A Welcome Sight.

About 2 p.m. much to the relief of the passengers, a barque was sighted on the weather bow, and Captain Boyd ran up signals of distress. The stranger, which proved to be the Loch Doon, San Francisco to Cork, bore up, and in three hours all the passengers were transferred from the burning ship.

Having seen his passengers safe, Captain Boyd called for volunteers to take the ship into Pernambuco, and to a man the crew responded. For two days they toiled at the pumps, and at 4 p.m.

The Favourite Ship Piako.

on the 13th, their strenuous efforts and Captain Boyd's pluck was rewarded, the ship dropping anchor in Pernambuco Roads. A few hours later the Loch Doon also came in and anchored.

Sailing from Pernambuco on December 28, 1878, the Piako reached Lyttelton on March 5, 1879, 65 days out, or 145 days from Plymouth. The cargo, of course, was very much damaged.

An inquiry was held at Pernambuco, and another examination was ordered by the New Zealand Government when the ship reached Lyttelton. It was conducted by Superintendent Broham, and Mr. George Harper, of Christchurch, solicitor, appeared for the New Zealand Shipping Co. Rumours had been spread about that some of the passengers could throw light on the cause of the outbreak of fire. Only one passenger could be induced to give evidence, and he knew practically nothing. This voyage was a most expensive one for the New Zealand Government, which had to compensate the passengers for the loss of most of their belongings.