BURNING OF THE SHIP COSPATRICK.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 2695, 12 March 1875, Page 2

BURNING OF THE SHIP COSPATRICK.

DEPOSITIONS of the SURVIVORS.

The following is a copy of the depositions of Henry Macdonald, before the Receiver of Wrecks : —

1 was second mate of the ship Cospatrick. The vessel wae supplied with a fixed fire engine on the forecastle-head, with a: auction pipe up and down the stem. There was a moveable fire engine, with rubber suction hose, and also a considerable quart. tity of delivt ry hose. The engines were ingood order, aud were employed in endeavouring to put out the fire, throwing large quantities of water. Tho vessel was well Supplied with fire buckets with lanyards attached. The vessel proceeded on her voyage, and met with fine weather. Eight children died, and two births occurred. During the voyage the master's hat blew overboard. The port boat was instantly' lowered to pick ifc up, and returned to the vessel iv a very short time. On Tuesday- • the 17th November, 3874, at noon, the vessel in lat. 37-15 S., 12 25 E., weather tine, wind N.N. W., blowing a light breeze, deponent had charge of the first watch, and waa relieved at midnight by the chief officer. The vessel was barely steering. About .. quarter of an hour be.ore midnight depon* . ent went carefully round the upper deck, over the poop and forecastle, and aJl.wasK. well. There waa no smell of fire, or other matter to attract attention. Deponent had been below about three-quarters pf an hour... when he was arons-d by the cry of fire. He jumped out of his berth, and rushed on deck undressed. Ho met the master at the cuddy door, in his shirt. lie ordered deponent forward to enquire into the cause of the alarm. Deponent rushed forward, and saw dense smoke coming up from the for© scuttle. The chief officer was getting the fire engine to work. The passengers andcrew were all rushing on deck. The cry was that the fire was coming up from about the boatswain's locker. The deponent returned aft, and assisted the master to endeavour to get the vessel before the wind ; but the ship had no steerage way, and in a few minutes the flames came up the forecastle, and the foresail was hauled up. The vessel now came up head to wind, whioh drove the smoke aft, the flames bursting up the fore hatchway. The master sent for deponent, and asked if it were possible to get volunteers to see where the fire was. lt was impossible, as the smoke was suffocating. The deponent asked the master if he should get the boats out, but the master said, " No, do what you can to put the fire out." The foremost boats by this time had caught fire, and the flames were coming up. the main hatchway. The maßter scut m& ' to clear away the boats on the skid. The starboard quarter boat waa now lowered, and about eighty persons, mostly women, got in, the davits bending with their weightAs the boat touched tlie water she turned . over, and the people were all drowned. Hencoops and other moveables were thrown, over, but were of no avail to save life. The master now stationed two men at the port boat, to prever.t anyone lowering it except by the master's orders. The officers now. made an attempt to get the longboat over^ board, but there was too much confusion to get proper help. Her bows caught fire, and she was abandoned. There waa &. rush for the port lifeboat, whicb was lowered, and about thirty or forty people got into her. Deponent slid down and got on board by the fore-tackle. The boat was . kept clear of the ship. Tho chief mate and a female jumped overboard aud were picked up. By the time the boat got clear the ship's mainmast had fallen overboard. Shortly afterwards the steru blew out. Then the raizzenma.t fell. After first speaking to the master the deponent got signal ammunition thrown overboard. At daylight the starboard lifeboat was found • full of people. Deponent heard shouts * from the officer to take charge of her. Got alongside and took charge. Thomas Lewis*. A.8., Edward Cotter, 0.5., and Bentley, an emigrant, also got into the boat with thecleponent. The gear remaining in the boats was divided between them, deponent's bofltt getting one good oar and a broken one. The two boats kept cbmpany, hovering round the whole day and until the afternoons of the 19th, when the ship sank. There were thirty people in deponenfe. boat. Deponent then kept to the north-east for the Cape of Good Hope, as did tbe other boat-. Tne boats kept company until the 20th and 2lst November, when it commenced toblow. They then were separated. They/ were without provisions or water, mast or sail. They had but one oar and a half.. The wind was southerly, and by taking, on* of the footlmes they managed to rig a sail: with a girl's petticoat, and so kept tae bo. t on her course. The boat contaiued th* baker and the immigrant cook, three A.B\. one ordinary seaman, and twenty-rthree passengers. The boat containing the ohi £ mate had four A.B- 'g„ one ordinary .teaman,,

fend Ivtenty-ttiree passengers, including one baby, agted eleven days. The people rapidly Bank from want of food and water, and by the 25th they were reduced to eight in number. Three of these were out of their mind. Ott 26th, before daylight, a barque pasted, which they hailed, but were unseen. On Friday, the 27th, they were picked up by the British ship Sceptre, of Liverpool, and'ftve people were then remaining alive. Two, however — Robert Hamilton and a passenger — died before reaching St. Helena, leaving myself, Thomas Lewis, and Edward Cotter, so far as I know, the only survivors. The crew, including deponent, had Jlucifers, Which tbey' used to light their pipes ahd tamps when necessary. The boatswain was tb^ pvdy person having access to the boatswain's locker, of which he kopt the k«;y. Nothing was kept there bu. the sloreS already enumerated. He knew of no reason how the fire originated.— (Signed), Henry Macdonald. Edward Cotter deposed that when the ship caught fire the immigrants formed a line on the deck and passed water along. The immigrants got tin dishes aud everything that .could hold water, but the tire burned Very fast. When the deck-house Caught fire the immigrants were panicBtricken, and ran away, the smoke stifling theta, When lowering the boats the people were sliding down, their heads falling into the water. In the boat, after leaving the ship, all they did was, to lend each other a hand abont the boat. There was hot much talk. The biggest, fattest, and healthiestlooking went off first. It was not from them that blood was obtained, but from other men. Witness only ate twice He drank whenever a vein was opened, and felt better tha laat two days in the boat than before then.. His great thought was of being picked up. It was cold during the night, but very hot in the day. They had escaped with barely clothes to cover them.