BURNING OF THE COSPATRICK.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4025, 12 January 1875, Page 2

BURNING OF THE COSPATRICK.

The chief topic of conversation yesterday was the terrible disaster that befel the ship Cospatriek, and many were the expressions of sympathy for the relatives and friends of those who lost their lives by the catastrophe. The news of the occurrence, when it was received at those parts of the Colony where : most of the relatives of those expected by the illfated vessel resided, caused the most intense excitement and grief, as will be seen by the telegrams which we publish elsewhere. A rumour—unhappily without the slightest foundation- -was circulated durin" the day in Dunedin, to the effect that the news of the disaster, tliat had been published in the morning, was untrue, and that the Cospatrick had arrived at Auckland with her large complement of immigrants safe and well. We were surprised to see in the Southern Cross of January sth, the latest issue of that journal received by the Wellington, a statement that the Cospatrick had arrived off the North Head at a late hour the preceding evening. This statement must have arisen from a mistake in the signalling, but it was really believed in Auckland that the Cospatrick had arrived, for the Southern Cross published the manifest of her cargo, and a list of the passengers who left England by her—the same list published in the Times yesterday morning. The vessel had a full general eargs, including 148 C rails and other railway material for the Government. It was no doubt owing to the mistake into which the Cross fell that the report was current in Dunedin yesterday, that the Cospatrick had arrived several days ago at Auckland. No thought was given by those who spread this report that had this been so, the sad news of the previous day would have instantly bewi contradicted. There were insurances on cargo in the Cospatrick as follow:—New Zealand Company, about £9000; South British, £4100; National £900 or £1000.

The Immigration authorities at Dunedin telegraphed to Auckland on Sunday eveniug— 'Were there any nominated on board Cospatrick for Otago!" The reply, which came yesterday, was :—" 20 nominated for Auckland; none for any of the other Provinces of New Zealand."

A female —one of the four steerage passengers who didi>ot sail under the Governmmeufc Immigration scheme,' and whose names we are not aware of-lias relatives here. She left London in the Cospatrick for Otago, via Auckland there being no vessel for Otago at the time. By telegragh we learn that the New Zealand Times furnishes the following particulars with respect to the Cospatrick :—She was a frigatebuilt ship of 1199 tons, commanded by Captain Elmslie, brother of Captain Elmslie of the Sydney clipper Sobraon. She was built at Moulmien, of teak, on the Aberdeen clipper principle, and made several voyages from Calcutta to London m the interest of her owners, Duncan Dunhar and Co. A. singular fatality has attached itself to vessels which have belonged to this now extinct firm. The Duncan Dunbar, which was wrecked at Sydney Heads in August, 1857, was one of their line, and the remaining vessel of that fleet now that the Cospatrick has been burned is the Dunbar. The Cospatrick was on her second voyage to New Zealand under the flag of Shaw, Savill, and Co., who purchased her about two years ago for £11,000, and her first voya°e to this Colony was to Port Chalmers, where she arrived in July, 1873. From Port Chalmers she went to Newcastle, and there loaded coal for Calcutta; from thence she conveyed Coolies to Demerara, where she loaded sugar for London arriving about July last. She was then placed on the berth for Auckland, and took in cargo at the East India Export Docks alongside the ship Langstone, which is now lying at Wellington Wharf. The second officer of the Cospatrick was onthepointof acceptingasimilarpostontheLano--stone, but, unfortunately for the poor fellow, he decided to remain by the Cospatrick. The doomed vessel left the docks on the Bth September in company with the Samuel Plimsoll, bound for Sydney. Four days later the Langstone sailed for "Wellingten, but nothing was seen of the Cospatrick on the voyage, although the Samuel Plimsoll was sighted and spoken twice.; The berth vacated by the Cospatrick in the dock was afterwards occupied by the Glenlora, which arrived at Auckland on the sth inst. Every precaution for the safety of the passengers in the event of fire or shipwreck was enforced by the Emigration Board before the Cospatrick was allowed to proceed to sea, and a new apparatus for the rapid launching of her boats was insisted upon by the Board, besides an addition of an extra engine iv case of fire.