DESTRUCTION OF A NEW ZEALAND PACKET-SHIP BY FIRE.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 436, 27 December 1861, Page 2

DESTRUCTION OF A NEW ZEALAND PACKET-SHIP BY FIRE.

The loss of the London and New Zealand passenger ship William Brown. Captain Barclay, commander, was made known in London on the lath of October by the arrival of one of ihe pissentiers. The ill-fated vessel was totally destroyed by fire on the night of the 2nd October, in lat. 3644, long. 1.2-3 W., near the Western Islands, and it is gratifying to state that with the exception of one man, the steward, who is supposed to have been suffocated, the whole of the passengers and crew were saved. The William Brown was a bavque-rigged vessel, sbotifc 500 tons, classed A 1 at Lloyd's, and was taken up by Messrs. Shaw and Saville, the New Zealand emigration agents andtbrokers inT>adenha)l-street, for a voyage to New Plymouth.. She had a general cargo of merchandise, and some eleven or twelve fir.-tclasa and steerage passengers. She sailed from Grave-end- about theVth of September, and all appeared to have gone well with the ship until about six o'clock on the" evening of the 2nd.of October, when she had reached the above posir tion. It was then discovered that a fire had broken out in her forepart, supposed to be by the bursting of some tins of oil or turpentine stowed under the forecastle The officers and crew went down in the hope of being able to stifle the flames, but they were unable to get near th- seat of mischief! The captain and crew made another effort to extinguish the fire, and, after four hours' vigorous exertions it was apparent that the entire destruction of the ship was inevitable, and that no time was to be lost in abandoning her. The boats were ordered out, but, ow'ng to a heavy cross sea that was running, there was great' difficulty in lowering them and keeping them clear of the ship. The crew succeeded in getting them down, and the ship was finally ab mdoned at eleven o'clock. About one o'clock in the morning a brig was observed making towards them. The captain directed the gig to go to the brig, and she succeded in reaching the vessel about three o'clock ; and at six o'clock tlfe other boats were descried, and the whole of the crew and passengers were safely got on board the brig, which proved to be the Swedish ship Hedriy Charlotta,-of Stockholm, Capttiin J. A. Hallengrein, which was on a voyage to Kio. The captain nf the brig saw the fire twenty miles off: and at once bore down to it, and seeing the foremast and mainmast gone, but not a human cre-iture about the blazing baique, he supposed that they had taken to the boats, and thought it his duty to cruise about in the hope of picking them up The passengers and crew speak highly of the humane and generous conduct of those on board the Swedish brig; but for the prompt aid which she rendered in bearing down to them they must doubtless have all perished, and they trusted that the English Government would not allow this gallant service to pass unrewarded. They were landed at 'Madeira,' an<i the brig-went on her destination. The William Brown and her cargo were partially insured at Lloyd's, The ices |s estimated «t j$O0?-.—(Jlom9 tfew^ Oct. 26,