BURNT AT SEA. LOSS OF THE BARQUE NORGE. THE CREW RESCUED BY THE CANDIDA.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 426, 7 December 1889, Page 4

BURNT AT SEA. LOSS OF THE BARQUE NORGE. THE CREW RESCUED BY THE CANDIDA.

Tub loss of tho barque Norge. a Norwegian vessel, by lire in the North Atlantic is reported by Captain Matheson, of the ship Candida, which arrived in Port Jackson last Tuesday. Fortunately no li\es were lost, tho crew and passengers, 14 all told, including the captain's wife and daughter, being lescuod from two boats on the high seas by the Candida 20 hours after they had abandoned tho burning vessel. It was on the morning of September 11th, says tho " Sydney Telegraph," that the Norge was fallen in with by the Candida, the position boing lat. sdeg. 47min. north and long. 20deg. 50min. west. Captain Matheson was on deck and was the first to sight the burning ship on the horizon. She was somo 10 miles distant from tho Candida at tho time, and the don Q o volumes of emoko pouring from bor told that the fire had gob a big hold of the ship. Daylight had just dawned, and the weather boing tine with a southerly breeze Captain Matheson lost no time in kcoping his ship off a point or two, with the intention of running down to the burning vessel and rendering what assistance might bo required. Before the ship had got far, however, the two boats from the burning ship wore sighted making towards the Candida lull of people and with the Norwegian flag flying. They had evidently seen the Candida eaily in the morning, and

FEARING SHE PASS without giving them succour, had left their vessel and pulled with all might for the ship. A few minutes sufficed to get them on boaid, and having been made comfortable the captain proceeded to give particulars of the disaster. The ship in the meantime bore down to the burning vessel, and the chief oilicer and portion of the crew of the Candida boarded her. They did not remain long aboaid, however, the dense volumes of smoke causing them to beat a hasty retreat over the side and eeek shelter on their own vessel. The Candida remained a couple of hours by the vessel and then kept away on her course. Two dajs afterwards tho Candida fell in with the chip Bay of Bengal, homeward bound, and the captain, with his wife and daughter, the two matos, the steward and a boy belonging to the Norge were transferred to her. This was in lat. 4deg. 38min. north, long. '23deg. we?>t. Captain Legg, of the Bay of Bengal, would have taken home tho remainder of the crew of the Norge only that he was short of water, and as no other homeward bound ship was afterwards seen, Captain Matheson had to bring the other seven sailors of the burning ship on to Sydney. Their names are :—: — Call E. Carl.sen, Gabriel E. Bernlsen, J. Thoresen, X.' Eiek&en, Theoda A. Kobiscn, G. Elerteam and K. Villurnsen. On the arrival of the Candida Captain Matheson reported the loss of the Norge to tho Norwegian consul, ttho arranged for the accommodation of the seven men at the Sailors' Home.

THE STORY OP THE LOSS OF THE VESSEL is a biief one. She had le f b Granuemouth in the month of July with some 600 tons of coals tor Buenos Ayres. Tho captain intended calling at Monte Video for orders and had shaped a course accordingly. The weather after leaving Grangcmoubh was fine, and the winds being light, progress was slow. All, however, went well until near ing the Equator, when the ship was found to be on Iho, smoke coming from the fore hatch. Tho main hatch covers were removed and by making a passage forward among tho coal the crew endeavour to get at the seat of the fiie. In this, however, they were unsuccessful. The fire increased and the smoke " took charge-" of tho \essel, forcing the crew to leave- their quarters forward and seek shelter in the cabin. There they remained twodays, when fcatingan explo-sionamongsb the cargo, they took to two boats (which had been previously watered and provisioned) and dropped some distance astern of the ve&sel. It was 11 o'clock on tho morning of September 10th when the

BURNINO VESSEL WAS ABANDONED, andaboufc 20 hours later the Candida hove in sighb and picked them up. One night wad spent in the boats by the unfortunate people, and it is stated that they were only rescued in time, as their frail craft could not possibly have lived in the 'boisterous weather which afterwards f-et in. The people from the Norgo consisted of Captain C. Tallisen (the master), who had his wife and daughter with him as passengers, the first and second oiliccrs, the former a relation of the captain, carpenter, cook and steward, two able seamen and five boys. The captain's wife cried bitterly during the time she was in the boat, but otherwise behaved we l !. The crew saved nearly the whole of their effects from the burning vessel, and even the carpenter's kit of tools was brought away by the chief oHicer of the Candida. When la&t seen the flames had burst through the decks ,of the Norge, so thab the work of destruction had fairly set in. The Norge was on her first voyage under the Norwegian flag. She waa originally known as the ISJary Hogarth, and was built ab Nova Scotia in 1875, being constructed of wood. Her dimensions were : —Length, 143 feet 6 inches ; beam, 32 feet 2 inches ; and depth 18 feeb. .Sho was 588 tone. Captain Tallisen was part owner of the vessel, and bhe chief officer also had a share in her. Sho was only partially insuied.

Prisoners in Irish and English gaols, whether accused of felonious or only political offences, aro treated with a soverity unheard of this side of the world. The chaplain of the perry gaol has recently been dismissed on the mere suspicion that he had carried letters to Mr Conybeare, a political prisoner. Two priests connected with the Clonmel jail have aho been dismissed for the heinous offence of supplying Dr. Tanner with an occasional sandwich and pipe of tobacco with which to ameliO' rato the hardships of prison life. . A citizen bought himself a book the other day and wrote this on the fly-leaf: " Presented to John Jones by himself, a.9 a mark of esteem,"