BURNING OF THE SHIP PAUL JONES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3589, 1 April 1886, Page 4

BURNING OF THE SHIP PAUL JONES.

0 TOTAL LOSS OF TIIE VESSEL. The destruction of n. noble- ship by fire (says the Melbourne Ai-gus) is a spectacle that fortunately is seldom witnessed m Australian seas. Shipping casualties m our waters aro mO3lly unimportant nnd devoid of any tragic feature. Ihe total loss by fire of tho line American clipper Paul Jones on tho 19th inst. ha?, therefore, created a deep impression on the public mind. The vpssel had so recently l»ft her berth at Williamstown that her fine lines and smart appearance still lingered m the memory of the seafaring men of Port Phillip. Tho crew returned to Melbourne m tho ship Antiopo on the following Sunday. Tho Paul Jones was a fino wooden cli'ppor of 1200 to ns, having been built about nine years ago. The following is tho captain's account of tho disaster : —

Captnin Winn, master oF tho ill-fated ship (who wa9 so deoply affected at tho 10.-s he lias suffered that ho. could with difficulty be induced to speak of his misfortune), stated: I bad watched the ship beiw» built m tho quiet town of Portsmoutb/iu Massachusetts, and had seen hor framework laid down, nnd inspected every bolt nnd beam,andhad seenher masts fitted and rigged. I linvc been working m the Paul Jones m different capacities ever since she was built nine years ago. After a long spell m the China trade, I was fortunate enough to be placed m command of her. In every respect the vessel wa9 a credit to her buildors at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Slio was worth every penny of tho 80,000 dollars that were spent upon her. Wo had been m good trade m the China seas, but the markets of the New World presented a field for speculation for her owners. On September 17, 1884, we hoisted our snils and cleared out from Boston for Australia. The trip out was a fairly good one. Everything went well, and we made the passage m some three months, anJ readied Willinmstown hist Boxing Day. The cargo baring been cleared, wo hauled into tho buy waiting final instructions to sail for Calcutta. These at length came, and on march 17th we dropped down the bay with a favourable wind behind us. Tho heads were cleared next d;iy. Then we beat up against light battling winds which had set m. Everything so fnr had gone well. The crew had readily answered every demand made upon them, and there seemed to be a prospect of ft pleasant passage. No sign ol firo was visible up to noon on Friday, and no one appears to havo dreamt of such a casualty. The mate and mvsdf wero quietly sitting down at dinner at 12 o'clock on that day, when we firet perceived a slight smell of Binoko. Instantly wo begun to search for the cause. Wo examined our clothes, rummaged the cabins, rushed between tho decks, but could not discover any sign of fire. Then we made our way buck to the lizarette, and took tho hatch off. A volume of suiolio and flames at onro burst forth, and told us that at last we had reached tho spot n here the ilnmes were raging. 7 lie Imtch was instantly battened down to prevent tho draught fanning tho flames, and to enable us to make nn attempt, lo got them iindor. Any little excitement that was at fust risible- among the crew disappeared immediately. '.The men to juv word ox coDimanci witn trUB utmost promptitude. I passed the word for tho pumps to bo got ready, and set tho men to work them and to man the buckets. In a vry fow minutes we attacked tho fire. It was evident from the manner m which the sailors worked they wero prepared to fight it to the bitter end. In the meantime, as a mensuro of precaution, I sent the mate forward witli a lVw of tho crew to launch tho boats nnd to nrrungc for their being ready should that emergency arise 1 . 'Ihe fight against the fire had all this time been carried on m real cirncst. Holes wevecut m the deck, and iv ever}- way tvclried to subdue tho firo, but it was oE r.o avail. It was heartrending to see the men driven back by tho flimes and smoko. Hit l>y hit wo had to retreat, even though we had been lvcruitcd by tho mate and men who htid formerly been engaged m preparing the boats. At length tho fire forced i!s wf.y through tho deck, nml like a (lash set the virgin: n%!it. Two minutis later Iho whole o: t'.ie sails on the mizzen mast nnd the spar itself were » burning mass. The oil and iviinls bclo'.v f'<l tho flames, tm'd the firo was too mreh for us We had to give the word for the men to go forward. Our difficulty »U thron.li lux! been to rcucli the scat of tho firo. Though we tried m every way to discover wh°neo llio (limes wore arising, our efforts wero futile. "When we left the after part of the ship the whole of the poop was burning. The tar wan bubbling anil boiling from tho seams below our feet. The men made a gallant fight, and it wr.s only when they ran personal risk from the flames and tho fulling spars (hat T gave the word tj retire. Tho sailors were then thoroughly exhausted. I saw it was no use to place them m a danger they would gladly have run. At half-past 2 o'clock we left the side of the Paul Jones, the fire then having spread over tho whole of the aft and foro decks. I saw the sailors safely, m the boat, and then I had to bid farewell to the Paul Jones m a manner that I had novcr expected. As wo drew nway, tho ilumes were crackling and hissing along tho deck and running along tho rigging aloft. Tho sea, fortunately, was not rough. Wo made our way towards the Antiope, which wo had signalled shortly after we first discovered tho fire. We were met midway by that ship's boat. We accompanied it to tho Antiope, and a hearty welcomo was given us, overy kindness being shown us by Captain Black, tho passengers, and crew. The fire is a mystery to me. The crew appeared to bo well satisfied with her condition. The officers were loyal and earnest m their duty ; therefore theio is no one whom lean suspect m tho mutter. It lVdr.iio that a little difficulty arose m connection with the cook and steward of the lato.ci'ew, but as they Lad left the vessel long ago they cannot m any way be connected with tho conflagration. Tho crew also, with the exception of the chief officer (Mr Barclay) and the carpenter and boy, were men who had been shipped m Melbourne, who therefore could not have any gnulgo against myself on the boat. The larazettc was opened tlmt morning, and only the mate and myself had been m it. Barclay was there at 8 o'clock looking for some nLces3aries, and nt 10 o'clock the second mate had to go down for rigging. I ulso went below for some tools. Certainly not the slightest trace of firo was visible at the time. No smoking was allowed there. Everything seemed to he" safe and snug. The men could make their way to the lazaretto from the fore part of the ship ; but I have snch faith m their, loyalty nnd m the honesty of the officers that I cannot conceive that they aro m any way guilty of tho crime of setting the ship on fire. Tho vessel belonged to an Amorioan proprietary. My losses were great. My charts, my books, ray papers, the result of my life's labors are gone. I saved nothing except what [ Bland upright m. When I left the ve=sol tho upper spars were fulling on tlio deck beneath, but it w.is jiot until wo had got on board the Antiope that the main and foro masts went by the board. At Bo'cloekwhenltoo\ alastglanceat her, she was a body of flume from stem to stern. The rellection from the firo could be Been for miles. This is my first experience of this kind that I have had, and I sincerely liopo it will bo the last. I am nn American by birth, and I hope to be able to leave here by tho noxt San Francisco steamer end make my way across tho States to my wife and family m Massachusetts. A SEAMAN' 3 STOBY. ; Martin IJolof, one of the crow of the Paul Jones, gives a graphic account of tho out- i break of the fire, of tho ineffectual efforts to < save tho vessel, and of thcuur. ied escape of I officers, men, and captain of tiio burning ship. ( Although a Scandinavian, Rolof, speaks fairly ( good English, and hh narrative was vory t fluently told. Ho said : Thero was a great £ excitement among tho men for a, fow moments, i but tho coolness of the captain and officers s inspired us all with confidence, and wo were i speedily at woik endeavouring to quell the 1 flames. Wo poured bucket nftel- bucket of ; ■water into the lazaretto, where tho fire < seemed to have started, and tho force-pump i •was also brought to bear ; but tho smoko was . bo thick und stilling that we could not : get at the seat of the fire. Each timo the i hatch lifted, clouds of smoke and flame i flonehed forth, singeing our hair, whisker?, i and eyobrows, uud burning our faces I and hands. It soon became evident i

that the fire had gained tho mastery, and thut tho ship was doomed to destruction. Wo could not possibly overpower the flames, for the oil which was' stored m tho lazaretto was all ablaze. There was a barrel of linseed nnd a barrel of boiled oil (need for painting), and a largo quantity of pamfin oil for tho lampg. When the firo took hold of this tho heat became intense, and the fumes wcro porfcetly suffocating. The pitch oozed from between tho deck planks, and quickly the whole of tho vessel aft was ono mass of Hfime. Captain Winn saw that it was a liopeless ense, and ho therefore ordered tho chief mate, Mr Barclay, to set a portion of tho crew to work to lower tho boats, so that they might bo m rcadiuess when it was no longer possiblo to remain on board. The boats were lowered and hurriedly provisioned, and most of the men's tilings wero got together and tumbled into them. We were prevented from saving all by the dense smoko, which spread from aft to forward under the deck and made it very risky to go below. I lost about one-half of my belongings. In spi'o of the efforts of the captain and the men working ah tho pump and with tho buckets, the tire steadily gained ground, driving them farther forward. Still they fought the flames, but before long tho men wero compelled to take to the boats, and they lowered themselves from the vessel by means of ropes. At last the captain and chief mato were the only ones left on board. Both of them had shown tho greatest courage, and so eager nnd persistent was the captain m his efforts to save the ship that he neglected to save any of his own possessions except his chronometers and instruments j his charts and books, tho accumulation of a lifetime, and all his clothes being utterly destroyed. Tlio captain was determined not to leave the ship till he wa9 driven from her. Turning to the chief mate, "Barclay," he said, "down yen go into the boat." " I would r.ither sco you there first, sir," said the mate ; but Captain Winnwas not to bo induced to leave the ship while another man remained on board. The chief mate therefore slipped down the rope and dropped into the boat. "Is every man safe aboard ? " shouted the captain, nbovo tho roarina of tho flames. "Aye, aye, sir," was tha ready response ; but not until he had been reassured that there wasn't a single man left on tho Paul Jones would tho captain quit his ill-fated vessel. " For Heaven's sake como along, captain ! " cried a voico from the boats and Captain Winn, seizing tho rope, wont down hand under fist. Just as he was nearing the boat it gave a lurch, and ho was carried a little distance away by the swell, and there was the captain dangling at the end of the rope, up to his knees m water. A smart pull of the oars drovo back tho boat. Seizing hi 3 leg, I sang out, " Let go, captain," and the next moment he was safe m the boat. Bending to the oars, wo pulled away for the Antiope, and wore taken aboard and treated with great kindnoss by the captain, officers, and crew. Soon afterwards wo were boarded by a pilot, and tho Antiope was taken m tow by tho steam tug Pharos. For a long timo we could see the flames and smoke from tho burning vessel, nnd it wns an awfully magnificent spectacle. Tho s'<y above wa9 blood-red, and tho sea was illuminated for miles around. I have had Eomo startling experiences m tho conrso of my seafaring life, but tho destruction of tho Paul Jones has eclipsed them all, and I shall never forget it to mj ily iDg day. AS SEEN BY OTIIKIiS. Accounts arc given of the sceno as witnessed from the Or'ent Company's steanieiLiguria, and also from Lome. Mr Anderson, of tho Grand Pacific Hotel, w.is looking seaward through bis glass from tho balcony of the hotel when he noticed a body of smoke rising skyward and stationary. As it was evident that a passing steamer would leave a line of smoke behind her, Mr Anderson asked Mr Hayter, Government 6tatist, who is ono of his guests nt present, to tell him if he was not right m thinking that- the suspicious appearance nt which he pointed was a ship on firo. It was either that or a whaler boiling down blubber. Mr Hay tor s iid it was a ship on fire, and it soon became evident beyond a doubt that this disaster had occurred. The vessel was made out through tho telescope to ho uiuler sail, and m it grow darker there were lit up by the ruddy glow of the llimrs as they mounted the rigging. It wns what Mr Hayter calls ii "be uitif ul sight." '1 ho flames wcro iv front of the saila looking from Lome, nnd the firo appeared to bo the greatest m the forward part of tho vessel. 'Iho fire burstout m lurid tongues ns it got farther aft and wa< fed afresh. Fora time, while the people of Lome looked on, they wero anxious ns to the safety of the crow, and volunteers offered themselves to go to their assistance, but before tho boat could bo got ready the Antiope was seen bearing down upon tlio wreck m answer to the rockets which had been fired as distress signals. Tho derelict burned brightly until the spectators left off looking at her at about midnight and went to bed, when tho sky was illuminated by a ruddy {;low, which brought out the hull m pretty cle-ir relief. At daybreak tho vessel wa3 seen to be farther seaward, and the flames had given place to smoke, which gradually grew fainter, and finally disappeared m a cloud oS steam at about 11 o'clock. Tho Victorian Government s4carnor Despatch scuttled tlio Paul Jon*a. Only the copper sheathing wa3 holding, tho hull together, which was cut aw; V ;. X'url of tlio wreckngo nppeare above lbs. surface of the water.