The Republican journal., 1876-03-02
Between Fire and Water.

| [Charlcs ii. Woodman, i'll Appleton.
Between Fire and Water.
! From the Hartford Courant, Jan. 27th
Charles s Thomson, jun, the first otli-
Ger OF the Boston ship Helen Morris re-
Gently reported burned at sea. arrived
home by steamer from Aspinwall on Tues
day, and is now at the residence Of his Ia
ther, DIR. G. 5. Thomson, OF New Haven
| (Seventh WardO. He brings the first de-
tailed account of the disaster, and Of the
experiences OF the crew after leaving the
| ship. The ship was a fine one, nearly
new, owned by Messrs. Baker u Morrill,,
Of Boston. and commanded by Captain
! Bursley She sailed on the Sth Of June
from Shields-on-Tyne, England, bound
| ior san Francisco with coal, She had II
tedious voyage, being kept twenty-five
days in the English Channel by battling
winds She reached Cape Horn the mid
die Of September, and hung there for fifty
four days, jammed by westerly winds and
unable to round the cape Alterward the
continued westerly winds kept her sever
al hundred miles to the west of the usual
route up the coast
OFF Juan Fernandez she lost her lower
topsails in heavy gale On the after
noon Of Friday, the 26th Of November
(atitude % deg. 2 min, longitude IS
deg. 20 min.,) the officers discovered Il
little smoke coming up the main hatch
way. They suspected fire and ordered
the matches covered until the morning of
the p tn, when an examination showed that
fire was burning in the lower hold. An
attempt was made to get at it, and some
fifty tons of coal We're removed, but it
was found that the efforts only gave the
fire greater draft 1t was useless to at
tempt to put it out with water, and SO the
matches were battened down and ail ven
tilaton cut of. The ship had been head
ed for the shore when the fire was first
discovered, but little progress had been
made on account of light winds and calm.
On the evening Of the 9TH Saturday
the gas from the burning coal drove the
officers out OF the cabin to the deck, where
they passed the night On Sunday Il brisk
breeze sprang up about noon, and the
ship made good headway until ten min
utes past six in the evening, when the
forces OF the gases in the hold blew Of
the matches and started the decks with an
explosion which created great consterpa
ton among the crew In anticipation Of
the worst all preparations had been made
for leaving the ship, the boats were pro
visioned and supplied with water, and the
officers and men had their clothing ready
for a sudden departure.
AS soon as the explosion occurred. the
sails We're tackled and the ship brought
dead into the wind, and the boats were
lowered. There We're two boats, one the
long boat of about six tons, the other the
life-boat of four tons. In the first Captain
Bursley and First officer, Thomson EN-
barked, with a passenger and nine Of the
crew. The second and third mates with
eight men, took the lite-boat. The boats
were launched safely, although Mr.. Thom-
son was disabled by having both his hands
badly jammed in helping launch the life
boat 1t was about twenty minutes from
the explosion until the last man left the
ship. The boats pulled to the windward
of the ship amile OF two and there waited.
The flames broke out at the fore-hatch of
the ship, which burned until four o'clock
the next morning The boats then head
ed for shore, using oars until daylight,
when the sails were raised In the mean
time the wind had increased, and by morn
ING was blowing half u gale, with a heavy
sea The boats kept together during
most OF the night by the use of lights, but
before morning the lle-boat made oil to
leeward and soon after morning was lost
to sight The long boat, after making
sail, headed for land which was about six
hundred miles to the west. All day Mon
day brisk wind blew which by night be
came a gale, and made it necessary to
bring the boat to, which was done by the
use of a dredge and the oars. At nine
o'clock the sea became so rough that it
was evident the boat. which was in poor
condition and leaked badly, would swamp
unless lightened, and every thing was
thrown overheard except the provisions
and instruments, leaving the men with
only the clothes they Wore. Thus light
ened the boat lived through the storm,
which by daylight abated 50 that sail was
again made, and the craft kept in her
course all day. The men, who were
soaked through, We're chilled to numb
ness by the cold.
Tuesday night the wind increased again
and the boat again hove to and passed the
night rs before, the men ut the oars all
night. Wednesday, December 1st, was
repetition Of the same experience sailing
all day and laying to at night-all hands
beng obliged to work to their utmost ut
the oars to keep the boat out of the trough
of the sea. Sleep was impossible and the
suffering of all was intense. Thursday sail
was made all clay, and i'll the night the
wind died down and the sea became calm
and the men We're allowed to lie down
and try to rest On Friday the 3d. a good
breeze all day, followed at night by gale
which required the utmost cXertions of
everybody to keep from swamping On Sat
urday morning the sails were raised about
daylight, the men all worn out with over
work and exposure, and only the Captain
and Mr.. Thomson able to keep watch
About half-past seven they sighted the
American Bark Amelia, from Coquimbo,
which picked up the sufferers and carried
them to Guayacan, little port just back
of Coquimbo, whence they were taken bv
the United States steamer Richmond, Ad-
miral Worden, to Valparaiso Captain
Bursley and Mr.. Thomson made their way
by coasting steamers, stopping at Callao
to Panama. and thence from Aspinwall by
the steamer Cologne to New York, which
they reached on Tuesday At Callao they
found the second mate with the crew OF
the life boat, who, after being out three
days and suffering much, had been rescu-
ed by a vessel bound for Callao
This is the substance of Captain Thom-
sons story. 1t was thrilling experience
and timely escape, and, considering the
hardships endured by the men in both
boats, it is remarkable that not single
! lite was lost