THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1877.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4749, 5 February 1877, Page 2

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1877.

Akothbii largo merchant ship, which loft London for Melbourne nearly six months ago, laden with a large general cargo, has not made her appearance at her destination, and in all probability will never more be heard of. This vessel is, or was, the Great Queensland, of IGIJS tons. She was owned by Messrs.Taylor and Co., of London, and was for years a regular trader between London

unci Melbourne. She was an iron ship, built in London in 1852, ami was considered a staunch and excollent vessel. What makes the fate of the Great Queensland, after the laijse of 175 days since her departure, likely to be a hopeless one is that she had on board as a purt of her cargo no less than 100 tons of gunpowder. We have had in New Zealand several examples of the dangerous and loose fashion in which gunpowder has hitherto ;been stowed on board ships for tho colonies.- Some time ago a vessel arrived in Wellington from London, having amoiig her cargo a quantity of gunpowder. This had been placed among the ordinary cargo, and some of the kegs having burst, the powder was found on opening the hatches at Wellington to have gravitated, or been as it were sifted throughout the cargo, peneLrating down to the bottom of the hold, and scattered

, aru:6ng : .tho various layers of "packages in rtsvdqscent. Not only through this culpaWefcarelessness iuatowing such anexplogreat danger to the sWp, cargo, crew and passengers', liyesNwTjile. tne;;yessel is at sea, bub enhanced when the hatches were rempyed the j vessel-i; then lying, moored Nat the -wharf! and! in clpbe .proximity to other ships and not far:from busiriesspremisas and private residences adjoining the wliarf. Happily, after the discovery wai made, precautions were takeri'on board tlie ship ; and one of this example of improper shipment'""of these explosives, and of others of a like nature discover&tlat another Southern, port, was that a strong representation was made'., to: the Colonial Office and to the Board of Trade, while other bodies 'at home '-interes ted? iii- marine in-siu-ance ;also:took -action/in this matter with the.view of securing a safer mode of shippin|f!matbrial bf a'dangerous , ■'and.'eiplosive (;haracterr~J?he cornniittee of'ihe 'and' New,.Zealand " writersj A'ssDciatipnj in London,- took an .-actiy.e,; interest in the .matter, .and.,were indefatigable; .in their refforts to reinedJy;. existing evils m-this-direction, and otherwise ;to provide, so" far'as. possiWe, for '. reducing to a niiniihuintfie,, risk to veß-. ;selSj p'assengersj and-cargo,"on voyages,to Uie -Australasiah Colonies.'.'; The resu),t.of ■their combined efforts was that an .a'incinded by-law ; b'y?'thJ3; .Thames Cbnser'vatoi's for the purpose :of securing an improvement in the conyey■tiice '• o^.'j£uspqwd'er ;and','other explbsive3.: that, " in any ship carryfng any quantity of explosives (beyond 30Qlbs;"'for. r the Chip's own use)i, and in any boat carrying explosives, due' precautions shall be taken by meansrof] a bulkhead'or partition, or otherwise,'and, by carefaflrstowing,' ti) seciu-e the explosive, being carried, ffora being brought into contact witli or endangered by any other article or substance conveyed in such ship or boat which is liable to cause fire or explosion." ' The observance of this by-law, neglect of which infers a heavy penalty, will greatly' lessen the risks which have hitherto been run by vessels and their passengers when even, small quantities of gunpowder have been stowed in the hold promiscuously,—for that is really the word which describes the action of many stevedores, to whose culpable 'carelessness in loading ships the loss of not a few vessels and many., valuable lives may justly, b<3 attributed. Unfortunately, as we '. believe, this by-law was not in operation when the Great Queensland was loading ; and if not, the dahger'of' the explosion was greater than now exists if, as is suggested, the ship may probably have fallen a victim to the accursed 'practice of broaching cargo. Among . the ■ heterogenous compound which makes -up the: crews of vessels taking , long voyages, there arc almost ahvays some black-sheep who more or less, infect the flock that house in the forecastle, arid among them are some who are inveterate bulkbreakers in search for spirits ; arid who think nothing of danger, or, if they do, disregard all risks in the persistent attempts to secure what they seek;, Only an iron bulkhead would appear to be effectual against such lawless wretches. The loss of the stolen spirits or other cargo which they abstract is nothing to the hideous danger which their reckless greed occasions. Fancy a ship with powder as part of her cargo, stored haphazard system, a keg or two burst with pressure, as.happened in ■ tho case we have referred to. A miscreant in league with several others of the crew, breaks through the bulkhead, creeps along among the cargo with matehes.and a naked candle with him, the candle ignites some inflammable material, or a match is dropped, the fire spreads, the powder is reached, and in a momQiit , a hundred lives, and perhaps a' hiihdred thousand pounds' worth of property, are blown in the air and into the deep sea.

• 'The authentic story of the Groat Queensland will probably never be told; "We only know she sailed away, And ne'er.waa seen or heard of more. But judging-from past experience, and of the prevalence of this practice of broaching cargo, there is reason to fear that this has been tlie fate 'bf the' rhissfrig vessel. So far as it goes the new by-law of the Thamei'Conservators, which we have quoted; is ;a : decided improvement /on what was the previous practice in stowing explosives, but it scarcely goes far enough. The unclernriters at Lloyd's, and Marine Insurance Companies generally, have a good power in their own, hands if they choose to use.dt;. and'' we- should imagine, even when competition runs high, . that the known losses sustained by broaching cargo, and those disasters, the causes of which are.-unascertained, but are not improbably due to the same cause, phould make these bodies unite in demanding that greater obstacles should be put between w'ould-be thieves among the crew and the cargo of the ship. An iron-lined bulk-head would appear to be the best safeguard, arid; if that were insisted on as, ,a'i condition :of .-insurance, shippers and. shipowners would ! be' compelled to adopt this precaution.' .'■*..'