Fearful Shipping Casualty.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 27, 14 January 1875, Page 6

Fearful Shipping Casualty.

_ _ A* NEW ZEALAND' IMMIGRANT VESSEL BUKNED WITH 400 SOULS ON BOA«D.. The Omeo which arrived at the Bluff; on Saturday last, brings news per English-tele-gram of one of the moat dreadful shipping disasters which has yet overtakenthe trade to this colony. The information to hand is necessarily hut very imperfect*. Still, it seems to be more than probable that the harrowing details- as given will turn out to be only too true. The subjoined particu lars are gathered from the ' Otago Daily Times*' and other sources : — The London- telegrams to hand by the fl.s. Omeo from Melbourne give us news o* one of the mo^-fr terrible disasters at sea that has occurred for y« ars — the burning of the emigrant' ship Co-patrick, off the Cape of Good Hope, aud the loss of four hundred and sixty lives. The vessel was on her. way to Auckland with immigrants, and as a large proportion of those who have p rished doubtless had friends or relanvein that Province, the intelligence will carry grief to many a home. The date of this terrible occurrence was November 19fh, so that some time must neces arily elapse before we are in p S3Pssion of all tbe details of the catastrophe. Thise, unhappily, will be harrowing enou»b, if we may judae so' from what is conveyed in the telegrams The Co-patrick. was a- wooden vesj-el of 1199 f ons burthen, and visited New Z-tn laud a little over a year ago. S^ie belonged to Messrs Shaw,. Saviil, and Co., and warcommanded by Captain Eimslie. She left London on the ill-fated voyage on September 8 h, carrying (according to the 'Euro pean Mail ') 424 Government immigrants four steerage passengers, whose namfs are not »iven, and one cabin pa-senaer (Dr J. F. Cadle).: On September 10.-h she left j Grave-end, and the next we bear if her ithat on the 19<.h of November, when <fl the Cape, she was burned. T.'ie particularwe are in possession of with regard to the disaster are to the iffect that in one hour afttr the flames broke out- the vessel was completely gutted, and tl at hundreds who prefernd a death by drowning to being burnt d to death cast themselves overboard and peruhed. Tne origin of the fire is not known. Two boats, each containing thirty pets ms, in charge of the first and seco- d inaUs.- left the vessel. <. n* boat has not since been heard of, whilst all but three on boi d the second met a fa'e even more te* ribl«s than- that of the others who lost theilives.- Many died raving mad, and the telegram* b-ate that the onty three sur vivors— Mi- ssrs Macdonal.l, Lewis, and Cotter — nly managed to suiuort life by subsisting on the bodies of their dial comrjsde- 1 . The boat containing the survivors hid been adrift on the ocea ten da- s wen s s c was picked up by the ship Butish S:ep're. It would be was eof words to attempt to picture the. suffering of thest untortunate — the tale is told \i\idl tnougb even in the curt words of the telegram. We a:e to!d that Caf tain Eimslie a»d the doctor stood by the vrsrel till tlu la-t. and then jumped overboard and were dri>wned. . Tt.e three survivors have arrived in London, and a* fund for their r - lief, and for as-i>tiug tbe rtla'ives <f > hose who lest their lives is hi ing raised. The L rd Mayor of London and the owners of the vessel ha - e each sub-cribed L2OO and tin re is no d<;iibt 'hat a large sum vm 1 he ra ; sed. Last evening, one of the immigration < fflcers here telegraphed to A'wckfand to ascertain vvhe'her there were am persons on b -a d the Cospatiick fur Otago. « -l a reply will be rec> ived this morning We are inform- d that there were no nominated immigrants on board for Otago ; but a young womin in this city had two sisters, passengers by the- ill- fared vessel The. Cospatrick vva '' emph.yid as a transport ship at tr c time of the Indian Mutiny. ADDITIONAL PARTICULARSConcerning the vtssel:— The Cospatrick wa« a frigate built ship, of 1199 tons, com ma-'.ded by Cap'aiu Elm^ley,. v\ho is •,> bro'her of Captain Elmsley, of the ship Sah'raon, *hich left Londou for Melbourne on Sept. 12 It will be recollect* d tha she visred Port Ghalme's-eigh'een months a_'o, anivinj tlvre on July 6 1873, after a pi«sage of 108 da\s. She was.bu.lt a 1 Mi uliiuan,.ot teak, on the Aberdeen clip per principle, .and made, i-cveral voyag< .<• from Calcutta to L< nd<n in tlie iateres of Mea-rs Duncan, Dunbar, and Co. A singular far-ah'y attaches it* If to v. sail? which belonged to this now extinct firm. The Duncan Dunba% "recked at Sydney Head* in August, 185S, was one- of their line, and the sole remaining' vessel of the fi'et now that the Cospauck bas been horned is- the Dunbar.. The Cdspatruk w-.is on ber second voy-ige toNe* Zealand, under the fl g of Shaw, Saville, and Co.. who r-n'-hasrd her abour two years ago lor L 11,000.' Her voyage to this Colon\ *as to Port Chalmers, whence she went to Newcastle, there loaded coal for Calcutta, wh'ef cc sbe conveyed coolies to Deu.erara. where sbe loaded Migar for London, hrriving home about July last. Sne was then placed on^the berth ft)* Auc-lai d. took in • caruo at" tbe Ea*t Indhu Export llccks alongside the ship Lang-tone, now lying at Wellington wharf. Toe seoond officer of ihe Cospatrick was on the point of accepting a sini'lar position on the Langstone. but * c decided to remain by th; Cospatrick. The doomed vessel left the docks on Sep temher 8 ; in company- with the ship S'.muel Pllmsoll, bound for S\driey,.Hnd four days later the Lsngstoue sailed for Wellington, but nothing wa< seen of the <"o-*patriek on the voyaue,- although the Samuel PlitnsoU was- sighted- and. spoken twice. The berth vacated by the Cospatrick in the dock was afterwards occu pied by the Glenora,' which arrived at Auckland on January 5; aud wa* mistaken by tbe Auckland papers for the Cospatrick. Every precaution lor the safety otthe pas seng-rs in the event of fire or shipwreck was enforced by the Emigration Board bef.ire the Gospa; rick- was ailowvd to proceed to sea, and a new apparatus for the rapid. launching of her boats was insisted upon by the Board, besides the addition of an extra engine in case of fire.