"THE LOSS OF THE CLYDE

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 4520, 24 November 1884, Page 2

"THE LOSS OF THE CLYDE

Thrilling 'Account of the Only Survivor,

As inquiry into the loss of the barque Clyde wus held on November 17th at the Customs Office, Christchurch, before A. Rose, Esq., Collector of Customs.

The only survivor from the vessel, George Henry Gibson, was tho only witness examined. He stated :—

"I was apprentice on beard the barque Clyde, official No. 70.792, 562 tons, of New/ castle^ New South Wale 3. We leftDunedin on Nov. sth, about C a.m., bound for , Lyttelton, with over 200 tons of sugar. • We had fair weather until 4 a.m. on "Nov. 6th, when the weather came on with heavy Equalls and rain. I was at the wheel from' midnight until 2 a.m. on Nov. 6, and_ tte orders given me were to steer north-east hy north half-north, nothing to leeward, which course I kept all the time. The master remarked to me between one a.m. and halfpast that I was not to keep her up _t<jq much to the windward of the course I'was ■ steering, as he wanted to sight the land yin the morning, so that ho might shape his course. I still carried on tho instructions I had received from the officer of the watch* From 2 to 4 a.m. I was completing my watch on deck, I turned in at 4 a.m. Soon ' after the mate, W. Currie, came to the door " and told all hands to be ready if wanted, aa the gale was increasing. About ten minutes after, the look-out sighted land on tho port bow, and the master shouted • for all hands to bout ship, but tho ■ship ■:, missed stays. The master then tried to . wear her, but there was not enough room, und she drove on to the rocks at Snuffle Point, the easterly point of Horseshoe Bay, . •about four miles from the south head of Akaroa Harbour. The captain ordered out the small boat. When launched, I was' ordered to bale her out. I got in, but had to come on board again, .is she was certain to be swamped, her nose Having got under , the rail of the vessel. Wo started to.get out the second boat, when the vessel heeled over on her beam end, and we couU not stand to doit. The captain, standing on the lee rail, called all hands to get in the small boat if they wanted to savo their lives, but no one went. Ho then called for two hands to get/ irito the small boat to try and ' aaVe1 the children. They got in, and the children were passed aft into the boat. As they were trying to pass the captain's wife Kits', the boat it was swamped. At that moment the mainmast came down, and I dived overboard to avoid the crash. I swam to the rocks, but got washed off, and managed. ta get 'hold of the spanker boom. Got -on .■/'■■'• board again, and made for the mizzen rigging, whore some of the crew were.. I , saw the captain by the companion doorlfeU':'' ' covered with blood. I think ho was hurt by the fall of the mast. He called for some one to pull him up to windward. I nerer saw the captain's wife after I. dived overboard. I could only see two ol the children floating' about oc tho deck: Some of tho crew were on the fbr'ard rigging. After the captain sang out for help he rolled down into the water, and' seemed to be either stunned or dead. The fiocond boat we bad tried to launch, which' had been lying on the skids bottom'flp,' . righted itself. The mate, boatswain,<~aa able seaman, and a boy named Bohle got into the boat with myself. As we floated- ; near w« pulled the two children into .the. boat. The boy was alive, but tha giirlV! ■ showed no sign of life. When we hod got;; . almost clear of the wreck she was swamped. The mate and Bohle got on to some of .tha wreckage, and the boatswain and the. Avß.t got on to the bottom of the little boat,I swam for the spanker boom agaiiwThe vessel was now breaking up; tUe captain's and the little girl's bodies: floated by me. I then got on to a floating' plank, and from there for a floating yard, to which an A.B. was clinging. He said bo was entangled. Just then aiioth'ep^M&.■'" floated down, which! got hold'of/'T^flptla away, and lost eight of the A.B. .Thettf^S of the deck-house floated towards me,, '/iji^ left the spar and got on it, and was washed' ashore on it. I crawled up and lay down upon the rocks for about half an-hour. 1 then went up the hill to see if I could find a house and help. Within two or three miles,; I came to a house belonging to a Mr MePhail, where they gave me.-.'soma ,■, dry clothes and breakfast, ami gent a man to telegraph the news 'or the loss of the vessel. ' Myself and-twx»' or three of the men then returned .'tb'J&a wreck. We found the body of the ship's, boy, Bohle, buried under wreckage.' -Th«fhull of fie vessel was not 'visible;. "'' ■',*-•' took the body, and carried it up to the top, of the rocks. We soon after caw" the 6.'*?' Akaroa coming to Horseshoe Bay. They cent a boat ashore so that I could jawp.-in from the rocks, and with a ropa'puUed the body of the boy off' into the :Bpat % people ashore helping them. After gejt> ting on board, we searched the bay foe any other bodies, bat found'none. Th© ' steamer then returned to Akaroa, and we - put the body in thedeadhouws. 1 remained in Akaroa till Nov. 11, when I came to Lyttelton, and have been remaining at tha; ■ Sailors' Home there. Before I left Akaroa,' inquests were held on the bodies of Captaia Culmer and Herbert Bohle, the captain's body having been recovered and brought f£ Akaroa on Nov. 10. I was not much in- '.■■'. jured, excepting the crushing of my hand.!?'" ■Cross-examined by the Collector; "Jho agents, Messrs Einsey, Ward, and Co,, oa behalf of the owner, have arranged for my' passage to the Bluff, per s.s. Xtingarooma, to join the barque Sharpshooter, now lying there, which vessel belongs to the same owner as the Clyde, My oxpenses have all been paid by the agents, and my healtt'ifc 'C' good. An A.8., named Soderquhist, wafcai'.. the wheel frosn 2 to 4 a.m. on Nov. 6. Aft»| jfi the captain had called "About ship" ho took the "wheel' himself. At no time, to! my knowledge, was the lead hove, Tb a - Akaroa lighthouse was at no time visible.' I have heard that the, captain had beeiMShi-g the coast, some seventeen, years. At tha ; timo of the wreck the weather was mistyitO, with rain, wind, and spray. • When I catnet V on deck to assist iv getting the/,vessel", about, we were, I think, only about 200ydW -" frow the show, ■ The above evidence will be forwarfj*dta the Marine Department at Wellington*