ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO CALIFORNIA.

Marlborough Express, Volume V, Issue 261, 19 November 1870, Page 4

ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO CALIFORNIA.

EIRE, AND NARROW ESCAPE. We have received by mail this week a very interesting letter dated Honolulu, October 24th, from a friend who left Blenheim a few months ago for Sydney, whence he took his departure for California, en route to Charleston, South Carolina, by Hall’s line, in the Wonga Wonga. As the writer L> well known here, we have made lengthy extracts, which will be interesting to our readers. We may premise that the Wonga Wonga called at Auckland on her way, leaving that city on October 7th at 7 p.m. ; arrived at Honolulu on the 23rd at 230 p.m.; and on the 2oth the passengers reembarked on board the Moses Taylor, and sailed for San Francisco at 3 p m.:—

Sunday, Oct. 9th, 6 a.m.—Strong head wind ; all sails taken in. 12 noon.—Latitude 30° 37' S., longitude 173° 57' W. ; distance run* since yesterday noon, 216 miles ; I lowing very hard ; good few passengers sea sick ; no prayers held this day owing the nasty head wind, and the ship rolling. 9 p.m. Blowing half a gale of wind, and shipping a little water. 104 p.m.— I have been in bed for the last hour, but could not sleep ; the wind rising fast, and ship rolling very much ; smell something in my cabin, as if someone was smoking, but said nothing, as I did nut like to make myself disagreeable by complaining about trifles, but the cabin filling with smoke, and smelling as if burning, Icalleil the steward, who answered “ All right ”; the Doctor, who slept in the opposite cabin, remarked to me that the ship must be on tire; the steward, who was sleeping on the V: • of the cabin table, found out that one of i'.:j cabins intended as a sleeping apartment for. passengers, but used on this trip by the Mail Agent as a sorting room only, was on fire, and had already given the alarm to the second officer (Mr Drew, late of the Phoebe), who with great promptitude got the hose ready ; in the meantime the steward of the second cabin, Mr Biles, and Mr Young, the chief steward, burst open the door of the cabin where the fire was ; Mr Young told me he saw one of the mail bags on fire, and called out for water, which the second steward brought, and Mr Young at once extinguished it. Mr Young informed me that - had it not been found out when it was, in ten minutes more the whole of the second cabin , • would have been on fire. The tire was put out before any of the saloon or steerage passengers were aware of it. The captain, chief mate, and mail agent arrived when the fire was out, and all over ; the mail agent slept in the saloon. , There are a good many suppositions as to the origin of the fire : some say that the mail agent may have had American matches in his sorting., room, and the friction by the rolling of the vessel have ignited them, and so caused the fii*e. The whole affair seems a mystery. I asked the mail agent what damage was done, and he replied there was hardly any damage done ; he admitted at first that there was a mail bag from Wellington much damaged ; others say that he told them that the Government despatches were burnt. He does not seem to be very communicative about it ; in fact, there was no investigation about it, and it evidently appears they wish the matter to be hushed up. All that I can say is that our Almighty Father was merciful to us in having rescued us from a frightful death. Escape would have been hopeless, as no boat could have lived in the sea that was running at the time the fire occurred. Monday, Oct. 10th, 4 a.m.—Vessel shipping heavy seas ; all the cabins flooded, and everybody busy bailing out water; I am knee deep in water, and it reminds me of the great flood at v Blenheim in February, 1868. 7 a.m.—Blowing very hard ; no breakfast, owing to the cook not being able to light a fire. 12 noon.—Vessel shipping heavy seas ; all the cabins flooded out; everybody miserable ; one tremendous sea struck the ship, smashing the skylights, carrying away the starboard lifeboat, sweeping away with poultry, several sheep, and frightening the life out of us, and also washing about the decks two men, and hurting the boatswain seriously .!; the doctor is lying in bed, too lazy to get up, but the captain made him. 8 p.m.—Gale abating ' very much, but heavy cross sea on as yet. Tuesday, Oct. 11th, 7 a.m.—Wind changed in our favor ; part sails set; weather clearing up. 12 noon.—Distance run since the 9th, 31.• miles, latitude 26° 15' S., longitude 170° 47' W. •. all well going along nicely The passage from Sydney to Auckland and Honolulu was, with the exception of what I have informed you above, most splendid, but this Company r ia no good, as the steamers are not large enough. The Wonga Wonga might do for a coaster, but she will never do to run across the Pacific ; and the captain is not the right man in the right place. Kennedy of the Airedale, or Wheeler of the Taranaki, would do much better than Captain Steward, of this steamer. The officers are all right, and I must not forget to mention Mr Richard Drew, late of the Phoebe, and wellknown on the New Zealand coast. We owe him a good deal for his kindness ; and also Mr Stalker, late of the Panama Company, who is a perfect little gentleman. We left Auckland on October 7th, and had two Saturdays when we crossed the meridian. We sighted the land here on Sunday morning at about 11 o’clock on the 23rd, and got alongside the wharf at Honolulu about 3 o’clock. It is a beautiful place, and very lively. The natives are civil and obliging, and the town reminds me of the Wood in Nelson, but is more lively ; the coast looks just like the coast about Collingwood and Blind Bay. Everything is in a great bustle here, and now the whaling season commences the whole place looks like a fair. The Moses Taylor will . take us on to, San Francisco. She is a very large American paddle steamer, with the usual American ornaments about her, and splendid accommodation. There is an American and English man-of-war here. Passing the Supreme Court this morning {October 24th), I went in.

and found that j ustice is dealt out much the same as in a British court. Crime is very little known here, and the laws to prevent dunkenness and thieving very strict. There are only a few public-houses, and they have to pay £2OO a year for publican’s licenses, I will send you full particulars from San Francisco.