THE LOSS OF THE COLOMBO. (From the Argus.)

Otago Witness, Issue 585, 14 February 1863, Page 2

THE LOSS OF THE COLOMBO. (From the Argus.)

Mr Xeefer, formerly member for the Ovens in the Legislative Assembly, and who arrived yesterday by the Madras, has favored us with the following account of The loss of the P. and O. Company's steamship Colombo : — '■ Awaie that much anxiety will be felt throughout the colonies upon noticing, amidst other news brought by the Madras, the loss of the P. and O. steamer Colombo, with the Australian, Bengal, and China passengers on board, on the I'Jth November la^t, I have endeavored to gather the fullest particulars, which [ hasten to lay before the public. Leaving Suez In the P. and O. steam°r Bengal on the 6th of December, and havincr learned irom the steamer Ottav.a, on her passage down the Red Sea that the Colombo had been wrecked on tie island of Minicoy, we continued on our way, and reached that island on the 19th. Upon our arrival at the wreck, Captain Farquhar, of Colombo, communicated the following to Captain Henry, of tfie Bengal, whose permission 1 have to make it public ;—; — '" The steamer Colombo sailed from the f and liea rl s, Calcutta, on the afternoon of the 10th November, touched at Madras on the 13th, and anive at Point (de (ialle on the 16th. i»he there received the Au-tralnsian and China passengers and mails, and «ai!ed for Suez on the 17fch. After leaving Ofa'de the weather became very severe and thick, accompanied by heavy rain and a strong bi eeze from the eastward. The ship's course was shaped to pus midchannel between the head of the Maldives and the Island of Minicoy, allowing or a current of one and a-half knots an hour betting to the W.N.W. By (5 a.m., on the morning 0} the 19th, her position by calculation was lat 7ile:r. 23min. N. ; long. 731ec?. 36!iiin. E. The weather continuing bad, and being unable to se^ more than a mil^ and a half ahead, the engines weie eased down to quite slow, and the toji-ails close leefed. A blkirp look out was kept, knowing that they were near the island. The chief officer was on the bridgp, the captain at the gangway, a junior offi cer on the forecastle, and two men on the look out At (5 30 %'.n. low land (which proved to be the inland of Minicoy) was *een ahead, and on. both bows The topsail sheets were let fly, the helm was put down, and the engines ordf re 1 to be stopped and reversed, but the steam I ein^ very low, it was some time liefore they would give them a back turn. It was then j too late. The ship short! v afterwards struck, fir-n ; t-lightly forwaid. but it being a dead lee shore, on J wiiich the sea «as rolling in heavily, fche was soon I washed broadside on it. Captain Farquhar at once 1 saw rhcre was no hope ot saving the ship, and 1 oidjred t!u leo boats down to land ihe pas^cn j crs, which was ('omp'etcd in h.a'f an hour The remainder of the day was occupied in landing 1 sails and «pnrs for tents, provi- | sioiH, &c. By four o'clock in the afternoon I every ">ne was comfortably housed, and sat down to dinner. A boat with an omcur was then f-ent of , to Coch 11, on the Malabar const (which place she reached on the 21th) to telegiaph to Bombay tot assist mcc. The P. and O. steamer Ottawa was di's1 patched fiom that place on the 2Gth and the Azoff on I the 27th, for the wreck— the fo-mer to take the pas j sengirs and nnils on to Suea, the latter with diveis 1 and diesse*, to remain by and assist at the wreck 1 The Ottawa arrived at the island on the 29th. Em i basked p.i>seiisers and a portion of the mads tli.it I were s.'uo I, and I for Siu-z on the 30th.

'■ >inc(3 the departure ot fie Ottawa all the mai'f, ay.go and bag:* t i»e (more or Ic«s damaged) hwe b^e'.i reco\ered and with the exception' of two boxes oi mail-, have bern despatched to Suez The ship hasbroken in two. In the opinion of Captain Henry the causes ot the loss are— iiistly, an unprecedented cuvient to the northward ; and s-econdly, the enginc<not moving astern as quickly as they ought to have done

" It may be sati-factory to the friends of those who s^.ile I from Australia in the P. and O. steamer in October lost to know that on the lOtii Uecembei they were pas&inpj up the Bed Sea in. the P. an I O. steamer Ottawa. '

(From the Times of India, November 28.) Tho telegram announcing the week of the Colombo readied Bombay on the 2dth. Fortunately there were seven of the compiji iy's vessels lying in the harbor at tho time, and (Japtaiu Black at ones issue ! instructions for two of them to be at once prepared for sea. The Ottawa and the Azoff were the vessels selected to proceed to tlje scene of disaster. The former left yesterday evening aud will take on the mailfi and passengers to Sue?, ; £he latter leaves this Jay, and on her arrival will stay by the wreck to render assistance. As an instance of the energy amJ zeal displayed by the company's employes in an emergency of this kind, it may be mentioned that undei ordinary circumstances it would probably have taken three or four days to prepare the Ottawa for sea. t>lu had neither coal, provisions, nor water on board ; her boileis woixover weie out of order, and require 1 nearly 150 new tubes. Notwithstanding all this, sbe was lully equipped and ready for sea in less than sixteen hours from the fust o'xkr being »iven. The following description of the island of Minicoy is taken from ' Ho.rsburg-'s Directory'. — ," : Minicoy, or Malicoy Island, (tbe centre) in lat. Bdeg 17inin, long. 73dpj; 7min E. is about six miles and a half in length, aud half a mile in brpadth, extending in tlit form of a crescent from. N.B. to 8.W., with the concave side to the N.W., where a circular cor.d reef projects about three miles, and is joined to the extremes of the island on the reef near the west point of the island. There is an inlet, with trees on it, and at the north end of the island there is a pas'a^t through the reef, with two fnthoms— the deepest water through which the boata and s>mall vessels pass, but it is narrow and intricate. When the boats are within the reef, the water is deeper, two and a half and three jfathgms, over a bottom of hard coral, but chains would be necessary to secure a vessel were there any swell. The * island is Very populous, and the natives are hospitable ; ' it is planted with coc-oa-nut ti'6es, and jpaj' fye s,een .from 'the deck of a larcje ship ub mt three und v \%\£' pf fo^v leagues. ' It is doubtless on the coral reef hej.6 ' that the unfortunate vessel struck. As to bow the accidont occurred we have no means of nscertftiinns* at present. She arrived at fialle on the 16th instant, and lett again after the usual detention. The Azoff which arrived here on the 21st, experienced voi-y thick weather olf Galle, but little wind with it, w Wf had no observation," said an officer of that vessel, '• for five d?.y<, and only knew that we were iii oui- course tty passing the Malta.'' The Colombo, in alj probability, was 1 overtaken, terminating;, unhappily jfbr ker ; "in a result as disastrous <is it vui . uiilooked for-. Divers were spn't in the Ottawa, and Captain Black, the company's superintendent, we believe proceeds in the Azolf. The unfortunate fcteaiLfr is a hopeless wreck, having parted amidships, mid her loss adds another to the long list of casualties thispre.t company have puffere', the full particulars of wnich it will doubtless be some time ere we recoi /c.