THE BURNING OF THE COSPATRICK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 60, 11 March 1875, Page 2

THE BURNING OF THE COSPATRICK.

[The following account of this disaster has been compiled from English pnpers by the Melbourne Argus:"] — The Cape mail steamer Nyanza, arrived in Plymouth Sound about 8 o'clock last night, and landed the three survivors of the ill-fated emigrant ship Cospatrick, whoso burning 600 miles S.W: of the Cape of Good Hope, on the 17th of November, resulted in the loss of 480 lives, The men, however, showed great reluctance to give particulars of the sad story, and it is to be feared that this desire to be silent arose from no distaste to relate so horrible un experience as that which had been forced upon them, but from their silence having been bought. Severn! additional and very important facts were, however, gleaned, and are quite sufficient to give a clear idea of the dreadful catastrophe. The most Etriking feature of (ha event was its awful suddenness, and overwhelming of the efforts made to avert it. Leaving London for Auckland, New Zealand, on the 11th of September, all went well with the Cospalrick till November 17tb, wheu the ship with her precious freight of souls was a few hundred miles off the Cape of Good Hope. It was a lovely day, a light breeze blowing from the north-west quarter, and the sea was quite smooth. Mr Macdocald, the second officer, kept the watch from 8 in the evening till midnight. Nothing wrong was then suspected, but after the chief officer had been in charge for an hour, an aLarm of fire was raised. At this time, of course, the whole of the 437 emigrants were in their berths asleep, but with a wonderful rapidity the alarm spread, and men, women, aud children in their night dresses rushed up on deck in the wildest despair. No idea of a catastrophe was then entertained. Smoke it was true was observed forward, but it was believed at the time that it was merely a small fire in the bo Us wain's locker. To extinguish it buckets of water were poured down the foie scuttle, but it soon became evident that it wag a serious fire, for the water poured down seemed to feed and spread the flames rather (ban to extinguish them. The captain endeavored to put the ship before the wind, but the breeze was too light to effect what might havo caved the ship. The chief officer got the force pump to woik, but all efforts were in vain to slay the progress of the conflagration ; the fire was rapidly guining on them, and at last, to the dismay of all, the flames burst in huge volumes out of ihe main-hatch. The conviction then forced itself ou the miuds of the officers that by some never-to-be-accounted-for means the fire had communicated itself to thecargo, and had been smouldering for days before bursting out on this November night. Terrified as were the passengers at being roused out of their sleep in midocean by a cry of fire, they became still more frightened at tbe visible evidence of their danger Agonising shrieks of women and children and despairing groans of men arose from the ship as the flames burst out of the fore hatchway. Then the bewildered passengers rushed wildly about the deck, and whilst crying and screaming loudly for help, not only roudered none themselves, but impeded those who still were courageously trying to extinguish the flame;. Suddenly the ship cume head lo wind, and f his change of her position drove the flames and suffocating clouds of smoke aft. The forward boats were set on fire, and the crew were forced back upon the hundreds of horror-stricken passeDgers crowtring the steru. So serious a look Iftid thing 3 thus early after the outbreak that the second officer asked the caplain if the remaining bcat3 should be loweied away. The captain's reply was, "No, continue to try lo put out the flame." And try they did and vigorously, but to no purpose — the Ccspatrick was a doomed ship. Aud then there was a wild and undisciplined rush to the boats, and with iho usual sad result. Eighty persons, mostly women, got in and on the starboard bcaf. Such a freight bent the davils, and (he boat's stern wns forced under the water, the boat filled and capßi'z t l , and all its occupants were drowceJ right alongside of the ship, within view of their fellow-pnssengers, unable to lend them a helping hand. Eighty women drovvniug without an effort to help beicg poeeible, end by the aide of a burning ship, whose deck was crowded by 400 people, fearing even a worse fate, is a sight that cannot possibly be described. Sailors frtood by tLe poi t boat with strict injunctions* not to ailow it to be lowered till orders were. given to that iffect by the captain ; but the passengers made a rush, the sailors were overpowered, and the Loit was got possession of, many being drowned in the lowering of it, and by jumping after it. To add io the terror of the scene, the

foremast fell with a dreadful crash over the side, and almost simultaneously the flames burst out of the after hatch. Then the captain, bearing himself admirably through this severe trial, though his wife and boy were with him on board, and stood by his side at the wheel, cried out that everybody must do the best they could to save their lives. But " tlie best" was very little, aud the passengers were by this time co terror-Btricken that even they could not avail themselves of the little means at their command for saving life. The chief officer, the second officer, and the boatswnin tried to turn over the large pinnace lying bottom up on the deck in order 'to 'launch her, but they could not from the hundreds around command help enough to accomplish their putpose, and had to give it up, not however, before the flames had crept so close upon them that the bows of the pinnace had caught fire. The ship had its full complement of six boats, but four of these were burnt, so that two only, including the overturned starboard bostj were available. Some passengers threw the captain's gig over the eide, but it wns doubtful if many passengers got into her. All hope being now lost, the port boat was now lowered, and when almost brought down to the watei's edge by her freight of more than 30 persons, she was pushed off the ship's side. The chief oflicer and a female passenger jumped overboard after her, and were pulled in. This boat had not got clear many seconds before the mainmast fell over the side with o tremendous crash, and it was seen by those in the boat that a very large number were killed by the fall. About this time Captain Elmelie, catching up his wife, jumped with her over ihe stern, and the doctor, taking op the captain's little boy, followed. All four were, of course, Bpeedily drowned. Many of the passengers, seeing the action of the captain and the doctor, followed their example, and at once sought a watery grave. The falling of the mainmast forced scores of others overboard, nnd the consternation was increased, if that were possible, by the ship's stern being blown out under the poop deck. By far the large majority of the CosPatrick's emigrants met their death by drowning; but not a few, faint with terror, and overcome with the smoke, lay on the deck, and were burnt as the flames rapidly spread the length of the ship. Few, however, remained alive on board, when at lsst the mizenmaat gave way. The ship was then a mass of flames from end to ond, and tho sea, lit up all arond, showed human forms struggling in the water, some soon to sink for ever — others to remain on spars for hours, and then to drop silently below the wave. It is estimated that within three hours of the first alarm of fire the flames had complete mastery of the ship, and more than 400 peop'e had been sent to their last account. But some 60 persons remained whose fate was worse tban that of those who had either perished by fire on board or in the water. The 60 remaining were those who had managed to get into the two boats that escaped the flames. Of the history of one boat we know nothing after three days of the sad disaster, but it can be easily guessed by the sickening knowledge of those in the other boat. Those who wish to know how, after eight days' exposure on the broad ocean, without proper meat or drink, men maddened themselves by drinking salt water, and jumped overboard, how at last the boat's freight was reduced from 30 to 5, including two madmen, and how the survivors were driven to such straits as to seek nourishment in sucking the veins and eating (he fleßh of their dead companions, must read the second officer's statement given below. What they admit they did is bad enough ; but what they really did was worse — and it will never fully be known. It is a sickening story. Fortunately such experiences are very rnre. . None of the survivors have the slightest hopes of anybody else being saved.