The Republican journal., 1870-10-27
A SHIP SET on FIRE AND BURNED AT SEA.

New York, Oct. %.
Charles Pardoe, Charles Meredith, Freder-
lex Allen and Samuel Duncan, the latter q
son Of a clergyman at Fall River. will be
brought before the United States Court in
this city, tomorrow, for examination on the
charge of setting fire to the whaling ship
Robert Edwards Capt Thomas F. Pease,
which sailed from New Bedford on the 10th
OF last May, on a cruise. Assistant District
Attorney Purdy will appear for the Govern
ment. The crime Of which the accused ore
charged is punishable by law with death.
The leader in the plot to destroy the vessel
was Pardoe, a large and muscular man, who
served as an English convict in the mines in
Australia. Soon after leaving port he form
ed plot for the destruction of the vessel lie
then induced Allen, who boasts of his
escape from England in consequence Of crime
and of desertion from the United States
army, to join in the bold undertaking. Jan
sen, Meredith and Duncan, the latter mere
boy, was soon in league with the two
conspirators, and it was determined to kill
the officers and scuttle the ship. They at
tempted to sink the vessel by boring holes in
her hull, but subsequently stopped them up
in time to escape suspicion. About lOP. NJ,
however, on the Goth Of July when the Ed
wards was in mid-ocean, 800 miles away
from Bermuda, the nearest point Of land, the
alarm of fire was raised and flames were dis
covered in the lower hold between the fore
and main hatches All hands were imme
diately mustered and all means employed to
avert the danger Seamen handed buckets
and barrels of water but were unable to
subdue the progress of the flames. They
succeeded, however in filling between decks,
with the matches battened end holes cut in
the upper deck to throw down water. The
crew worked all night and the next day, and
on the next night apparently seemed masters
of the fire. the lower hold being then full of
water. The fire, not to be overcome, soon
broke out through the sides OF the ship. The
plank shear was then cut near the rail, and
the water was soon down in the hold. The
flames were extinguished in this way ON the
larboard side, but continued to increase in.
intensity on the other side.
At Z p. NJ. on the 22d OF July the boats
were lowered and provisions collected for
them, and they all abandoned the ship, with
the exception of the captain and one man,
who remained on board, steering the ship
until 10 z. M. At that time the fire broke
out on the apper deck and spread to the sails
and masts. The captain and the sailor then
embarked in a small boat. They stood by
the burning craft all night in company with
other boats Shortly after midnight the masts
fell, and in the morning the ship had burned
amidships to the waters edge. The occu-
pants OF the whale boats were in lat. 80 north,
and Ion. 81 40 west, at the time they left the
wreck, and stcered toward Bermuda On
the following day they were picked up in the
open sea by the brig Mary Rice, Capt James
b, Pratt, from Baltimore bound to Rio de
Janeiro. Previous to leaving the Robert
Edwards, Capt Pease. suspccting something
wrong, called Pardoe and asked him il he
had started the fire. The latter said that he
and two others had committed the act, but
refused to give their names. He said his ac-
completes had gone into the hold with him.
During the efforts to stay the flames two men
jumped overheard. One, named Daniel
Burns, was rescued, but John ,Jenson, Il
Dane, was drowned. Pardoe subsequently,
told the captain that Meredith and Jenson
We're the persons who went down the hold
with him. On coming on board Of the Mary
Rice, Capt Pratt questioned the conspirators,
and they told him that they had no fault to
find with the ship and that they could not tell
what had prompted them to fire the ship
Allen said he had ''stutf" already prepared
for the fire and that Pardoe Meredith and
the Dane ignted it. Duncan declared that
he was afraid to expose the plot for fear OF
his life. The accused We're examined before
Nicc-CouSul Cordino, at Rio, and then sent
homo