THE BURNTNG OF THE SHIP COSPATRICK.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4379, 2 April 1875, Page 2

THE BURNTNG OF THE SHIP COSPATRICK.

The Government* have received by the San Francisco, mail the following communication from the Agent-General, the second part of which we shall publish to-morrow : .7. Westminster Chambers, Victoria-st., Westminster, S.W. ' .February 9th, 1875. Sir, — In continuation of my letter of the 12th January, No. 6, X have the honor to enclose for your information a copy of a report, taken from the columns of 27ie Times newspaper, of the inquiry instituted by the Board of Trade into the causes, of the loss of the emigrant ship the Oospatrick, which was held at Greenwich on the 3rd,'- 4th, and sth instant. 11. The report;of the Court to the Board has not as yet-been made public, and-I-abstain from remarks oh ’ the results of the inquiry until it has- ibeeh ’ communicated to me.—l have, &c., - ■ r - r..- E. Featheesion, ■ ' r.’-:' m ■ „ > Agent-'Geheral.. The Hon. the Minister for Immigration, Wellington. '- V -,, 'First'Day. The official inquiry into the loss of the Cospat rick commenced yesterday, at; the Greenwich .Police-Court,.before Mr- Batteson and the Board of Trade Assessors—Captain Castle, Captain Bryce, and Mr. Turner. Mr. Arthur Cohen, Q.C., ’and-Mr. Hargrave Hamel appeared for the Board of Trade ; Mr. G. Wood Hill for the owners of the Oospatrick. The Queen, on behalf of the Colonial Government of New Zealand, was made a party to the charter of the ship, together with the. AgentGeneral for New Zealand, and Messrs. Shaw, Savill, and Co.,- managing; owners of the Cospatrick ; and the Crown in that capacity, and so far as responsible for the emigration arrangements of the colony,* under whose auspices the Oospatrick was despatched, was yesterday represented by Mr. Watkin Williams, Q.C., and Hr. Dennistouu Wood.-, It may briefly be said that. the result of the evidence taken yesterday was , to confirm on oath the accounts already laid before our readers.

Mr. Cohen opened the case.by narrating the facts directly connected with ,the burning of the . Cospatrick, and he made some observations, on the. main objects - of the Board of Trade inquiries, as defined before the. Commission on uuseaworthy ships. He believed he was authorised to state that the main purpose for which this inquiry and inquiries of a like nature were instituted on behalf of the Board of Trade, was to euable a-competent Court to ascertain the cause or causes of the loss, and to make such suggestions or to place before the Board of Trade and public at large information which would lead to such suggestions as might tend to avert similar disasters in future. The inquiry whether any officer on hoard the vessel was to blame, and whether his certificate should he suspended or taken away, was now considered but of secondary importance compared with the importance of thoroughly investigating the causes of the loss, and the means by which similar losses may in future be avoided or rendered less frequenter less disastrous. . These being the objects of this inquiry it appears that the facts of the case at once raised two questions ;—What was the cause of the fire, and "what was the cause of its spreading with such fatal rapidity and violence ? How has it happened that although the ship did not sink until thirty-six hours after • the fire broke out, so few lives were saved?. In .connection, .with, the former question the important fact would be proved that the cargo comprised a great quantity of goods of an inflammable and combustible nature, such as spirits, tar, pitch, oil, and turpentine. The 29th section of the Passengers Act, .18 and 19 Vic., cap. 119, directed that, —

“ No passenger ship shall clear out or proceed to sea if there shall be on board as cargo horses, cattle, gunpowder, vitriol, lucifer matches, guano, or green hides, nor if there shall be on board any other article or number of articles, whether as cargo or ballast, which by reason of the. nature or quantity or mode of stowage thereof ■ shall either singly or collectively be deemed by the. emigration officer at the port of clearance likely to endanger the healths or lives of the passengers or the safety of the ship.” The object of the section was to give the emigration officer power to prevent the departure of a vessel improperly laden, but it did not discharge those who loaded, the vessel from liability if they loaded a dangerous cargo or stowed one in an improper manner. It would, he apprehended, be' an important dutv for them to consider ivhether the shipowners or their agents were negligent in allowing such a cargo to be shipped at all in a wooden emigrant ship, with 430 passengers on board, or in stowing the cargo in .the manner in which it was stowed. ’ It ivould also, perhaps, be thought worthy of ' consideration whether further precautions than those adopted in this case should not be taken by the emigration officers in order to ascertain the quality of the cargo shipped on board emigrant vessels and the manner in which it was stowed. It would be an essential consideration for them whether or not there was negligence or imprudence in reference to the management of the boats, and also generally ivhether the circumstances of the case did not suggest important recommendations as to what could and ought to be done until a view of lessening the danger likely to result from the breaking out of fire on board wooden ships full of emigrants. , Francis William Miller, a clerk in the office of the Principal Searcher of the Custom-house London, produced his abstract from the Customs’ shipping bills to prove the nature of the cargo. The abstract showed' the presence on board of 1732 gallons of linseed oil, of oils of other sorts, paper-hangings, bags, fruits stationery, of measurement goods like furniture, wearing apparel, lace, cotton slops, oilmen’s stores, and a very large quantity of spirits, 275 gallons of brandy, 1405 gallons of British spirits, mixed spirits, wine, and 26 <rallons of proof spirits. Then there ivas on board (but not in cargo, Mr. Wood Hill contended for the owners) a gross of boxes of lucifer matches, and twenty gallons of paraffine. Charles Henry Macdonald (sworn as Henry Macdonald) repeated his statement alreadypublished.

The regulations were put in, and Mr. Watkiu Williams took this opportunity of referring to other documents which were attached to the charter-party. There was, he said, the Queen’s Order in Council relating to emigrant ships • these were regulations which fixed the time of rising, and of retiring to rest. Fires were to be lighted at eight o’clock, and by the cook only, and extinguished by him at seven, unless otherwise required for the master or for the use of the sick. The master was to fix the order in which the fire-side might be used by families. There were regulations about fights, amj

forbidding smoking between decks, lyo,passenger was to take on board any spirits or gunpowder. There were instructions for the superintendents of.einigrant. ships, surgeon, and for the captains. ' l ! Mr Macdonald then, m,answer to questions, aid that all the entries referred to were posted in the ship, and the regulations mentioned were observed. A miscellaneous cargo was taken in. The number of emigrants was below the statutory number (as defined in the Passengers Act Amendment Act, 1835, IS and 1J Yic., cap. 119, section 14.) The New Zealand Government have also regulations of their own. Examined Wood Hill, be said the stowage of the . cargo was, superintended by a stevedore, who was specially employed, , and whoso duty it was to stow cargoes. There was nothing improper in the cargo, and, in witness s judgment, it was properly stowed. • He was acquainted with the character of _ the cargo usually carried in ships to Australia and New Zealand, and this was such as is usually sent to the colonies from London. Mr. Wood Hill : It has been suggested that there was an unusually large quantity of inflammable matter.

Mr. Cohen : Not by me. Mr. Wood Hill : If there is no suggestion of that sort, I need not meet it. Mr. Cohen : If it is not unusual, it may still he improper. Mr. Watkin Williams supported Mr. Wood Hill’s question about unusual quantity. Mr. Cohen said he was astonished the Crown should think proper to send emigrants abroad in ships without chartering the whole of the ship. The fact that spirits must he sent to the colonies was not enough to justify sending them in a wooden ship with more than 400 emigrants in her. Examination by Mr. Wood Hill continued: The captain was quite cool and collected, and remained so till the last. There was no confusion preventing the men from working at first, and the force-pumps were quickly to work. The confusion was in the after part, among the women. The confusion arose among all when it became impossible to do anything. By Captain Pryce ; They had a good crew. Tire only persons punished had been two emigrants. The coalhole was not visited by any officer. An ordinary seaman went down and the passengers hoisted the coal up. By Captain Castle : There was no possibility of any of the crew getting down into the fore-peak, taking a plank out of the bulkhead, and so getting into the cargo for beer or spirits, although it was true the officers had contemplated taking out a plank or two to get through to the coals. It was a very strong bulkhead and affined with tin, and all the coal and -provisions -S»fr e re aft, and the men would have had a long way to go for spirits. ■ There was nothing to prevent them getting down into the fore-peak except the locks, and they could be broken Ever since he had joined the ship he had never seen the boats other than the two lifeboats off the skids, excepting the captain’s gig. It would have taken about twenty minutesto get the long-boat out under favorable circnmBy Mr. Turner: The. shaft between the single men and the boatswain’s locker was 4ft. by 3ft. The bulkhead in the ’tween decks was two inches and a half thick. The boatswain’s locker was secured to the beams. There were combings, hatches, and looks to each, hatch. The hatches were removed several times during the voyage, hut the passengers could not have access to the hold without. breaking the locks. Thomas Lewis, examined' by Mr.. Cohen, said what Macdonald said about the fire, was, so far as he knew, all true, but he knew nothing about the cargo.. He washed the starboard quarter boat every morning. : He had a few boxes of lucifer matches to light his pipe. Every man had them, but none' of the matches were taken down to the store. Edward Cotter, called by Mr. Cohen, said he was an ordinary seaman on hoard the Cospatrick, and that what Macdonald had stated about the fire was correct; He saw smoke coming- through the" cracks in the forecastle where he was asleep, before he rushed on deck. It was coming up the air-shift, and came be-„ tween the cracks of the boards which separated the forecastle from the air-shaft. He smelt tar and ropes burning. He bad been ordered some three or four weeks before the fire to go

into the looker and clear it up. The boatswain was in the habit of getting some one of the crew to go there and put it in order, and he might leave him there some time without lookin/ after him. The locker was only cleared out twice after leaving London ; hut the boatswain would often in the course of the day send men down for ropes or anything that was wanted. When the witness cleared up the locker, he found oils, paint, oakum, rope, brooms, and brashes. The oils were - in the eye of her, right forward. It was pretty dark in the locker, and when a man went down, he would take one of those round globe lamps always covered—one which they used for a riding light in the Downs. Oakum and ropes were spread about when he went down. A tin of oil was sometimes brought on deck ; otherwise the, oil was kept in the eye of her. The oakum was next to the oils when witness cleared up the locker. • - By Mr. .Wood Hill : He thought the fire broke out “in the fore-peak—that is, in the boatswain’s locker.”' The single men passengers first found the fire out, and they ran into the forecastle crying “Fire,” and said.it was in the boatswain’s locker. There was a deck between the boatswain’s locker and the forepeak, but there was an opening in that deck, and the opening led down into the fore-peak, where the coals were stowed., When the coals had been got up the flap was put down. There was a close hatch. The bar was put over the close hatch, and it was locked with a padlock. The thickness, of the flap was,.,about 3m. ■ "Coals were brought up twice a day. _ A lad used to go down without a light, the light from the deck shining down. Macdonald, recalled by counsel ■ for the Board of Trade, could not undertake to say there was any oil immediately abaft the bulkhead nor anything about fifty drums of oil. There was coal under the water-tanks, but only just a little to make a level flooring. The oil must have been higher up than the coals, not touching the coal at all. . The inquiry was .then adjourned till half-past . . eleven next morning.

Second Day. The official inquiry into the burning of the Cospatrick was continued yesterday at the Greenwich Police Court, before Mr. Patteson and the assessors of the "Board of Trade, Captain Castle, Captain Pryce, and Mr.'Turner, principal 'shipwright surveyor to the Board. Mr. Arthur Cohen, Q.C., and Mr. Hargrave Hamel appeared for the Board of Tradej Mr. Cx. Wood Kill for the owners of the Cospatrick. The inquiry was watched on the part of the Colonial Government by Mr. Denmstoun Wood, with whom was Mr. Watkm Williams, Q.C. . , , ~ The nature of the cargo was proved by the documents put in on Wednesday, and the inquiry yesterday was principally directed to the mode of stowage. As to this, the evidence of the managing stevedore who stowed the vessel did not in some points agree with the accounts raven yesterday and previously by the second mate, nor did cither’s statement tally with the rou<di plan made from memory by the ship s husband. In tho end, however, Mr Patteson declared that the Court was satisfied that the cargo was properly stowed, although ho guarded arrainst any expression of opinion as to the propriety of carrying such goods as it included. The managing stevedore had previously admitted to counsel for the Board of Trade that the eventuality of a fire on board was not in this case, nor usually, one of the considerations present to the stevedore’s mind in stowing the vessel. It should be mentioned here that the word “bulkhead” will be found below to be used by the witnesses in two senses : first, as applied to the regular partition of timber and metal in the fore part of the ship ; secondly, as an arrangement of cargo m the hold, which serves some of the purposes of such a partition. Mr. Stephen Thompson, of George Thompson, inn., and Co., tho owners of the Ahmleen Clipper Bine, was examined by Mr. Wood Hill His firm, he said, was largely engaged in the China, Australia, and Hew Zealand trade, taking their own risks and not insuring. Ho had seen tho manifest of the Cospatrick, containing a list of oil, spirits, turpentine,

pitch and tar, and he saw no objection to those articles. His firm owned the ship Samuel Plimsoll, at the launch of which Mr. Plimsoll assisted. She had sailed to Australia with emigrants on board, and loaded as the Oospatrick was, with spirits, oil, and light measurement goods—a general cargo, if ‘ In." examination 1 by- Mri Cohen, hel said the Samuel Plimsoll was 'an iron vessel with' collision, bulkheads., .-No precaution'vVaa taken in lus vessels about the locker, but as a rule it was on deck. A fire broke out in one of them, the Miltiades, under the cooking range) through the excessive heat of "the condenser, but it was put out before it reached the cargo. It was confined to the deck. Asked if;he thought any cargo objectionable, he said he would not 'like to carry acids; they 'might be ignited- by concussion, and. the ship could not bo saved; but he did not think spirits or oil objectionable, except so far as they might damage fine goods’. You‘might as well have a whole cargo of brandy or oil, and whether emigrants were on board or not, for 40 lives are as valuable as 400, and owners ought to be as careful of the lives of their crew as of any. Macdonald had said that, more than 200 could not have been saved by the boats of the Cospatrick, and Mr. Cohen asked the witness whether: the difference between means of saving 40 and 400 by the boats might not be sufficient reason for greater precaution. There was no answer. i

By Captain Pryce *. He had often, had- to pay damages to merchants for the plunder of cargo. 1 Isaac Carter, managing stevedore for Mr. Westhorp, called by Mr. Cohen, said he superintended the stowage of the Cospatrick. He leaves a foreman in each ship, and visits the ship twice or thrice a day himself, examining stowage. The foreman who stowed this ship is ill. He did not know anything about the boatswain’s locker ; be had nothing to do between decks, but in the hold. He got down to the fore peak through two' scuttles, one through the upper deck and one through the main deck. In passing through from one scuttle to another he did not pass through the boatswain’s locker. There was a bulkhead between the shaft and the boatswain’s locker. No cargo was put in the fore-peak, but coals were. Abaft the forepeak there was a bulkhead, and between that and the forecastle, coals, water, salt provisions, pitch, and tar were placed, and a few tins of oil—forty or fifty, but he did ■ not count them. He should think there were thirty or forty tons of coal in that space. He could give no idea of the quantity of pitch and tar.- They were in casks of about 2ft. 4in, by 2ft., and perhaps forty casks in the two ■ Wings. , They were stowed in the wings of the water tanks. The forty or fifty cans of oil were stowed upon the coals ’ upon the port side. If the wings were made up level they would take that. There was nothing in the wings but pitch and tar, except, perhaps, a few cases of provisions. The space between the bulkhead and foremast was full. Thq water tanks were up to the decks within a foot, and in the centre there was a space of three or four feet between cargo and deck. There were some coals under the water tanks, to a depth of one foot to sixteen inches. Near the bulkhead, where they had run over, they were nearly,up to the top, .but the greatest height of them was eight: or *teu feet. On the coal was the oil. .Next aft were the water tanks ; then general cargo. There were three lengths of casks of oil at the bottom on the ship’s keel at the after part of the tanks. Above that were crates;of glass, crockery ware, and rough ware, to prevent any communication between the fore-hatch and the main. The iron was abaft. of the water tanks and the oil, and extended from the main to the mizzen'mast. The oil;was separated from the coal below the water tanks by means of flat’ wood placed along the ’ends of the casks. The light measurement goods, such as paper, curtains, &c., would be stowed between the water tanks which were abaft the foremast and the mainmast..... Measurement goods are used in all emigrant ships to close up all liquids, so that spirits cannot be got to. In stowing this ship, they made a “bulkhead,” going up to the deck, of light, rough goods, about 12ft. abaft of the water tanks., Immediately abaft the “bulkhead” was the bottled beer. As regards the passengers’ stores, the provision stores were forward, the- dry stores between the main and after hatch. Abaft the mainmast there was iron at the bottom, and above that cases of bolts for railway lines ; above them were the dry, stores. Abaft the bolts were two rows of water tanks on top of railway iron. Abaft the water tanks were tanks of malt and casks of cement. • Above them were bales of light goods, blankets, &c. The spirits were stowed fore of the mizzenmast, and protected from any one getting at them by the bales of, light goods. There were 1000 or 1500 cases of spirits on board—a large quantity. The spirits extended aft nearly or quite up to the stern-post. All the cases of spirits and part' of the bulk were abaft the water tanks, hut there were some in the fore part of the main hatch, in the wings of the malt tanks, including four butts of wine, and twenty-five casks of rum, protected from plunder with hardware in the wings, and covered with light goods. His firm loaded all the Auckland ships for Shaw, Savill, and Co., most of which are emirrant ships. He went to the Cospatrick when she first came to her berth, and when there were already barges and goods in the sheds waiting. By Mr. Wood Hill : He had been nine years a managing stevedore, employed by the best firms in superintending the stowage of 100 or 120 ships a year. Many of those were engaged in the colonial trade. They know where the ship is bound for, and make arrangements for stowing accordingly. It was, in his judgment, good stowage to stow the vessel in the way in which she was stowed ; and the captain before starting expressed that opinion to witness. The coals, in pouring in, fell on each side of the bulkhead, which originally came; up to the dock ; but they knocked two boards out at the top. The drums of oil forward of the tanks on the coals were in iron tanks. If there are many of such drums they, are constantly found to lealc more or less. In Mr. C. Thompson’s ships they do not allow them in the hold, but carry them in the, cabin, and, very few of them, for they are likely to damage other cargo. He had for many years stowed oil upon coal and found no ill consequences arise. It was put to him that according to the manifest there were only twenty barrels of pitch and tar. He bad thought there were more, hut was not certain. The oil casks abovtrtho water tanks were on the skin of the ship, with the ordinary dunnage beds (of wood.) in two tiers, and they were separated from the coals by the ordinary dunnage wood. The wood was used to prevent chafing. • Leakage from the oil casks would go down the limbers and away to the pumps. The ship was trimmed properly, the bow being deeper by eight inches than the stern. This difference would he reduced to equality by gradual consumption of the coals and provisions in the how. By Mr. Cohen : The leakage from the drums would go into the coals. The boards taken out at the top of the bulkhead were nailed in again after the coals had been got in. They could be removed with perfect ease in a few minutes with a hammer. 1732 gallons of linseed oil, 100 of colza oil, and so on, is not a larger quantity than emigrant ships sometimes have. The oil was stowed near the coal to prevent it from damaging other cargo. That was the consideration which guided him throughout as to the oil. He could not say that the consideration of a fire breaking out ever entered his mind. If any part of the cargo caught fire he should not think there would be much chance for the ship—there were so many light goods on the top, and the fire would run rapidly. He assented to the suggestion of counsel that it could not he better arranged to bum, and would make a capital fire. The captain examined the ship thoroughly every day during the loading, and the stevedore only looked to the trim of the ship. He never heard' that oil on coal was dangerous. He did not go down the forehold after the provisions were put in, and he could not say whether when he last saw it the boards bad been put in again at the top of the bulkhead, By looking down the hatchway he could sec that there were no ropes or hawsers in the forehold. By Captain Bryce : There were no hawsers put on top of the cargo, but it was impossible to get over the “ bulkhead” without breaking

some of the cases bn' thdrtop, which were_ worked up close to the. deck, and would have made the job very difficult. This “ bulkhead” was nine or ten feet.thick.-.. ; ; ! By" Mr.. Wood Hill: '.ln all emigrant, ships ; he, particularly' examines, .the, ‘ ‘bulkheads ”* _ Viiichclose,'iij>'ffie liqjicfy’fuixV t the gangways ■'betweeii 1 fiktcStfaSSk';'' \ '“I ..‘'".'/''k I |.o ' ’ Macdonald, recalled' by Mr.’ Cohen, ’repealed in contradiction to the last "witness,' a ment: he -’made ' oh AVe3rieeQhy,rto ■ the effect that oh the forwardiride. of tho'air-shaft thpre_ was no partitiou'to prevCTjy'anyone ’going" fbr,-j ward into the boatswain's • lockbr., Anyfthing could' be thrown' through the' grating of the single men’s, compartment across the shaft into the boatswain's locker. There were , somehawsers in .the after-part of the fore-batch, and piled right across the ‘ship'‘on'top't»f the cargo, so that jf'they we^ ; e all,, unwound there, would, he a space of about six feet, ' Under the-'liaw;--ser was a tier of-varnish oi;,so,rae fluid, and the beer was in the, next tier aft. Coals, were got up in the morning, and afternoon) and about half of the quantity in the fore-hatch had been consumed by the 17th of November. Provisions weip'got lip price or twlceA week. - ;They would b’e got up by going doWn 'the fore-hatch. The, third. matg, and emigrants got tjie pro'vi-. siona up.' • The'hawsers were put .after they sailed. ' The two hoards which were taken but werfe at, the bbttorn of the hold,’ apd that was ,ta allb'V the coals to,run in. The, boards were taken out before' loading, and the boards were,;, put in, again ~when .there .were . enough coals in the afterrp'art. The fore-peak was then filled'with coals. They were two ‘perpendicular" boards,"'six or ‘seven fee't jin height. Mr. Carter.‘ recalled ; -The !heer Ireache'd up to the deck. He saw that from the .main hatchway. He; believed -the'.boards, were taken out of the bottom first, and after that; out of the top, ’ when ' the coalhole was full. He looked through -the hole above. He was quite sure ‘two were'taken but' atop. - 1 Macdonald,, recalled, ( did. pot see the two boards taken out on top. • By Mr. AVood Hill You could go from the forward bulkhead along the hold till you came to the beer, and .then you, conic) not go along, for the beer itself was built up to the top. This “bulkhead" was composed of beer and light measurement goods. From the other 1 side it could be approached from, the main hatchway. It would be quite easy to get, to the beer, but not to get past itf.on, getting into the .forehold. He afterwards,' bn bis deposition being read, added that 1 the hatches were kept looked, but admitted,men' could get in by removing a board in'the bulkhead. , But the hawsers, together with the wooden" fenders there, were closely packed, although (he assented to Mr. Cohen) when the provisions were removed there would be a space. Mr. Wood Hill proposed to call stevedores to prove the mode of stowage was proper, hut Mr. Patteson said, the Court was convinced, the cargo was properly stowed,. though they expressed no opinion as to the nature of the cargo being proper. Mr. William Barclay Foulger, of the firm of Foulger and Sons, proved that their firm supplied ships’ stores to the Cospatrick, including 20 gallons of Young’s patent paraffine oil,, in 4 5-gallon' drums, 14 gallons of colza oil, 30 gallons of raw linseed oil, 30 gallons, of .boiled, oil,, allin. drums ;..5 gallons of .turpentine, in 1 drum ; 20 gallons, of blaolcvarrusbl'iri 4 5-gallon drams ; I barrel of bright varnish, containing, about 30 gallonsi -1, barrel.of tan containing about 28,.gallons', and-Scwt/of solid Stockholm ’ pitch,in,barrel; a J-barrel ■ of ■ resin, 14-owt.'; 2cwt) ‘of,oakum, in bales ; 991 b. of ground ,oil, paint/In, iron kegs ;,,281b. j of cotton waste,' .in a bag,'; and 20lb. of, tallow, ,! ! The inquiry' was 'then 'adjourned till thismorning, the Emigration 'officer of the - Board of,,Trpdo, the 1 surveyors who pssisted-him'. in, juspeqlirig the Cospatrick,, and the, fopeffirin'.of.'steyeaores^