Ocean Tragedy Recalled

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 22 September 1934, Page 11

Ocean Tragedy Recalled

ONE of the mogt terrible disasters in the long list of ocean tragedies—the burning at seq., while on the voyage to Auckland in 1874, of the emigrant sailing ship Cospatrick—is recalled by the disaster that befell the American luxury liner Morro Castle on Saturday last. The Cospatrick, which was bound from London to Auckland, bad 479 persons on board, of whom only three survivors eseaped death by fire or water. The ship, a wooden sailing vessel of 1199 tons, was owned by the Shaw, Savill Company, and commanded by Captain Elmslie. She carried, in addition to four saloon passengers and the captain’s wife and infant son, 429 emigrants from the Midland and eastern counties of England. They were comprised for the most part of agricultural labourers and their families. Their passages had been arranged by Dr. Featherston, then Agent-General in London for New Zealand. , Many of them were nominated by relatives and friends in the Auckland district. s*he Cospatrick left London on September 8 and everything appeared to have gone well until a few minutes after midnight on November 17, when the ship was about 800 miles west by south off he Capa of Good Hope. Somebody, it was staged, noticed smoke issuing from the boatswain's loeker and gave the alarm. The awful <jry of “Fire” rang through the vessel and the passengers ,thus disturbed from their slumbers, rushed up from their sleeping quarters to the deck. Like bees from a hive they swarmed from every hatch more or less scantily clad, and it was suggested that the presence of so many panic-stricken people on deck did much to handicap the crew in their vain endeavours to get ' the fire under control. In spite of their heroic efforts, the crew qqd passengers could make no headway against tlie flames. The fire quickly worked aft, and the crew were thus hampered in the work of getting the boats over the sides. The first boats lowered were sunk ,and only two boats kept afloat. The occupants of the boats that sunk perished. One of the two boats that were launched disappeared and was never heard of again. The otheir, the port lifeboat, containing ?I men, hoyered in the vicinity, and the occupants saw the ship sink on November 19. All those left on the’ blazing vessel were drowned. The master,. Oiiptain |)lmslie, threw his wife and child into the sea, apd then followed when he saw it was hopeless to remain. After drifting about for 10 dajrs the port lifeboat was picked up by the ship British Sceptre, bound from Calcutta'To Dundee. All but five of the 41 occupants of the boat had died of hunger, thirst and exposure. The second mate, Mr Henry McDonald, gave a description of the tragedy at an inquiry held after he reached England. He stated that he was aroused from sleep by the cry of “Fire!” Rushing on deck he saw dense clouds of smoke issuing from the fore peak. The boatswain’s locker, containing oakum, rope, varnish and paint, was ablaze. The fire engine was rigged, and soon the fore part of the ship was deluged With water. The captain had managed to get the ship’s head befqre the wind, but presently, by some extraordinary mischance, and one that the second mate was nnable to explain, she came head tp, the wind. The smoke from the blazing forepart was then driven aft in suffocating clouds. Flames burst out in the ’tween decks, and in less than aq hour and a-half the Cospatrick was doomed. Dreadful scenes followed as the emigrants became panic-stricken. One boat was launched, but was immediately swamped by the frantic men and women who jumped into it. The longboat caught fire, and in the end only two boats got away safely. These were tlie port and starboard lifeboats. The boats stood off the blazing ship, the occupants being helpless to assist the crowd of demented people rushing hither and thither through the dense smoke and flames in their last effort to escape the impending final tragedy. The occupants of the two boats could only watch the fearful tragedy to the bitter end.

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The main and mizzen masts of the doomed ship fell, and many of those who had crowded aft were crushed to death. The stern of the ship was blown out by a terrific explosion. That was the end and the shrieks of the doomed passengers and crew were suddenly silenced. The condition of those who had escaped in the boats was very desperate. They had neither water nor food, and the boats were not equipped with masts or sails. In the starboard lifeboat there was but one oar.

The two boats kept company on November 20 and 21. It then commenced to blow, and the boats became separated. The second mate whistled and shouted when the daylight came with the hope that the occupants of the other boat would hear his voice, but there was no sign of the boat. The occupants of the second mate’s boat soon began to suffer severely from thirst. A man named Bentley, who was steering, fell overboard, and was drowned. Three men lost their reason the same day, and died. The bodies were dropped into the sea. On November 24 four men died. On November 25 the boat’s company was reduced to eight, and three of these were delirious. Early on the morning of November 26 a ship passed close to the second mate’s boat. She passed not more than 50 yards away. She was a foreigner. The boats’ occupants hailed the ship, but received no answer. Another man died that day. On November 27 the weather was squally, but the unfortunate occupants of the boat could not catch a drop of water, although they made every effort to do so. Two more men died that day. There were then five left—two able seamen, one ordinary seaman, one passenger and the second mate. The passenger was practically crazy. All drank sea water.

The occupants were dozing when the demented passenger bit the second mate’s foot. He came to life quickly, and then saw a ship bearing down on the boat. The welcome stranger proved to be the British Sceptre. The five survivors were taken on board the ship and kindly treated. Two died almost immediately. The second mate became very ill and had not recovered when the British Sceptre arrived at St. Helena. The other two survivors were members of the crew.

From St. Helena the survivors were taken to England by the Union liner Nyanza, which called at Madeira whence a cable message regarding the disaster was sent to London, this being the first tidings of the fate of the Cospatrick. to reach England. Tlie arrival of the steamer at Plymouth was anxiously awaited. So intense was the interest that hours before the Nyanza was signalled representatives of every important newspaper in the United Kingdom were at Plymouth in readiness for the arrival of the castaways. There was, of course, great competition for the first “story,” and Archibald Forbes, the famous war correspondent, afterwards wrote an interesting article describing how he succeeded in beating his rivals in getting off to the liner and obtaining the first interview.

The British Government despatched a warship to Tristan da Cunha, in view of the possibility of the second boat having reached that lonely little island in the Atlantic. This mission proved fruitless and the fate of the missing boat remained a mystery.

The Cospatrick was due at Auckland in December, but as the days passed without her arrival no particular anxiety was felt, as it was known that the ship was not among the fastest of sailers. There was no cable news service in those days, and it was not until early in the forenoon of Sunday, January 10, 1875, that information of the tragedy reached Auckland by telegraph from the Bluff, where an English mail had arrived, via Melbourne. An announcement of the sad tidings was made that day in some of the city churches. The majority of the illfated passengers had relatives or friends who had been awaiting their arrival and the news created widespread consternation and sorrow.