The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-11-22
BURNING OF A SHIP AT SEA.

r. ii. Dana, Jrr in a letter from Honolulu
to the San Francisco Times, gives thrilling
narrative of the burning of the Boston clipper
snip Mastifi, Capt Johnson, on the 10th OF
September. She had on beard large number
of Chinese passengers.
Inc captain jumped below and found the
between decks all on fire. and the fire eommn
hlea'ed TO huge quantity of hay in the lower
hold, and spreading so rapidly among the Iight
dry ber,hs aud mats OF the Chinese that an v
attempt to exiinguish it was n mere waste ot
time. He ordered the puiaps stopped. and ali
hand hands to o. the 10 siering and launching of the
boats. The cry of powder, was raised but
the danger had been foreseen. and the can,ain
had the magazine, which contained powder
enough to blow the ship and all into the air.
ana was situated over the fire. removed and
thrown overheard.
A ship was in sight and our a,sirr 1,,,s
aback "
Now all depended on the boats Could they
pe iinnchea ana filled III safety before the fire
shouid break through the decks, amid the cries
ana struggles of these half-frantic Cinnamon
some OF these poor creatures rushed madly
Tor the boats, and others were stupefied by fear
by threats to some, and hard fighting with be-
iayihg pms against the rest, and the present
ing Oh feyolyers at their heads, they were kept
AZ bay and in something like subjection In
THESE eHorts the captain was well seconded by
MS ofncers and crew, and by the cabin passpn-
seTSi ahu sea-iaring men will give credit to the
skIii ana discipline that prevailed, when they
az az soiu ,hat every boat was launched sup
plied win oars, named, loaded with passen
gers ana sent of, without n single accident
worthy OF notice. Mrs. Johnson the en- ptain s
wife, the only female passenger went in the
hrst boat, behaving with considerable COOL
ness throughout
The ship in sight, which proved to be the
British ship Achilles, came rapidly up. and
hove TO to windward of us and sent a boat To
our ana a charge OF our second mate. The four
boats of the Mastiit, and this boat of the
Achilles, were now employed in passing and
re-passing between the two ships taking of
and trans porting the Cinnamon. These poor
fellows, not understanding oar language, igno-
rant of boats and the sea, filled the chains,
hung over the sides by ropes, struggling for the
earliest places in the boats, and force was still
necessary to keep them from swamping the
boats. In about one hour and a half after the
hrst alarm was given, every person on board
the Mastif was safely placed on the deck OF
the Achilles, with the single exception of a
Chinaman, who went below to save his money
chest and was sufocated. His death was not
known, except to few of his colntrymen,
until the next day.
When all the lives had been saved, Captain
johnson gave his attention TO saving property
and provisions. The specie, amounting to
nearly eighty three thousand dollars, WAS
taken out and sent TO the Achilles in charge
of our chief mate
Every living creature was out of the ship.
the specie was saved, All accessible places on
deck had been cleared of their contents, and
the tlames would soon be through the decks
All but the two quarter boats now left her for
me last Time, and when we got on the deck OF
the Achilles, the flames burst with a loud re-
port, through the main deck, near the main
mast. Two figures Were still visible in the
lurd twilight, lowering on the quarter-dee k
of the ship of their pride-the master and
the chief mate. They now left her in the or
der OF battle, the captain last, and precisely
at quarter before seven O'Clock, as timed by
the captains watch, in the light of the flames,
as he was rowed off in his boat and not more
than two hours after the first intimation OF
fire, this noble ship, so swift, strong, so high
in reputation, so complete in all her appoint
ments, was deserted mass of flames.
We all felt that had there not beer. vessel
in sight. the chance of saving any lives was
very small, and all know how often one sails
the Pacific for weeks without seeing vessel.
There was also abundant cause for gratitude
that all the dangers were SO successfully pass
ed. And | hope il may not be an indelicacy to
say that this was acknowledged by all our
passengers, who spontaneously united in the
church service of thanksgiving for our pre-
servation at sea, that night in the cabin of the
Achilles.