The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-01-09 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVtit.

work. The,passengers and crew were all rushing on deck.
The cry was that the lire was coming up from the boat
swain's locker. Deponent returned aft, and assisted the
master to enucaeeur to get the vessel before the
wind, but the vessel had no steerage way. In a few
minutes the flames came up the forecastle and the fore-
sail was hauled up. The vessel now came up head to
the wind, which drove the smoke aft, the flames burst-
ing up the fore hatchway. The master sent for deponent,
and asked if it were possible to get volunteers to see where
the fire was. It was impossible, as the smoke was suffo-
cating. Deponent asked the master if he should put the
boats put. The master said "No, but do what you can to
put the fire out." The foremost boats had by this time
Caught fire. The flames were now coming up the main
hatchway. Deponent sent men to clear away the boats on
the skids. The starboard-quarter boat was now lowered,
and about eighty, mostly women, got in, the davits bend-
ing with their weight. As the boat touched the water she
turned over, and the people were all drowned. Hencoops
and other moveables were thrown over, but it was of no
avail to save life. Deponent now stationed two men at
the port-boat to prevent any one lowering except by the
master's orders. The officers now made an attempt to get
the long-boat overboard, but there WAS too much confusion
to get proper help; her bows caught fire, and she was
abandoned, and there was a rush for the port lifeboat,
which was lowered, and about 30 or 40 people got into her.
Deponeet slid down and got on board by the fere-
tackle. The boat was kept clear of the ship. The
chief mate and a female jumped overboard, and were
picked up. By the time the boat got clear of the ship the
mainmast fell overboard. Shortly afterwards the stern
blew out, and then the mizenrnast felL After first speak-
ing to the master, deponent got the signal ammunition
thrown overboard. At daylight the starboard lifeboat was
found full of people. Deponent heard shouts from an officer
to take charge of her. Gat alongside and took charge.
Thomas Lewis, AB., Edward Cotter, 0.5., and Mr Bentley,
an emigrant, also got into the boat with deponent. The
gear remaining in the boats was divided between them, de-
ponent's vessel getting one oar and a broken one. The two
boats kept company, hovering round the burning ship the
whole of the day, and until the afternoon of the 19th, when
the ship sank There were 30 people in deponent's boat. As
had been agreed with the chief officer, deponent then kept
to the north-east for the Cape of Good Hope, as did the
other boat. The boats kept company all the 20th and 21st
of November, when it commenced to blow, and they
separated. We were without provisions or water, or mast
or sail, and had but one oar and a half. The wind
was southerly, and by taking one of the footlings they
managed to rig a Emil witlf a girl's petticoat, and so kept
the boat in her course. The boat contained the baker,
emigrants' cook, three LB. '5, one ordinary seaman, and
23 passengers, with deponent, the whole making 30 people.
The other boat contained the chief mate, four AB.'s, one
ordinary seaman, the butcher, and 26 passengers, including
one baby, aged eleven days. The people rapidly sank from
want of food and water; and by the 25th were reduced to
eight in number, three of these out of their mind. On the
26th, before daylight, a barque passed, which they
hailed, but were unseen. On Friday, the 27th, they
were picked .up by the ship British Sceptre, of
Liverpool, and the five people then remaining alive
were received on board and treated with every kindness.
Two, however, Robert Hamilton, A. 8., and one passenger,
name unknown, died before reaching St. Helena, leaving
myself, Thomas Lewis, and Edward Cotter, so far as I know,
the only survivors. Deponent considers that all the gear was
regularly kept in the boats, and that it must have got thrown
out in the confusion. The ells used for the side lights, and for
the lights in the cuddy were kept in the port-quarter galley.
The crew, including deponent, had lucifer snatches, with
which they used to light their pipes and lamps when necessary.
The boatswain was the only person having access to the boat
swain's locker, of which he kept the key. Nothing was kept
there but the stores already enumerand, and deponent does
not know whether the boatswain had been there that day.
There was one ordinary seaman (Pillow) told off to go into the
coalhole every day to fill the baskets, which were then
hoisted up by the emigrants. No other person was allowed
to go into the coal-hole, and deponent, who used frequently
to talk to him about the coals, heard no remark as to their
heating or smell Pillow was a steady, intelligent young man.:
Deponent can give no reason how the fire originated. That
the above contents are in all respects correct and true to the
best of my knowledge and belief.
(Signed) HENRY 31ACD0NALD, 9, Piggott-street, Lime-
house, and 45, Castle-street, Montrose, Forfarshire.
Thomas Lewis deposed as follows :
I was quarter-master of the Cospatrick. On Tuesday, 17th
November, at 8 p.m., the tideiat the time being unknown, the
weather fine, and the wind in the NNW, blowing a light
breeze, the said ship was in the Southern Ocean, off the
Cape. Deponent was at the wheel from 10,to 12 p.m.,
when he was relieved. The ship then had barely steerage
away, when deponent went to the topgallant forecastle to
his bunk. There was no smell of smoke, or may indica-
tion of fire. In about forty minutes deponent was aroused
by the cry of "Fire," and immediately sprang out of his
bunk, and rushed on deck, and heard that smoke was coming
up out of the fore scuttle. The hose of the fire-engines and fire-
buckets were got to work, and tons of water thrown down
the fore scuttle, but without apparent effect, the fire gaining
rapidly. The ship was enveloped in a thick white smoke.
The flames gained rapidly on the vessel, and the people were
all driven aft. Deponent, who had been told off as one of
the crew of the starboard quarter-boat, went to her, and
found her choked with people. Deponent lowered the fore
tackle. The boat had too much weight in her, and filled and
capsized. Deponent climbed up the foremost tackle, went
across to the first boat, and succeeded in getting away in her.
The starboard boat was afterwards found righted, with 26
people in her. Deponent, Mr. Macdonald, Edward Cotter,
and two others were transferred to the starboard boat.
After remaining by the ship two days, during the whole of
the time she was burning, she sank. The people in de-
ponent's boat were much exhausted from the first, and
there being no water nor provisions, many of them rapidly
sank. On the tenth day, when picked up by the British
Sceptre. only five remained alive, of whom two afterwards
died. Deponent and his fellow survivors were treated with
all possible kindness and humanity on the British Sceptre.
Before the commencement of the voyage deponent was
stationed as one of the crew of the starboard life boat,
all gear, oars, sail, breaker, &c., were then complete, and
in the boat. The boatswain was coxswain. It was deponent's
duty as quarter-master to attend to the boats. The gear
was kept in the boats during the voyage, but a few days
before the fire the gear had been removed from the boats
for the purpose of a thorough cleaning. Deponent never
saw any of the crew worse for liquor on beard the ship,
and considers his shipmates were a good serviceable crew,
steady, and always attentive to their duties. Deponent had
a few boxes of lucifer matches for lighting his pipe The
ship's regulations as to smoking were rigidly adhered ,to.
Deponent cannot account for the cause of the fire.
(Signed) THOMAS LIMN -I-.
(Witness) J. T. FOSTER, RN.

The deposition of Cotter was also taken, the sub-
stance of which is given in the foregoing.

A lady living at Sheffield, Mrs. Gilberthorpe, has
received from her son, who is engaged on board the
British Sceptre,. a long account of the rescue of the
Cospat rich survivors. The following is an extract :

"We had rounded the Cape, and were sailing along
nicely at the rate of six knots, when something was seen a
mile ellrto which we at first. paid no attention, supposing
It was driftwood. Ent on getting closer we could make out
It was a boat, with an old petticoat for a sail, and six men
In it, who seemed to be in a praying attitude, for they
were too near death to be able to shout. We
got the boat alongside, and an awful sight met our
gaze—one man dead and the other five so feeble they could
not speak. In three or four hours they must all have been
dead. We got them carefully on board, and put them in
warm beds, and in a few hours one was able to tell the horrors
they had undergone. They were the only survivors of the
ship Cospatrick, which sailed from London with IWO emi-
grants for Auckland, and had been destroyed by fire. One of
the men was the mate, Henry Macdonald. The passenger
and one of the seamen died in spite of all we could do, being
beyond human aid. The men looked like skeletons. lhey
were nine days in the boat without food or water."

It is a remarkable circumstance that the commanders
of both the ill-fated ships, La Plata and the Cospatrick,
Captain Dudden and Captkin Ehnslie, resided at the
village of Charlton, near Wdblwich, and both proceeded
from thence on what proved to be their final voyages.
Captain Elmslie and his wife were well known to the
inhabitants, having lived for several years in Fairfield-
road, Charlton, and the little boy who perished with
them is described as being a beautiful little fellow of
about four years old. There are two other children,
girls, now at school at Herne Bay.

The Bath correspondent of the Daily Telegraph
gives the following details concerning two of the
victims: "A young man, twenty-five years of age,
together with his wifg, left the house of Mr. Wm.
M'Combes, of Bath, where they had been paying a
farewell visit, to sail in the Cospatrick. King was a
native of that city, but had been following his trade,
that of a ladies' bootnaaker, in London, where the
parents of his wife resided. He had been doing well,
having had constant work and good wages ; but had
conceived the desire of going to New Zealand to better
his condition. The unfortunate couple had been mar-
ried little more than a year, and when they took leave
of their friends they were hopeful of doing well in
their new country."

The committee of the Thames Church Missiox have
forwarded to us (The Standard) a copy of the report
made to them by the Rev. J. T. Gadsdun, their chap-
lain, who resides at Gravesend, and paid a visit to the
Cospatrick just before she sailed. He says :
"On Thursday, the 10th September, visited the Cospatrick,
about half-past eight o'clock in the morning, and went into
the forecastle—the sailors, although at breakfast, gave me a
hearty welcome. One of them I knew well, having had a
'long .conversation with him a few days before on the
subject of infidelity. After breakfast I asked their atten-
tion, and opening my Bible, and sitting down upon a
cable, road a verse from the let Epistle of St. John,
and gave an address, after which I offered prayer. Books
and tracts were distributed amongst them, and on leaving
the forecastle I received many thanks for my visit. I then
went round the deck and. Aced the young men (emigrants)
to 'go below. . In .a short tune nearly .all had assembled,
' between decks, 'and 'held a very interesting farewell sex:-
vice. A hymn was sung very heartily, prayer offered, and
an address given. I closed this very hopeful service with
another prayer and the Benediction. The quiet, earnest
attention of all present was very remarkable, and justifies a
belief that my labour was not in vain. I went to the
single women's compartments ; the matron very kindly
assembled all under her care, and I held service with
them. Afterwards visited the married couples' quarters ;
with a little assistance I collected the men,' women and
children, and had again the pleasure of conducting a most
encouraging service I gave away for the Religious Tract
Society 125 packets of books—these packets are made up
expressly for emigrants. I also offered, as a farewell present
from the British and Foreign Bible Society, a Testament to
every person not possessing the Scriptures. Eighty-four
emigrants gladly and gratefully accepted them. My work on
board was now done, and when leaving the ship I could not
but remark that the services throughout had been of a
peculiarly solemn and impressive character."

Up to Monday evening the total amount received at
the Mansion House towards the public fund which is
being raised there under the auspices of the Lord
Mayor, for the relief of the dependent relatives of the
sufferers by the loss of the Cospatrick, was £1,349 125.,
which sum included £l2O 2s. collected at the church of
St. Michael, Chester-square, through the Rev. James
Fleming.—Dr. Featherstone, the Agent General of
New Zealand, has, Oil behalf of the Government of that
colony, subscribed £l,OOO towards the fund.

THE THAW IN PARIS.
One of the Paris correspondents of the Pall Mall Gazette
thus describes the thaw in Paris on New Year's Day :
There has hardly ever been such a night seen in
Paris as that of the Ist of January. The streets were
already slippery when, at nine in the evening, the rain
began to fall and to freeze instantaneously; it was
frozen before it could run off an umbrella. From this
inclement state of the weather I took refuge in a cafe,
for the roads were quickly sheeted with ice, and there
were no cabs to be had for love or money. Before long
the cafe resembled an ambulance, men and women
with blackened eyes, cut faces and bruised limbs
flocked in and were bandaged. Along the Boulevards
when the theatres were over the sight was at once pain-
ful and ridiculous, for ladies and gentlemen who had
counted on their carriages were forced to face the road
on foot, and the only way to walk with any safety was
to pull off your boots and trust to your stockings. A
gentleman said he never saw so many horses down
except at_Unktripigny, when. the German batteries
.uobnoa ihadt-nviriti

played sad havoc with the French artillery teams. In I
many instances the poor animals remained where they
fell, either too much frightened or too much hurt to
rise, and I hear that the omnibus company lost no
fewer than two hundred horses from broken legs or
severe strains. One gentleman- cut up a railway
wrapper, and, making stockings for his horse, drove
home; and an enterprising smith established himself
on the Boulevards, and roughed a number of steeds.
A man with a quantity of list slippers made a HUI, ,
fortune, but his stock was soon exhausted. In some '
of the worst places—at the Pont Neuf, for example—
there were dozens of vehicles unable to move, and in
fact all over Paris were to be found deserted
carriages and omnibuses, in which persons who
despaired of getting home took refuge. Nlany.
people passed the night at the various police-stations,
and one hears of gentlemen after having left their
wives, to the care of the executive, regaining home
alone. Several people lost their lives; a young man
fell and fractured his skull in the Rue de la Paix ; a
woman slipped, came down, broke her arm, and the
child she was carrying was killed on the spot ;
numerous fractures of legs and arms occurred, and
dangerous wounds; coming down the Champs Elys6es
next morning one could hardly walk twenty yards
without seeing traces of blood. M. Francisque Sarcy
has written an amusing account of how he and three
friatids, linked arm-in-arm, managed to cross Paris,
and of course there were comical incidents. There is
a well-known beggar, who, having lost both legs, by
means of sharp-pointed sticks, propels himself on a
go-cart. This man dashed up the Boulevards at full
speed, and, as a reporter remarks, "avenged the
humiliation of years."

A TRAGEDY IN FRANCE,

The Paris papers record a dreadful scene whic
occurred last week at St. Quantain (Charente In-
fgrieure). A man resident in that commune quarrelled
with his father, and the police having interfered, he
turned his rage upon them, breaking-the arm of one'
gendarme and wounding two others, lie then barri-
caded himself rwit,hinAhic.hpnee,, opening loopholes
through which- tbL thee olipon his assailants. He
set about melting down his pewter spoons to
make bullets, and gave warning that he intended
to defend himself to the bat extremity. As-
sistance was sent for from Sainte!, but he defied all
attempts to induce him to surrender, and for twenty-
four hours maintained his defence, wounding two
other officers. At last a man succeeded in reaching
the roof and setting the house on fire by means of
petroleum. The building was reduced to ashes, and
the infuriated owner perished with it. His victims
included two gendarmes killed and two wounded.