The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-07-29
From the London Herald.
BURNING or THE BLUE JACKET.

In March Last the British ship Blue Jacket
was burned al sea. while on her voyage from
New Zealand to England Out of sixty
have been saved, One of the survivors gives
the following account in letter addressed Ia
hi mother, and dated nj Port Stanley, Falk-
land Islands, April %:
We had seven saloon passengers grown
up. twelve second cabin, and seven children,
all Young, and a sewardess of the saloon.
OF the passengers there We're six women );
Two Of the children were at the breast. Ships
company all told, forty-two Total number
Of people on board, sixty two, and seven
children. We made 4 passage TO the Horn
IN twenty days. On the 1h of March we
passed The Falkland Islands in sight. But
on the Tuesday following there was a scene
that never wish TO view again. About half
past one in the afternoon smoke was seen is
euing ont of the fore hatchway. 1t happened
~ be a very fine afternoons; everything was
being done to eyinguish the fire, and about
t o'clock we thought we would get the upper
hand Of it. Half an hour afterwards it broke
ont ten times worse than ever. We still kept
II it until little after nine that night, at
which time the Goals that were in the fore
part had caught fire, and in ten minutes after
the whole OF the forecastle was in a blaze.
Then our fate appeared scaled. The order
was given to get the yacht over the side. Be
fore lowering her into the water we got the
women and children into her all safe-then
lowered her after which the remaining pas
-en@crs got in, the fire in the meantime work
ing atl very rapidly. In the port lifeb boat
there were Mr. Williams and his watch In
the starbOard boat, Mr.. Bell and his watch
i was in the yacht. The other boats left the
hip 4 little before US, for we could not pre-
vail upon the captain for some time TO leave
The ship, and do not think he would have
left her if he had not promised the ladies that
he would take charge of them. He said he
did not like to leave the old ship. So we cut
away and drfled clear of the ship. About an
hour after we left the foremost fell over the
ide-haf an hour afterwards the main and
mizzen followed lis example with a heavy
crash. The vessel was then in one mass of
flames it was a fearful sight to witness. We
kept as near the ship as possible, thinking
that some vessel might see the fire and bear
down TO her; but there was no such luck
Next day there was q dead calm, and Mr..
Williams came on board the yacht-so we
straightened up the boat little and made
things more comfortable. In the evening,
the captain told me to 90 TO the mates boat
and Mr.. Williams to stay in the yacht. Soon
after dark a breeze sprung up, and was in
creasing All night. We kept together all
night by means of lanterns, which we held
up every now and then. The next morning,
the other two boats were well ahead-the
breeze was still increasing, and in about two
hours time we picked them up. Mr. VIII
liams did not make any sign to come into his
boat again, so when the captain gave lis the
course TO the Falkland Islands we went on to
see if we could pick the other boat up. Be-
fore we could see her the yacht was out of
sight. When we came up to the second mates
boat we both lowered our sails and hove-to
tor the yacht TO get up to us again. We had
had pretty good supply of provisions and
water, but we knew not how long we would
have to be in the boat before we were picked
up or reached land. We waited there some
time, but no yacht was to be seen, and we
were losing the fair wind, 50 we asked Mr..
Bell If he was going to wait any longer He
said Mo- With that answer we hoisted
our sail and started, but up to the time we
lost sight of him he had not moved. We still
went ON, but during the night the wind shift
ed round right dead against us, so we steered
for the main land, as il was impossible for us
to reach the islands. We never saw either
of the boats after that. There We're Is of us
in one boat; there We're q adults and seven
children in the yacht. and the rest with Mr.
Bell, second mate. have no doubt father
would recollectI the brown dog that Mr.. -
had. 1t was in our boat. Six days after we
left the ship we killed it, drank the blood and
ate the flesh. Six days after that was the
commencement Of the horrors of a castawav
crew One of the boys out of two died thro1'
drinking salt water. We managed to keep
il from him during the daytime, but at night
he would get it. He was out of his mind
about eleven hours before he died. We buried
the poor lad as well as we could under the
circumstances. We read the burial services
for the dead at sea, but we had nothing to
sink him with. 1t was painful task, but it
was the will Of God. We prayed to the AL
mighty in that boat with more earnestness
than any of us had ever done before We
could see death staring us in the face. Day
after day no land, no vessel. Five days after
the boy died we lost the carpenter and sea-
man. The latter poor fellow died from utter
debility and old age The carpenter, who