The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-15 00:00:00

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18"W"CIN
OP
87)010MPOOLD ON
MAN SHIP,
BOARD.

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Yes day a very serious loss was announced at
Lloyd's which, for a time, created much anxiety, in con-
sequ, ce of the number of passengers, and the valuable
freight of gold which was known to have been shipped
on board the unfortunate ship. She was the Condor,
Mr. Leighton commander, a fine vessel of nearly one
thousand tons burden, the property of Messrs. Gibbs
and Bright, the Great Britain owners, of Liverpool, and
while on a Voyage from Australia to London, with some
fifty or more passengers, 80,0001. worth of gold, and a
cargo of wool and other merchandise, she took fire on
approaching the Line, and was totally destroyed.
Providentially all on board, with the specie, were pre-
served. The Condor left Melbourne for England about
the first week of last April, and according to the'
papers which had been received -announcing her
departure, her passengers comprised Mr. and Mrs.
Wickham and family, Mr. and • 'Mn'. Pellett and
child. Mr. and Mrs. Bidgood, Messrs. Smith, Faulk-
n3r, Mann, Marshall, and Mrs. Malcolmson, and 35 in
the second cal,in. The voyage was prosperous enough,
and there was every likelihood of its being a more than
ordinarily favourable one. On the ship nearing tlic Line,
however, about the 10th of June, her position being lat.
5 S., long 25 W., the startling discovery was made that
she was on fire in the hold. A brief examination sufficed
to tell that it was raging amongst the bales of wool.
Every means were adopted in the hope of suppressing
it, but all efforts failed, the destructive element having
evidently obtained a general hold of the cargo, defying
all the exertions that could then be brought to bear
by the crew in extinguishing it. The preservation of
the passengers, crew, and the gold on board, had pre-
viously occupied the attention of the master, and the
order had been given to prepare the boats and have
them in readiness to meet any sudden case of emer-
gency. At this critical juncture, the burning ship
attracted the notice of a French barque, the Charles
and Pauline, M. Mains master, which was bound from
Granville to some port on the adjacent coast of South
America. She immediately bore down to the Condor
and laid too: There appearing no probability of saving
the ill-fated vessel, as the fire kept increasing and extend-
ing Over her, the passengers were sent on board the
barque, and the boats were then employed in the tran-
shipment of the boxes of gold:— This -being successfully
accomplished, the whole of the specie being saved, the
crew were eventually compelled to abandon their ship,
the heated state of the decks having prevented them re,
maining by her any longer. In a short time she burst
into a general body of flames and was destroyed.
The Charles and Pauline, with her increased and valu-
able freight, then made all sail for the nearest port, and
on the 15th of June succeeded in reaching Pernambuco,
where all were safely landed. The authorities then
investigated the services rendered by the barque, and
awarded her the munificent sum of 12,000/. as salvage.
There is little doubt that the fire arose from spontaneous
ignition among the cargo of the Condor, as was the case
with the ship Adelaide, from Australia, whose extraor-
dinary ,escape from destruction was reported a short
time 'since. The Condor is understood to be heavily
insured.