DESTRUCTION OF THE "OCEAN CHIEF" BY FIRE AT THE BLUFF HARBOUR.
TOTAL LOSS.
[From the SouT&Eias Niwß,' l J*n. i ßs^1 ai \,. On Thursday morning, a'Jdense^s^b^^ai seen to arise from the Bluff lfarb^u£ tinued throughout the day, *rid 'a resfdejit'biserved to a friend, more in joke that) l£fe'a¥necf; "There's a ship on fire at theJBlufJPrnUJW suspecting he. spoke but top:, truly. About ten p.m., M. Thompson (of the. firm A of Thompson and Crispe, for whom the Ocean .Chjef bad brought so large a cargo of sheVp), ac'(io9>pwiea by Captain Howell of Jacbb*tf ; BireY?YnrMft i n Invercargill with the astounding intelligence that that noble vessel bad been maliciously set on fire the previous night— that all^ effort! t» extinguish the flames had been unavailing and that she was burnt down to her copper. That this was the act ofan incendiaty, w ift« cendiaries — a deep laid conspiracy — was^voved by the manner in which the force and cjther pumps and hose had. been bored an,d out so $s to render them useless.; This convictlbn is oqjiafirmed by the following "letter, fto^Cadtara Brown, the commander of the Ocean Chief, to Captain Elles:— ;.. . } * v* t t,,, " W ufi^ B" 11^ 1 * January 23, 1^62. "A. J. Elles, Esq^, Coljector of- ■*- -v *«.?i ?. Her Majesty s CfustoAs, Invercargill. | h "JDear Sir,-— I ; bave to inform .you; tha| my ship, the Ocean Chief,: was set fire to by J some of the crew (proof still existing) about midnight last night. Her masts are ofer the side. jSfts is rapidly burning to the water's edge. *Sfte has been scuttled, and; her cables slipped] arid thereby the harbour saved. ' None -of the pf«W have yet left the Bluff,! and it is pbisibl*, ip my opinion, that by using mbst strenuous exertions, the perpetrator of this,' wicked act may ;be caught and punished. I.beg to Ic&ye it tojyS^e better judgment to assist me in any way you may devise; better than I could possibly, recorii* mend. ; "
« I beg to rem^fi^ %; Mr. Thompson, accompanied 1 *bj X/ Captain Morris and.Mr... W. H. Pearson, waited upon the Superintendent at onee v to inform him of the disaster, and yesteidayrinornin£,som^a*l(ijr tional policemen .were despatched Bn& —raakiogin all a body of eight flseG&inenj,#i§ tbat, with the proof to which .C&ptain^Bi^irii alludes, there is leason to hope that somevunftt all, the criminals may be arrested. " '•■^bm!^:.-, Mr. Pdce, Resident Magistrate,; |)j9^eS^t"^| the Bluff yesterday, 'to, n^aHe'aa^e :^|yy r m^ tlie case on the spot, but had not returned" (U the time of our going to press. Only some stores were saved -frrnnJbjftjhije It is auppoaedthat tbe.^ui^-o^i^ja wioUd act was a desire on the part of some of the crew to desert; and it is a strangei circumstance that the Ocean Chief should J have been thus destroyed so soon after the occaneac@vo^j^r tar disasters 'to three- other Ifeige litterbin tUtie harbours of Port' Jackson and Hobioin'siS^^ . AYe have not yet ; ihedr^BJtKdih o^to .^bil amount ' the ship was? iflsured: tibdiwhat^s her estiuiated. yalae^ , VT^e'ari^iflFbtl^M^ ticulars we shall be able' X6 publish 0 iif jbW^Utt I &BSUV« . :, " , . -• .- ~
DESTRUCTION OF THE "OCEAN CHIEF" BY FIRE AT THE BLUFF HARBOUR.
Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1699, 11 February 1862, Page 5
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