NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5920, 16 February 1880, Page 6

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

The following items of information are extracted from our files by the San Francisco mail. The most interesting is of course THE TAY BRIDGE DISASTER.

Of the accident itself all the particulars that are known have already bean published. Wo one survives, and the only accounts given are by those who watched the bridge on the eventful night afar off. The Times correspondent telegraphed on Dee. 30. As has already been announced, a Board of Trade inquiry has been promptly ordered. _ MajorGeneral Hutchinson and Major Marmdin, to whom it has been entrusted, aro now here, the latter Laving arrived last night, tne former this forenoon. At noon they started for the scene of the catastrophe in a special steamer, accompanied by Sir Thomasi Bauch, tho engineer of the brioge j Colonel Tolland, Mr Maclaren, general superintendent of the North British Railway, Mr Bell, the engineer, and a few others. Their survey was confined to a general inspection of the fractured remains of the structure; but this sufiiced to show how completely the terrible blast had done its work. Let me recall the fact that in its central portion the trellis work was some 20 feet higher than elsewhere. This central section, which measured 1061 yards, in 13 snai’o was thus a distinct and homogenous structure. It is the whole of tins section, with its 12 sets of supporting iron pillars, that Ins been thrown into the water. As s-en from a little distance, it would bo difficult to imagine a ‘ cleaner ’ piece of work, as the engineers call it. The 12 stone and brick piers on which the iron columns rested looked like so manv gunboats moored athwart the stream. To-day we could see tho fragments of the ironwork which covered alt of them, but so nearly perfect are the parties of the bridge left on either side of them, that one might easily suppose that the bridge was on’.v in course of erection and that the central section had just been begun. It was strange to reflect, as we cruised about there, that within not many yards of us some 80 or 90 fellow creatures were imprisoned in tne crip of a terrible death. It would not be safe to draw any inference regarding the position of the I rain from the state of the piers. It mav be noted, however, that tho destruction of the ironwork has been most complete near the middle of the gap. The sixth pier from the south end has less ironwork left on it than any of the others. On tho fourth and eighth piers from the same end, two courses of the solid masonry of Carmylie stone have been torn up by the leverage of the shafts sticking in them, as simply, to all appearance, as a forest tree when blown over tears up a layer of turf with its roots. Between the middle and the north end the pressure seems to have been greatest. On the first pier at the south end there are two lengths of iron pillars standing erect. On the third there is one length in the same position. On none of the other piers are the pillars left in anything like order. On some of them the masses of iron are snapped across as if they had been pipe-stalks. The inference drawn from these facts is that the train had got past the middle of this highest section of the bridge when the fatal crash came. That the train wai in fact the cause of the breakdown of the bridge very little doubt can be entertained. The most probable explanation of the accident is that the broad surface which the tiain- presented to the wind increased the pressure on the bridge to an extent which overmastered its power of resistance. Those who have previously crossed the bridge in stormy weather have been sensible of a feeling not only of vibration but of oscillation in its'central portion. This, I believe, was allowed for in its construction, and was regarded, like elasticity in ice, as a sign of security. But evidently the point at which the structure could recover its equilibrium had been passed on Sunday nifrbt. A gentleman who travelled in the last train that crossed the bridge safely on Sunday afternoon asserts that the sense of the bridge yielding to the wind was alarming, and the friction between the wheels and the rails on the western side was so great as to produce a con'inunn line of fire. No doubt the 1 flash ’ which, according to several onlookers, preceded the disappearance of the train was due to the same cause. Probably the bridge had been weukmed by the passage of the southward train referred to, and the last and lost train only completed what had already been Hero a strong impression prevails that if the traffic had been suspended during the gale tho bridge would have been still intact. A suspicion is entertained that some parts of the ironwork may hare been impaired by the hte intense frost, but this point is not likely to escape the notice of the Board of Inquiry. The result of the investigation will bo eagerly awaited, as on it depends tho future, not only of the Tay bridge, but also of the proposed suspension bridge over the Forth.”

As scon as possible divers were sent down, but owing to the length of the gap it was some days before they could find tho place where the train lay. On Dec. 30 a carriage was at k-:t discovered, from the position of which it was supposed that the whole of the train would be found between tho fourth and fifth piers from the south side ; and, accordingly, the divers, on getting to work at slack water, confined themselves entirely to that portion of the bed of the river. The expectation of the public was not disappointed. In the course of the hour and a half during which the divers were able to work next morning, they discovered the engineand tender and two third-class carriages, though no bodies. Thera were, as betore, two diving parties engaged, one connected with the Harbour Trustees and the other with the North British Kailway Company. The Harbour Trustees had a steamer and a diving barge, with two divers named Box and Harley ; the railway company had only a small launch and one diver, named Simpson. Each diver made several descents, being obliged to come up at intervals to rest. It would appear from the statement of these men that the train is lying inside the girders, which, when in their places, formed, with the permanent way, three sides of a square. Tho top was open except for a few cross ties. These girders are now lying upon their eastern side, and tho carriages remain inside them in the order in which the train was made up. This was as follows :—First the engine and tender, nsxt two third-ela;S carriages, then the first-class carriage, afterwhich came two more third-class carriages, a second-class carriage, and last of all the guard’s ran. Toe first-class carriage discovorel, occup : ed therefore, tho middle of the train.

Simpson gives the following account of his work, frojn which the difficulty attending the diving op rations may bo gathered : “ Tr.e depth of the water was 18 or 20 feet. In my first descent L found the remains of a third-class railway carriage. It was lying on its side between the fallen girders ; that is, one side of the latticed ironwork was beneath it and the other side above—jmt as it must have fallin The canhgo was, of course, in a very ragged and dilapidated condition ; all the gliss was broken anl the woodwork greatiy smashed. I3at enough was left to enable me to trace the framework of the compartments. 1 crept as well as I could through the surrounding network of girders, and at length got into the c image, but could fed nothing particular, except what I believed to be a portion of the wooden s.-ats. I groped about for tiro dead bodies of any of the passengers, bid could find none, 'ihe water was muddy, and I found myself, as is always the Case at low tide, in complete darkness. I should, perhaps, here mention (hat at high water it is sometimes possible to see at the bottom a disance of nearly 20ft; but this cannot bo done at elb tide; especially with so much fresh running down the river as at present. All my work at such a time has therefore to be done by feeling about. On going down a second lime 1 found the engine of tnc train lying on its side, with the lines of crossed girders above and beneath it. The eirders underneath wire much twisted and broken, no doubt owing to the immense weight of the locomotive falling with them from so great a height as the top of the bridge. The engine and girders were partly imbedded in sand. I found the coals from the tender lying scattered about in heaps near the weather-board of the engine, but I could not get the lines and tube connecting me with the ventilating apparatus and the steam launch to run clear enough to let me

reach where I supposed the tender would bo lying. There was too much wreckage about to let me move about freely or go far without danger of getting entangled. Sometimes my feet were on the ground at the bottom or the river; at other times I had to scramble as well as X could along the clearer parts of the fallen girders. In some cases I had to climb up upon the wreck of ironwork, on account of the river scour having excavated much of the sand from around the heavy stationary objects, so as to leave them in a kind of hole, or surrounded by what I may call a ditch. The scour acts in the same way at the bottom of the bridge piers, and makes the bed of the channel at this point rather irregular. In groping about I came upon a cylinder of narrow diameter, and, putting my hand into the mouth of the tube, thought it was the funnel of the engine. In order to mako sure I traced it along to the smoke-box door. The funnel is a short one, as is always the esse with these Bogie engines. From the smoke-box doer I had to retrace my course past the top of the funnel to the top side of the engine, and there I found that the sheeting of the boiler had been partly torn off. 1 then made my way to the stormboard, and on feeling it was surprised to find that the glass of tho two windows remained unbroken, doing fur her in at this point I searched about for tho engine-driver or stoker, but could find no trace of either of them. I picked up the driver’s gauge-lamp and took it to the surface with me. As the tide had now turned, it was thought advisable to stop work for the time, since there is more danger of getting ‘fouled’ with wreckage during flood tide than in ebb tid*, and besides working is much more difficult. If there had been a clear way for actual work, I would rather have stayed down for a long time than have taken so many short “spells,” for ibis more harassing 1o go often up and down with so much weight as I carry than to remain a few hours at tho bottom X have been at work three or four hours at a stretch in the tideway without ever taking off jay diving dress. On coming to the surface it is a relief to get off the heavy air-tight helmet, but it is a still greater relief to get rid of the breast-plate and the leads, each 281 b in weight, which are attached to my back and chost. In addition to these weights, I carry 141 b of lead plate on the soles of my seaboots.” Both Harley and Simpson were employed, as divers at the construction of thi bridge, and are pretty familiar with tho bed of the river. On one occasion Simpson wss able to recover near mid-channel an engaged ring which a young lady lost in sailing ashore from the Mars training ship. It was a gold ring with diamonds in the setting. Having ascertained the spot where it had dropped, he went to the bottom, and succeeded in finding it in the mud near one of the bridge piers. The operations conducted late in the afternoon were not quite so suceessful as those of the morning. Only two of the divers, Simpson and Fox, went down, and they had to work not only in a very much increased depth of water, but also’ for some time after darkness had fallen, and when nothing could possibly bo visible under water. All they did practically was to make a more careful examination of tho carriages previously discovered. They managed to get inside all three, and found that all the bodies as well as most of the seats and the partitions in them had been washed out. Litlle, in fact, remained of the carriages except the shells, and these were in a very battered and dilapidate! state. The roofs were all off, also mast of the doors. It is now thought probable that no bodies will be discovered at the srene of the accident. All t e carriiges of the train are accounted for except theca. Following tho engine were two UiirJ < K-s c..n g-s. The wreck of only one of these upp ars to have been found, although tho whole space between the engine and the first-class carriage has, it is believed, been explored. Possibly the two rarriages are now mixed up together. Of the last three carriages of the train—the third class, the second class, and the guard’s van —nothing has yet been seen. They must have detached themselves from the rest of the train. The course taken by the Worth British Kailway Company in employing only one small launch and one diver at the scene of the catastrophe is unfavourably commented upon. Had half-a-dozen or more divers been employed from the fir.t all the carriages, or what remains of (hsm, would, it is thought, have been discovered by yesterday, at latest, and tho anxiety of the relatives of the lost to some extent relieved.

The Board of Trade Inspectors, foreseeing that some little time must elapse before they could open their enquiry, left on Dec. 31 for the Soulh. It is uncertain when they will return. Previous to their departure they examined the southern portion of the bridge, over which the train passed, acd found that it was not injured in the slightest degree, even to within a few feet of the gap. The engine was found about 30 yards south-east of the fifth pier, so that seven spans, or about 500 yards of the bridge, must have fallen without being touched by the train at all. In justice to the constructors, however, it should be borne in mind that the two pairs of gliders which fell on the south side were four spans, and the pair on the north side five spans, in length ; and that the fall of the middle pair from any cause—and it was upon those that the train happened to be—would almost necessarily entail the fxll of the others attached to them. The girders still standing are of different construction, being below instead of above the line of rail*. it is intended, as soon as practicable, to float the submerged girders to the shore by means of pontoons, for the inspection of the Govornment officials.

A number of the North British Railway Company’s servants were engaged on Dec 31 collecting the wreckage which had been cast up on the beach on both sides of the river. A very large portion of the wood lay between Harecraigs and Broughty Castle, and the greater portion of it has been placed above high-water mark. “Many Jragments,” (says the Times' correspondent) “ have been carried away to be used as firewood, and it would seem that some persons have been unscrupulous enough to remove a number of the planks, as the bellman was sent through Broughty Ferry last night to warn them that they would be prosecuted if the wood was not returned. Nearly all tho woodwork of tho broken part of the bridge seems to have been washed ashore at Broughty Ferry. The larger portion of the wreckage belonged to the permanent way. It consisted principally of broad two-inch planks thickly clogged with pitch, numbers of heavy beams used as supports, and pieces of tho thick bevelled outside edging of the floor of the bridge. Still bolted to this edging are many of the blue-painted iron stanchions which formed parts of the top rail. One of the large pieces of timber which had formed the outside of the floor bears an indent which seems to have been made by tho wheel of some carriage as it toppled or ran over into the river. The indent, which is about two inches or an inch and a half wide, is clean and freshly cut for a certain length, and then runs off at an angle, with a ragged tear as it leaves the wood. Between the lifeboat-house and Broughty Castle are lying six or seven carriage doors, besides numerous pieces of sides of carriages with tho windows smashed, three or four large pieces of roofs of carriages, and several ends and divisions of compartments. Two of the doors were marked “Tnird ” and one was marked “ Second,” and the glass in tho last was unbroken. There was also tho back of a first-class compartment with the arms hanging to it, but completely stripped of the cloth and padding. A glance at the piles of broken limber shows how complete the work of destruction has been and what an immense weight and pressure must have been brought ti bear on the ma'erial. There are pieces of various sizes broken in almost every conceivable way, planks 2in or 2Jin in thickness and about a foot broad being broken across at each end in lengths of about a foot.” A fund has been opened for tho relief of the sufferers. Subscriptions have alreadybeen rectived to tho amount of £2OOO, including £SOO from the North British Railway Company and liberal sums irons the Directors individually; also, £250 from Sir Thomas Uoucli, t he designer of tho bridge. Majir Marmcin, the Board of Trade Inspector, and Major-General Hutchinson, his

colleague, visited the bridge after the accident, and examined particularly the broken piers, so far as it could be done from the deck of a steamer. On two of the piers only _ namely, the first and third on the south side ■ —was any ironwork left standing upright. They presented for the most part nothing but a shapeless mass of broken columns and twisted bands of iron. In some oases the rivets of the columns had snapped ; m others the base of the columns themselves had been wrenched off. The iron bands were tw.sted into the most fantastical shapes, while the columns lay at all angles or hung over the side of the stone work, as if they would drop into the water. As a rule, the columns were turned eastward, but in a few cases they were inclined towards the west. This would seem to show that the bridge was not blown over in a mass, but that at certain poinfs it collapsed. It was thought some portions of the carriages might be found on the top of the broken piers ; this, however, did not prove to be the case. The following description of the bridge was given on the occasion of its being opened for traffic on May 30,1878 : “ The Tay bridge has something more than a merely local interest. As a triumph of engineering skill and well-directed energy and perseverance, it is worthy of, as indeed it has already attracted, very general attention. It is certainly tho longest bridge of its kind in the world, and that is a thing of which its projectors and makers are quite entitled to be proud. There are longer viaducts over meadows and marshes, but there is no structure of nearly the same length over a running stream. Its length may be stated broadly at two miles. Including the extension on the northern shore, tho exact length is 10,612ft—that is to say, is longer than the Victoria bridge, Montreal, and the Britannia tubular bridge taken together. This great length is taken in 85 spans of varying width, the widest (of which there are 11) being 245 ft. The level at the shores is between 70ft and 80ft above the sea; in the middle it is 130 ft above high-water mark. The skill displayed in a work of this kind is proportioned to the difficulties that were encountered and overcome; and in this view the engineers of the Tay bridge are deserving of the highest praise. In many respects their resources were put to a severe test, bat on no point have they failed. The greatest difficulty that met them arose from the varying character of the bed of the river, which compelled them to adapt both the foundations and the superstructure of the piers to the different conditions that presented themselves. Hear the shores the rooky bed was easily reached, and on it piers were raised built of brick throughout. Further out it was found that the rock suddenly shelved away to a great depth under clay and gravel. There the cylinders, filled with concrete, which form tho foundation were made of much greater diameter, and above the high-water level iron pillars were substituted for brick. The lattice - work girders, as well as the cylinders, Were prepared on shore, and were floated out on rafts to their position. The only serious accident that occurred in connection with the undertaking was tho bursting of a cylinder within which men were excavating ; the water rushed in, and six ct the workmen were drowned. The platform on the top of the bridge, which carries the single line of rails, is only 15ft wide. The bridge does not form a straight line ; towards the north end it curves eastward to Dundee. The whole structure has a remarkably light and graceful appearance. It is so long, so lofty, and yet so narrow, that when sien from the heights above Newport it looks like a mere cable swung from shove to shore ; and seeing a train puffing along it for the first time excited the sann kind of nervousness as must have been felt by those who watched Blondin crossing the Niagara, Fragile as its appearance is, however, there is no doubt of its thorough stability. The total cost of the bridge was £350,000. The cost of the Britannia tubular bridge, which, however, has a double line of rails was £601,865. The Tay bridge was designed by Mr Thomas Bouch, O.E. Mr A. Grotho was the superintending engineer; and the contractors were Messrs Hopkins, Qilkes and Co., of Middlesbrough.” The nearest approach to this terrible catastrophe was the destruction cf tho bridge between Toronto and Hamilton in Upper Canada, when an express train met a somewhat similar fate. This happened in 1857, and its details are doubtless already forgotten. .The engine ran off the line j ust as the train arrived upon the bridge over the Des Jardins Canal, and in doing so cut through the bridge, which gave way bodily. Engine, tender, and passenger ears were all precipitated into the abyss below. There were two feet of ice upon the canal, but the train broke through everything. Everyone in the first carriage was killed, so were many in tho second, and most of those who escaped with life were mutilated dreadfully. The total number in the train was 95, all of whom but about 20 lost their lives. Among those killed was Mr Zimmerman, a well known railway contractor and financier.

DISASTERS AT SEA. LOSS OF THE BOEOS3IA AND 200 BITES. The Liverpool correspondent of the Times telegraphed on Dee. 29 : —'* Some survivors of the Borussia arrived in the Mersey to-night in the German b vrque Fulda, Captain Bassbn. These were five Spaniards who had joined the steamer at Corunna. The Fulda was on a voyage from the Philippine Islands to Liverpool, and at 8 o’clock on the night of Dec. 7, the mate, who was on dock reported a light ahead. The captain went on deck, but could see nothing. Shortly afterwards, however, he taw the boom of a small boat, and heard voices. The barque, which was sailing at the rate of about eight knots before a fine breeze, was put about and fell in with the boat, which was considered almost a miraculous circumstance, as the night was very dark and the vessel had to sail about some considerable distance. One of the occupants of the boat, on approaching the Fulda, jumped into her mainbrace, where he hung, unable to move, he was so overcome with previous exposure. Captain Bassoa seized the man, but the dead weight was almost too much for him, when the chief officer of the Fulda got hold of both and hauled them on board. The boat was then made fast, and the other four occupants were brought on board the barque. Toe men were in a terrible state of exhaustion from the exposure to which they had been subjected for five days and six nights. They were washed and supplied with food. Then they were put into berths and slept without interruption for. 68 hours. When they awoke they were questioned as to how they came to be in tho predicament in which they were found by Captain Basson, but it was oaly with some difficulty that the circumstances could be elicited from them on account of their language. They stated that they joined the Borussia at Corunna as passengers. Tho steamer left Corunna on Nov. 26; passed St. Michael’s Island on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 30, and in the afternoon of the same day they passed two other islands, which were probably St. John and Fayal. On the afternoon of Dee, 2, the men say, during a gale with heavy cross seas, the steamer sprung a leak amidships and the water gained rapidly, despite all the efforts of tho crew to keep it down. Ultimately the water filled the engine-room and stokehole, tho fires were extinguished, and of course the engines became useless. At this time the Spaniards say that they heard the captain say the Western Islands were 400 miles distant. When Captain Roberts, the master of the Borussia, found he could make no head against the inflow of water, especially as the weather was very bad, he gave orders for the boats to be lowered. Tho chief officer, a lady, two girls, and the five Spaniards picked up liy the Fulda got into one boat, and while they were remaining by the vessel to take some more of them on board, a heavy sea da-hed tho boat against the side of tho steamer. A hole was thus knocked in the side of the boat, and the mate and the three females, fearful that she would sink, immediately managed to scramble back on board the steamer, Iho Spaniards also desired to get back to the Borussia, but the rope parted and the boat was carried away by the sea. The men at first gave themselves up as lost, as there seemed no possibility that the battered boat could live in such seas as were rolling. Ihe men cast about for some means of stoppingup the hole in the side, while some of them baled out the water.

At length one of them, who had .been sea, conceived the idea of stopping the influx ot water with his oilskin overall trousers. Ho put one leg of the trousers Into-the other, thus making a thick bolster, and m this w»y was enabled to effectually stop “he teas. Tho trousers were passed over the gunwale, and then behind the seat, »nd two men sat on them lo keep them in their place, so as to cover the hole—one man sitting on the end at tho bottom of the boat and the other pressing them against the side of the boat. The men have nothing particular to say about what occurred from this period till the time they were picked up. They can only state that during the whole five days and six nights they were exposed to the mercy of the waves and the severe weather. The Spaniards themselves say they were treated with great kindness on board the German vessel. Their names are Manuel Pereira, Manuel Fernandez, Josef Anudo, Josef Franzan, Francisco Mendez. Captain Basson says that when the poor fellows were got out of the water they manifested their joy in as extravagant a manner as they could, kissing the deck and clasping their arms round the knees of the captain. The Fulda was last night taken into the Prince’s dock, and the Spaniards will have to remain on board for the present.”

The Times adds: —The Borussia was a-com* paratively old vessel, built in the Clyde in 1855 by Messrs Caird and Co., of Greenock, but fitted with new engines and new boilers in 1871 by Messrs Day and Co., at Southampton or London. She had been for a considerable time in the service of a German Transatlantic. Company, but was re-purchased for England, and belonged at the tium of her loss to the Dominion Company, of Liverpool. She was valued for insurance purposes at only £20,000, steamers built 24 years ago being much less valuable in proportion to their tonnage than more -modern vessels. Placed on the insurance market at this low rate of valuation, the premiums at which insurance was effected were, we believe, very moderate —l2s 6d per cent., it is said ; but the Company who owned ter,-themselves took about £SOOO, or 25 per cent., of the risk. She was insured in Paris, Glasgow, London, and elsewhere. The value of the cargo may have been about £30,000. It consisted of heavy goods—to a large extent of tin plate. When she was four days out from Corunna, and had accomplished but a small portion of her voyage across the Atlantic, the storm of Nov. 30 came on. On that day it blew freshly or strongly at every point of observation on the western and southern shores of England. Out in the Atl intic, where the Borussia was, the testimony of the survivors is that there was a gale from the south-south-east. Next day (Deo. 1) the wind is said to have chopped round to the north-north-west, and the ship sprang a leak, which indicates, in the absence of explanation, structural weakness. The water rose in the ship till it put out the fires. The passengers remained, it is now stated, amenable to discipline, and the captain cool. The boats were launched and provisioned. As is very usual in these' cases, only some of the craw, expert men who can shift for themselves, have, as far as we know, escaped. It is still possible that other survivors may be found. The captain has apparently gone down with his ship, but as the doctor, the third officer, and the fourth engineer, arc among the saved, we are likely to obtain ultimately an intelligible account of the disaster from a deck officer, an engine-room officer, and a still more highly educated man. Seven boats were launched', -but the account implies that there were not boats enough for all on board, for some persons remained on the ship when all the boats had been got out. One of the survivors says also that they went to the boats without orders, a reply which leads to the inference that a discreditable rush to the boats was made (after they had been more deliberately got out and provisioned) by the crew, an inference which we sincerely trust to see finally rebutted. Indeed, the statement is already contradicted. The sea was so high as to swamp at least one boat. When the survivors’ boat left the ship her covering-board (the point at which the deck joins the sides) was but two inches above water. It is not surprising that the ship sank the same night. If the account is accurate, she must have been on the point of sinking then. It appears that she had not yet got into the track of the Royal Mail steamships, which trade to the West Indies in about a fortnight from Southampton, for it was a sailing-ship from Bassein (the great rice port of Eastern Bengal) which picked up tte survivors and landed them at Cork. The Borusaia was an iron'vessel, propelled by screw, rigged as a barque, numbered 7503. Her registered tonnage was net 1320, gross 2075, under deck 175,6. In length she was 292 ft, in breadth 38fb 6in, in depth 25ft. She had two compound inverted engines with two cylinders, the diameter of which was 36in and length of stroke 72-50. The nominal horse-power was 300. She was not classed at Lloyd’s, but in the Liverpool book. It will be seen from the list of passengers supplied from Liverpool, as well as from the further narrative sent by our Cork correspondent, that the apprehended loss of life falls somewhat short of the numbers at first anticipated. Thera were 120 persons on board — 66 passengers and 54 crew before the Borussia reached Corunna, where 64 Spaniards embarked for Cuba. This increased to 184 the total number of persons in the ill-fated vessel. Of these 15 have been saved ; 10 by the Mallowdale, as narrated by our Cork correspondent yesterday, and five by the German barque Fulda, as telegraphed by our Liverpool correspondent this morning. Thus, 169 of the passengers and crew are left unaccounted for. It is possible, however, that other boats belonging to the ship may have been picked up by passing vessels, and that in this way the rescue of more of the passengers and crew may still be reported.

THE SOMERSETSHIRE IN TROUBLE. On Dec 23, the Somersetshire reached Plymouth after a short but exceedingly adventurous passage. She belongs to the firm of Messrs Money, Wigram and Co., trading between London and Plymouth and Australia. The career of the Somersetshire since she left the docks a week since has been most remarkable, she having been no less than twice ashore and four times in collision, and having met with a series of other accidents more or less serious. She left London about two weeks before, but on proceeding to the Company’s buoy off Grave-end another steamer ran inio her, smashing her port lifeboat, besides inflicting other damage. The following morning, while still at anchor in consequence of the prevailing fog, two steamers, the Diomeda and Castilla, bore down upon her, and the former came into collision wi:h the Somersetshire on the starboard side and carried away the davits, broke the water-pipe, and otherwise damaged her bow. The steamer remained, off Gravesend for three days, the fog clearing* orders were given to get up steam and start. In going down the river sho came into collision with a barge carrying away the mast, inflicting other injuries, and creating the utmost consternation among the women and children on board. The officers and crew of the Somersetshire rendered every assistance and remained off Thames Haven all night. At 7.30 the next morning orders were once more issued to get up steam for the start, but the fog still prevailing, she had to stop until tho tide made. The next mishap occurred at 6.30 p.m. An ordinary seaman, Claud Carlberg, a Swede, was on the bowsprit, when a gust of wind took tbe sail, and instead of the poor fellow loosening his hold, he clung to it. The sail capsized and he was flung overboard, comieg in contact with the poop on the way down. The engines were reversed at once and boats were lowered, one in charge of the chief officer, Mr Paget. The man was at first seen in the water, but in the darkness he was soon lost sight of, and the electric light was then flashed. After pulling about for more than an hour, it was felt to be useless to stav longer, and the Somersetshire once more proceeded on her way to Plymouth. Next day, at 1.15 a.m., while just off Eastbourne, tho American schooner Hattie MacFarlane, bound for Ipswich with a cargo of Bombay shalols, was seen bearing down. Tho Somcisctshiro was going at half-speed, but the schooner is alleged to have been proceeding at a smart rate. Tho Hattie MacFarlane ran into the Somersetshire on the port bow, carried away

her jibboom, and knocked a big holb in her bow about a foot above the _ load-line. Into this the water rushed with much force until a plug was inserted in the hole, which subsequently was effectually made watertight with shawls and blankets. The damage sustained by the Hattie MaoFarlane, however, was much more serious. She was caught amidships, and her foremast, maintopmast jibboom, and all headgear were carried away. The Somersetshire remained by the schooner all night,- and next morning left her in charge of fishermen to tow hack to Beaohy Head. On the steamship reaching Plymouth a Writ from the High Court of Chancery was nailed to the mast, claiming £4OO damages on behalf of Messrs Cooper and Co., 21, Leadenhall street, the owners of one of the injured vessels. At present Captain Ticehurst is awaiting orders, his vessel being now under arrest. On Deo. 27 great activity prevailed on board in replacing the jibboom and in making good the other damage. NEW ZEALAND FINANCES. The conspicuous success which attended the application of Hew Zealand for the last loan of five millions sterling has been the theme of general comment. More than twice the amount asked for was eagerly proffered ; and severe disappointment was the feeling of many applying subscribers when they were told they must be shut out. It may be that the fact of tho Bank of England acting as agents for the loan, and receiving the applications, had something to do with the success. But those who say this in the way of reflection upon both the Bank and the Colony, forget two important points. The first is that the Bank of England would not, out of respect for its own national position, have to do with any loan if it were not satisfied of its absolute security. The next is that the subscribers to new loans, as a rule, keep a sharp look out after their own interests, and make themselves very certain on their own account, before subscribing, that, everything is right. The Bank of England is a national institution it is true, but it is a corporation with interests of its own, which are only served by doing business ; and it is entitled to enter upon any safe and profitable business it pleases. No doubt it finds it both safe and profitable to act for New Zealand. With reference to the general state of the finances of the Oolo.ny, they are not, it must be admitted, so glowing as its friends would desire. The deficit for the year is likely to be much more than is quite comfortable. But the New Zealand is not the only Government in this position in these times. The deficit with which the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Great Britain will have to reckon next spring will be formidable ; and Indian finances are assuredly in a troublesome condition. New Zealand is a young country, with vast undeveloped resources, aud there is no danger of her not paying her way, though it may be as well not to force the pace of her development during the next few years. And, as we understand the matter, this is precisely what the Colonial Government has made up its mind upon. There are to be no more loans for a long lime. —Some News.

ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF THE KINO OF SPAIN. Madrid, Dec. 30, Afc a quarter past 5 this afternoon, as the King and Queen were returning from a drive in an open phaeton, driven by the former, a youth, 19 years of age, named Francisco Otero Gonzales, who was concealed behind the sentry-box at the entrance of the Prinee’sgate of the Palace, fired two pistol-shots. J hej first ball grazed the head of a groom who was sitting behind. The Queen, on hearing the report, bent anxiously forward to the King, when, it is said, a second ball passed so close that she felt the air fan her face. The criminal was immediately arrested. The sympathy is general throughout the capital, and the Palace is besieged by persons of all classes offering their congratulations at the escape. Four other persons have since been arrested. Night. The popular indignation excited by the attempt on the King’s life was very marked tonight. A noticeable circumstance is that to day is the fifth anniversary of his proclamation in Madrid and also the anniversary of the murder, nine years ago, of Prim, whose requiem mass was celebrated to-day in the presence hf a large and distinguished assembly. r Another telegram says: —■ The JDiario Espanol, published this evening, says that two shots were fired by Otero at the King and Queen, the second of which passed quite close to the Queen’s face. The weapon was a double-barrelled pistol. The members of the Diplomatic Body went to the Palace this evening to present their congratulations to their Majesties on their fortunate escape, and to-morrow the Senators and Deputies will also wait upon the King and Queen to tender their congratulations. The attempt excites general indignation in Madrid. It is believed that Otero had accomplices, and three persons have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in his crime. Otero, who is a rough-looking man of low statue, has been living in Madrid for sometime. King Alfonso was present this evening at the opera,

THE WINTER ON THE CONTINENT. In Russia, as in the rest of Continental Europe, the winter season this year commenced earlier than usual 5 but the cold has been, upon the whole, up to the present time, less severe in the east than in the west of Europe. In St Petersburg the greatest degree of cold yet experienced this winter has been 18deg. Reaumur, or about 40deg. below freezing point of Fahrenheit’s thermometer; while in some localities in Prance and Germany the cold registered last week was lOdeg. tno; e intense than this. In Moscow and St Petersburg the cold had greatly decreased at the date of the latest advices. A thaw setrin in the Russian capital on Dec, 14. For a fortnight, however, even according to Russian notions, the cold had been very rigorous, varying between 27deg and 40deg below freezing point Fahrenheit. During this time it is reported that wolves made their appearance in the streets of Paulovsk, a favourite pleasure resort of the citizens of St Petersburg, and two of the animals were pursued and killed in the middle of the day by the natives of that village. Some members of the St Petersburg Hunting Club, who had gone on a bear hunt in the neighbourhood of Narva, had come across no less than six fine specimens of Master Bruin’s family, of which they succeeded in the course of the day in killing three. While in Russia there has been a change to milder weather, which, however, will probably be very temporary, the rivers in Germany have been freezing up. For the first time since 1871 the Ruhr, a Rhine tributary, on the banks of which are some of the .most important coal fields of Westphalia, was during the past week covered with ice, completely stopping the traffic of the coal steamers. The Rhine, too, which is by no means one of the least rapid of European rivers, was frozen over at Mainz, so that on. December 17 people could go across on foot to Castel, on the opposite bank. The river was also nearly frozen up at Bingen and along the Rheingau, while as far down as Cologne and Diisseldorf all traffic was stopped by the large quantities of drift ice and the gradual freezing up of the stream. 2f rom Cologne up to Bingerbriick all tho riverside ports affording protection to boats from the ice are now completely filled with voisels. At Worms the Rhine was nearly frozen across on Deo. 16. A large portion of the Netherlands looks like one sheet of ice, and people can skate almost from one end of the kingdom of Holland to tho other.— Timet Deo. 31.