WRECKED ON A REEF.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8202, 27 July 1915, Page 2

WRECKED ON A REEF.

THE STRATHCONA'S CAPTAIN'S

STORY.

AN ADVENTURESOME TIME

(Per Press Association)

AUCKLAND, July 26.

Further particulars of the wreck of the Strathcona, the Pacific Cable Board's schooner, came by mail from Suva to-day.

Before the marine inquiry in Suva, the captain-of the Strathcona stated that the weather for a day or two after leaving Auckland was bad, but he did not ascribe his mishap to that, but to his compasses. At 7.30 on the evening of June 10 he had just worked out his position as 29 miles from Minerva reef, when tho mate gave sudden alarm, and the vessel struck on what was afterwards proved to be the Minerva reef. They remained aboard the ship on tho top of the reef that night, and the next morning dragged tho boats a considerable distance over the reef into a lagoon. Afterwards they built a large raft, on which they placed the stove and erected a tent, and eight men took \\p quarters there, while the captain and four men undertook tho perilous voyage of somo hundreds of miles to Ono in the launch. They wore picked up by the search steamer, as already described, when returning from Ono with a cutter. The eight other men spent an unenviable time on the reef, whore they had plenty of supplies and fish. When the search steamer loft, the Strathcona was lying on her side on the l'oof, and is likely to become a total wreck.