considered superior to any now in use, it being nearly flat. Shocking IgxNorance. —At the Bottishara petty sessions, the other day, a youth whose vocation is to gather dung from off the roads, was charged with helping himself pretty freely from a fanner's manure heap, when the following colloquy took place:—Magistrate; Do you know the Lord's Prayer?— Boy: Noa.—Magistrate : Where do boys go who tell a lie ?—Boy : Don't know. —Magistrate: Where does a good boy go to?— Boy: Home, as soon, as he has filled his barrow,— lpswich Express. Extraordinary Occurrence.—About fifty years ago a gentleman in Hull 'lost a ring containing some hair, his own name and some other inscription being engraved outside. It was supposed that he lost it in crossing the ferry from the town to the garrison, by pulling it off along with his glove, when preparing to pay the ferryman. That gentleman has now been long deceased, but bis son who still resides here, was waited upon last week by a boatman, who presented to him this identical ring, which he slated hud just been jerked up from the hottom of the river by a rope at which he was pulling The ring was in excellent preservation, and was most welcomely received by ihe family of its former owner. The Grenada Chronicle states that a tree has been discovered on the island of St. Martin's, a dependency of -Guadaloupe, possessing equally precious virtues with the Peruvian h.trk. The governor has sent to St. Martin's Dr. Chapuis and M. Girardias. "apothecary to the navy, to study a tree so ? precious us to raise a competition to the quinquina.