BURNED AT SEA

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 215, 9 September 1921, Page 5

BURNED AT SEA

SCHOONER CECELIA SUDDEN ABANDONED. CREW FEAR EXPLOSION AND TAKE TO THE BOATS PICKED UP BY TRAWLER JAMES COSGROVE. LANDED AT AUCKLAND THIS MORNING. VESSEL HAS UNLUCKY HISTORY. A blackened hulk sunk off the Great Barrier is all that is left of the four-masted American schooner Cecelia Sudden, which sailed from Auckland on Wednesday to continue her interrupted voyage from Newcastle to Cailao, South America, with a cargo of gas coal. She was found to be on fire last evening, and being unable to suppress it the crew put off in the ship's boats, were picked up by the Sanford trawler James Cosgrove, and landed in Auckland early this morning. She was commanded by Captain E. W. Jay, and had a crew of nine. When she was abandoned after efforts had been made to reach the fire, she was burned to the water's edge.

The trip of the schooner, a wooden boat built at Fairhaven, on the Pacific coast of North America, in 1902, has been unfortunate from the time she left Newcastle just a month ago with 500 tons of coal aboard. After meeting with bad weather oft' Cape Maria van Diemcn she got a fair weather slant for come five hundred miles, and then her bo"sun, a youne man anmed Mervyn Lloyd. from Waihi, Auckland, fell from aloft while bending hoops on the mainsail. The nearest medical assistance was at Auckland, a week's sail to the eouthward, and the skipper made for port, but the poor young fellow, whose back was broken, died just before the doctor boarded the vessel off Tiritiri. The schooner came in to harbour last week, and stayed six days repairing canvas, clearinar for South America on Wednesday. There was a good breeze blowing when the tug left the schooner, but it fell away, and by last ntght she waa between the lower end of the Oreat Barrier and Cape Colville. At 5.30 the mm at the wheel reported smoke coming from the sail locker haten art. captain Jay called all hands up, the hatches were lifted, and in face of heavyvolumes of smoke the fire was fought for a while with buckets, the only firefighting applianecs aboard. FUTILE FIfiHT.

I TRAWLER TO THE RESCUE. Loaded as she was, the little dinghy would hold no more than three, so the mate and two men went in her, and the skipper and the other six men put off in the lifeboat. Both boats were well-loaded and the crews had plenty to do what with bailing and pulling away from the burning ship. Meanwhile the James Cosgrove, which had lifted her trawl, steamed over in answer to the signal of distress and the smoke which burst out when the hatches were raised. The schooner's papers and instruments and the personal goods of the sailors were put aboard the trawler when she came up, and the crew of the doomed ] vessel again put off in their boats, as it had been decided to see if another attempt could be made to pet the blaze under. The master of the trawler (Captain Nielsen), a typical seaman of the resourceful type, keen to save such i a fine craft and her valuable cargo. ■ worked his veesel closer to the schooner, and sent two of his own men on board her. The idea was to ccc if there wae any possibility of getting the steamer's powerful A "HOODOO" SHIP. Since she was launched in 1902 the Cecelia Sudden, which was named after the daughter of one of the owners Messrs. Sudden and Christonson, of San Francisco, has had so ninny mishaps that she has acquired the reputation of a "hoodoo" ship among the superstitious sailormea of the Pacific coast of America, as well as othe-s. who have sailed in her. 'TJlirae, boss." said a Cockney who was approached during the ship's previous visit to Auckland to sism on for the run across to Callao. "I wouldn't care to sail in that ship; there is a bloomin' hoodoo on Tier for the last twenty years. She is called Sudden, and never made » smart trip in 'her life." One Paddy Malone. who was also offered a bunk in the fo'castle. said something similar in a different broane. "I've n>-t the lady before," remarked Paddy. "Sudden she is, and she'll go down sudden, too. No berth for mc until she changes her name to Murphy." MAKES PORT LEAKING. '"I knows her," remarked another sailonnan this morning; "the bosun went mad on her, a year or more back, during a trip from Portland (Oregon) to Sydney with lumber, and another of the crew killed himself a trip before' that." Beyond these her history shows one episode when she put into Suva in distress, and the crew had a pood deal of work to do before she was ready for sea asjnin. About three months ago the Cecelia Sudden dropped into Auckland unexpectedly while on a trip from Newcastle to Callao, also with coal on that occasion. She was then leaking as the result of a buffeting out in the Pncific, and she had to discharge her carao before -he was fit to put out agnin. Old blue-water men on the] Pacific Coast have long declared that I they would not take a berth on her iinli-RR <hi>v w.int<vl to see the inside of Davy Jones' locker. ROBBED OF HIS DINNER. Any *ailor who was at all a victim of superstition would have forboded ill for the man who tilled the vacancy of bosun caused by the untimely accident which brought about the death of M. E. Lloyd. Not only was Mr. A. B. Houston, who signed on in Auckland in this capacity, tal.insr the place of a man who on the li-insr tide of nautical success sustained fatal injuries in the course of his duties, but a'so was he faced with the knowledge that one of his predecessors had gonr out of his mind on the vessel. Houston, however, accepted the position philosophically, and even thoueh he. in common with other members of the crew, suffered personal loss, one incident rather disco;iraces the suggestion that the "hoodoo" was still clinging, particularly to the boVun position. He managed to collect, an emergency valise containing his be*t oufit in the few minutes that :ill hands had to make a personal "save," but in the heat of the moment over- ! looked his watch and razor, which were within easy act-ess. Comfortine himself on at least having a decent shore attire his spirit was considerably dampened when a treasure dearest to his heart, his ?ovtant, could not be found when thf> lalvase was allocated to its rightful owners on the arrival of tho trawler in port. His misgivings changed to ioy. however, when after detailing his exporipnt.vs and regrets to a "Star" reporter I i>. member of the trawler's crew loomed I in :-ight with the much valued navktatinq instrument tucked under his arm. It wa~ :\ happy reunion. Recounting his story, Houston, v.-iio hails from Adelaide, and has recently served on the sailing vessels Raupo and 1.0-.iis TiiioranU. stated that he had ju*t followed the skipper and first mate at

Down in the locker was a store of kerosene, while on the poop near-by there was a fifty frallon tank of benzine, ami the chances of an explosion at any minute added to the alarm caused by the rapid spread of the fire. As coo" as the hatches were lifted thick clouds of black smoke swept up into the rigging. Everything in sight was deluged wi'h salt-water without effect, and. as the fire seemed to be paining very rapidly, the hatches were battened down in order to stop the draiifrht, which simply fed the flanipe. As it seemed hopeless to fiar'it the fire, which apnea red to be extending , below in the direction of tlic benzine, the boVun went un into the ripping and waved a white quilt to si<mal a trawler which wae seen working with her trawl down about a counle of miles away towards Cane Colville. Before the trnwicr sent help the hatches over the fire were a lain tak»n off, but the smoke burst out in everfr-ow-ing volume, and it was quickly how hopeless it was to deal with such a blaze with only buckets. So down went the hatches acain. and the crew, not knowing the moment an exolosion mirht come, hurriedly cast off the two boats the schoorer carried. The officers seized the shin's instruments and panere, and put them in the email dimrhv, whi'e Ihe men, hastily eettinff tocether n few personal effects, put them into the lifeboat.

tlie dinner table, and was about to enjoy a steak, when his attention was distracted by men running about the deck. Being under the impression that perbape someone had hooked a shark or an unusual fish (there was practically a calm at the time) he went above to investigate. Seeing the smoke issuing from the hatch he joined in the bucket brigade, but it was soon apparent that the firo β-ou 1 d always be master of this method of suppression. "IT HAPPENED SO SUDDENLY." The first mate of the Cecelia Sudden, Air. H. G. Weideman, has had previous cvnerience on t!ie vessel. He came to Auckland on her on the previous trip, three months affo, anrl left her to go back to Australia. Evidently the fact of her evil reputation did not affect, him. for when she nut in an appearance at Sydney, and the mate's berth was vacant, he signed on again, although he had had personal knowledge of some of her mishaps, notably the leaking , episode at Suva and a similar experience at Auckland. Mr. Weideman, in common with most other member.? of the crew, which represent many countries, although their number is only ten all told, has Inst practically all his personal possessions. "Everything happened so suddenly," he told a reporter this morning, "that there was no time to do anything. The fire was burning so fiercely that we had to hustle to get out the boats which were made fa«t in expectation of heavy weather." When first eeen thi3 morning he was busy in Mr. Tvrohill's office at the Sailors' Home, very carefully winding up the ship's chronometer, and he explained that what with helping to save the ship's papers and instruments and getting the boats out he only had time to grab a suit and a couple of β-hirts. A QUEER SIGNAL. Most people are apt to consider that trawling in the gulf is a monotonous sort of job, but as a matter of fact the trawl men have their full share of excitement. Steaming slowly along at four miles an hour with the trawl down the crew of the Jamea Cosgrove, one of Sanford Limited's big boats, were rather mystified at the very queer signal of an amorphous looking white something fluttering from the rigging of a four masted schooner, which lay almost bocalmed off the barrier last night just after tea time. The mystery wae quickly explained when they saw a burst of smoke rise from the schooner's afterend, and it was seen that she was in trouble. Hurriedly getting the trawl in the Cosgrove lost no time in making over towards the schooner, which by this time had all her sails lowered, evidently in order to prevent the leaping flames from setting the canvas alight. Two boats were seen to put off from the sailer, and after consultation the skipper of the trawler, as mentioned above, tried to see if anything could be dono towards getting . the trawler'e steam fire hose to work, but without success. CAPTAIN JAY COMMENDED. After the inquest on the late bosun, the coroner, Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., forwarded the following letter to Captain E. W. Jay, master, Cecelia Sudden, Auckland: —"Dear Sir,- —I desire to place on record my appreciation of your fine action in retracing your voyage from Newcastle, New South Wales to Tallan. Peru, wh n about 500 miles to the eastward of New Zealand in order to get surgical aid here for one of your crew, the late Mr. Mervyn Lloyd. It is to be regretted that the poor boy did not survive to reach his native lami. although there appears to have been little hope ot' recovery—hie injuries being too severe. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did ail possible for the injured man, and wero in no way to blame for the accident. It is a pity that the sacrifices made for him were in vain. I thank you in the name of humanity for what you have done." WARNING TO SHIPPING. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The secretary of the General Post Office has received the following message from the customs boarding inspector at Auckland: "The schooner Cecelia Sudden is reported to have been burnt outside of the Great Barrier. Ships are warned to keep clear of wreckage. The crew are cafe."' .^^^^^^^^^^^^