THE WRECK OF THE MOSQUITO.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3351, 21 November 1871, Page 2

THE WRECK OF THE MOSQUITO.

The captain of tho Jupiter requests us to correct certain statements contained in a paragraph which appeared in our issue of yesterday with reference to tho refusal of the owners of the ketch to deliver up the cargo to Capt Doile. He states that afc the timo fche vessel was wrecked he and hia mate gofc the cai-go oufc, and had there been a vessel afc hand at the timo he would willingly have forwarded ifc toManawafcu. Having himself got a passage to Eangitikci he walked on to Manawatu and saw Captain Doile, who informed him fchafc he had received a telegram from Wellington instructing him to call at Kapiti, on his roturn trip, and pick up the cargo of the Mosquito. He asked Captain Doile if he would be justified in removing tho cargo wifchout the consent of the owner or master of the vessel, and he admitted that he would not j thafc even if he

did call at Kapiti ho would not be able to remove tho cargo from tho position in which it was in, being at the north end of Iho island, with a north-west wind blowing right on to ifc Captain Doilo told him furthor that, even if all parties had been willing to remove the cargo, it could not bo done unless it were removed to tho other end of the island, which would have detained him a couple of dnys. • On fche arrival of tho Go -Ahead at Kapiti the captain of tho Jupiter, who was a passenger, found a representative of Mr Mills there, who . asked him if tho Go- Ahead was going to take the cargo away, and he did sny thon that he would like to know who was going to pay tho freight. From this statement wo aro lod to infer that the non-arrival of the goods by the Go-Ahead is primarily attributable to the absoluto impossibility of getting them away on accouut of tho bad weathor, although undoubtedly the question seems to have arisen as to whether the freight was to bo paid by the consignees. This question does not soem at all an unreasonable oue. In the cbbo of damage to a vessel it is usually covered by a general average, aud unless in the present caso thero was some stipulation to the contrary in tho biils of lading the action of tho master and owners does not seem open to unfavorable comment. We havo no intention to prejudge the merits of a case which may, on investigation, prove to be intricate, and having placed before those interested both Bides of the matter our duty is done. Tho loss is a heavy one for tho owners of the vessel, as her value, £350, is to them a total one, no insurance huving been effected upon her.