MELANCHOLY DETAILS CONCERNING H.M.S. ATALANTA. Letter from one of the Crew. A Mutiny on Board. Seamen Flogged and Put in Irons. Arrival of Five Sailors at Portsmouth. The Condition of the Vessel.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1263, 3 August 1880, Page 3

MELANCHOLY DETAILS CONCERNING H.M.S. AT AL ANT A. Letter from one of the Crew. A Mutiny on Board. Seamen Flogged and Put in Irons. Arrival of Five Sailors at Portsmouth. The Condition of the Vessel.

The following is a copy of a letter which has been received by the writer's relations at Brynmawr, from their son, a young man on board the ill-fated ship Atalanta. Mr Feate, of the Five Salmons Inn,; Brynmawr, to whom we are indebted for the following copy, states that the original is in his possession, and he will be glad to show it to anyone who may be interested in such a communication, and to answer whatever enquiries they may make. As our readers will perceive, the letter is dated Barbadoes, January 4, and it is now known that after the vessel left this station all trace of hfr was lost. It therefore remains as a melancholy reminiscence of the sad disaster : — " H.M.S. Atalanta, "Barbadoes, January 4, 1880. " Dear Mother, — I now take the pleasure of writing these few lines to you, hoping to find in good health, as it leaves me at present, thank (God} for it. Dear mother, sorry that I have not wrote to you before, because we have had such very bad time of our passage across the Atlantic Ocean, and it as been so hot out here that we do uot know what to do. We crossed the line on Christinas Day. We had a merry Xmas of it ; we was starving. We ran short of provisions. A week before we had mutiny on board, we had bix in irons, we have flogged once oeince, we had twenty-four with the cat and nine tails, and we have just got some more awaiting to be sentenced. Dear mother, I hope that you had a merry Xmas, and that you did enjoy it, and I wish you a happy new year when it come. I should like to know how Emma is getting on. I cannot write her because I have lost her address. I hope that she had a merry Xmas and father-in-law and mother-in-law, and all the family, but I should like to see them, and especially little Jane Ann, and little Charley. Ido not know yet whether I shall be back by Whitsuntide or before yet, but I will write and let you know when we do start for Old England, and then you shall know more about me. We get plenty of fruite out here, such as cocoa nuts and figs in abundance, and the place is a beautiful place, but the worst of it w the people is black ones, and when they do come for clothes to wash the do look do hugely and dirty. They will take your plothes ashore and bring them back again in a hour's time nice and clean and dry, and give them some buiscit or broad they will bring you plenty of fruit, for it is a nice place to go ashore here and sit down _ in a publick house and here the people talk, it will make you laugh. We are going to stop here about a week, and then we are going to Antique. We are going to fit the ship out there.' We shall ljve on shore there about a month or five weeks. So no more at present. — From your affectionate aon, Albbbt Spact, H.M.S. Atlanta, No. 11 Mess, Barbadoes."

(" CENTRAL NEWS" TELEGBAM.) The Plover, screw corvette, arrived at Spithead on "Wednesday, from Vigo. The Plover had been expected in England for some tune past, and her delay has given rise-fro considerable apprehension on the part of those Having relatives and friends on bdafd. The vessel, however, arrived safely as stated, and brought with her five ordinary seamen belonging to the ill-starred Atalanta, who were ' left at Barbadoes, two as prisoners and the others sick in the hospital. The names of the men are William M'Cormack, Thomas Jessop, Edward Ellsworth, Ellis Theophilna westlake and Alfred Stancell. The men were interviewed by the Central JSfaos correspondent, and made their statements with perfect unreserve, and apparently most genuine disinterestedness. M'Cormack, who is 22 years of age, previously hadj eleven years' experience in the coasting trade, and joined the vessel in November, 1879,

at Portsmouth. When asked his opinion he frankly said that he didn't like the ship at all. About a fortnight after leaving England she began to pitch and roll most terribly, and, in his own language, a " chap could not scarcely eat, as, when he put his food to his mouth, the chances were that it was jerked out of his hand before he had time to bite it. " Correoting himself, he said the action of tha ship could scarcely bo called rolling, as it would suddenly in a heavy sea, go over to leeward, remaining there for a minute or two before she righted, so that it was very seldom that they saw a dry deck. For fpur weeks and three days he was. a prisoner, and said on the main deck they could not get any sleep, owing to the roll of the vessel and water which came in, and in some places when the ports were down there were huge gaps in the seams after the ship had been pitching. On the main deck there was aa iron ventilator, and through this the water used to flow. After leaving Teneriffe, about the middle of November, the Atalanta was hove to for three days owing to the violence of the gale. < it wasduringthisoQcasionthata man named M'Clure was lost overboard from the main topgallant yard. During all the bad weather, however, they lost no spars, and only sprung a main chain plate. Alter leaving Teneriffe they ran short of provisions, so sailed to Barbadoes to replenish. They were also put on short allowance in fresh water, but as each tank became empty it was filled up with salt water so as to maintain the equilibrium of the vessel in point of ballast. During the gales which were encountered all worked with a will, and the allegation of anything like cowardice is indignantly repudiated. There was no i panic whatever, and the only semblance to excitement was when, during the height of a severe gale, the order was given " clear lower deck, furl foretopsail, set fore staysail, and fore and main trysail. " In obedience to the order all hands tumbled up, and the momentary confusion of so many meeting on deck was the only occasion wheu anything like confusion (and it was but momentary and unavoidable) occurred. The cry of ' 'man overboard " was raised at midnight, and Captain Stirling was amongst the first on deck, having only a pair of drawers and an oilskin- on. Indeed the gallant commander is said to have never during the heavy weather been absent 10 minutes from the deck. He appeared much worn, and manifested a noticeable silence and reserve, rarely being seen to smile or apeak to those around him. He is spoken of by the men with the utmost affection, a feeling which was general amongst the crew. All , the other • officers were also well referred to, and the crew were described as "as jolly » set of messmates as ever trod deck." About the end of February McCormack was sent from Barbadoes to the Tourumaline, and in sailing round the West Indian. Isles, cucountered some fearful weather, in which it is asserted the Atlanta would have stood no chance whatever. On the way home from Bermuda the Plover carried away her top gallant yard and jibboom, and sprung her main yards, but she was still considered a better ship than the Atlanta. The absence of any recognised wreckage 'leads the men to believe that the vessel suddenly sank, and that the raft recently seen floating in mid-ocean could not have been made on or launched from the unfortunate Atlanta. They say the ship was heavily sparred, her spars being almost sufficient for a vessel almost double her size. She was further described as beino; crank, and could not be depended on. One of the men, asked by the correspondent if he had ever sailed in a ship he liked better, he replied "Yes," and the question being followed by one as to whether he had ever sailed in one he liked worse, the man replied "they could not .find a worse." The seamen have been sent to the flagship, where they will doubtless remain until the conclusion of the approaching official inquiry, at which their evidence will necessarily form a by no means unimportant feature. — Cardiff Weekly Mail

The necessary capital for the construction of a ship canal through the Isthmus of Panama, according to the schemes of de Lesseps, has been subscribed in France. M. de Lesseps estimates that the canal will be completed in six years. There is probably nothing that so obstinately stands in the way of all sorts of progress as. pride of opinion, while there is nothing .so foolish and so baseless as that same pride. The census will be taken in Groat Britain on the night of the 3rd of April, 1881. There will be no " religious columns " in the forms suppled for the purpose. Woman's Nerve. — A tall Jady with a saturnine countenance camo into the " Chronicle 1 ' to-day and demanded of one of the reporters if Virginia offered a good field for a series of a dozen lectures on woman's suffrage. " I don't think the Comstockfrs have thought much about female suffrage," replied the reporter frankly. "Don't say female," said the tall lady, sharply. -" Why not?" asked the reporter, in innocent surprise. "Because, sir, a term that is used to describe sex in animals should not be applied to women." The reporter admitted, in great humiliation, that the point was well taken, and looked up in some alarm at the severe countenance of the lady, who was a head taller than himself, and manifestly able to thrash him in the interest of progress, if so disposed. The stern countenance softened somewhat at the signs of confessed inferiority, however, and the lady continued : — " The cause of woman is the cause of humanity. The cause of humanity embraces all progress; why, then, should the peoplb of Virginia be indifferent to woman ?" " They're not," cried the small reporter hastily; " far from it. Woman is the boss of this camp. Everything she wants she gets, and not one in a hundred has to do a lick of work." " Mere toys," said the tall one, with deep scorn. "Playthings for an idle hour. You cover woman with silks and' gauds, and sink her soul into insignificance by circumscribing her spkere and allowing her no mission in life." "Well," admitted the small reporter, "that's about the way we look at it up here, that's a fact. Women haven't got the nerve to rastle for themselves, like the men/ "Ner-r-r-ve !" she uttered this word in a terrific tone, so terrific that the small reporter half rose from his chair. *' Nerve! What is there requiring nerre that you do that lam not capable of ?" "No offence, xaadam, no offence; I meant nothing personal, I assure you." "Am I ' not stronger than you ?" she demanded, scorning the apology. "Am 1 not gifted with Argreat a brain ? Why do you despise my sex ? We cau b-ar more pain, and are, therefore, your superiors in courage " The small reporter was gazing fixedly at a dark corner of the room, and made no answer, "Nerve, indeed !" ■continued the tall lady, •' why, women have infinitely more nerve than men. Only yesterday I saw a woman y "That's the biggest rat I ever saw in the office," said the small reporter, staring intently at the dark corner. The screams that rent the air brought in all the printers and several eitiaens from the street. Wheu they arrived the tall one was standing on a chair, with one hand covering her eyes and the other convulsively clutching at her skirts as she gathered them close around her. The small reporter wisely took advantage of the crowd to slip out, and he telegraphed from Gold-hill that he was going ,do,wn Carson to work up * big item.«*-nr« gin'm City (M>;<(d») Chronkle*