Casuality to an Auckland Vessel.-Part of the Crew Missing.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 115, 23 May 1885, Page 5

Casuality to an Auckland Vessel.-Part of the Crew Missing.

JJtatina Nightin gale arrived at eh» 3 from Auckland, waterr"E«o(five seamen. The vessel jW ?2 mUea from Sydney, but Z™™>, who were together in one aiM, 9 vessel, and auccaeded "HJ Mf to port, The captain,

mate, boatswain, coo! ivt ie in the other boo yet. Tha Nightingal •_''Jl> tons register. Si mure, United States, foi.j over 24 years old.

It, and two passengers it, and are missing as le is a wooden vessel of lie was built at Baltiin ISGO, and is thereShe ha« principally

bei n employed in tho intercolonial trado, !iikl hoc last voyage was from this port to Syilneyi via Mercury Bay. Sho is owned hero by Messrs D. Goulc (shipwright), Sullivan (master of the burgo I'ukapuka), and (.Vitain Short (maator of the Nightingale), \vhi i.-i reported missing, Mr Uouk owns half, and the others havo each a quartersbiii'O in the vessel. The Nightingale sailed fooaa this port on March 10th, proceeded to Mercury Bay in ballast, and there lon led 200,000 feet of sawn timber for Sy'lnoy Sho left Morcury Bay about Mi.rch 31st, so that her trip thence occupied upwards of a month. The men reported iw "missing" aie Captain George Short, master of tho vessel, born at Dartmouth in 182S; J. D. Hastings, mate, born at Lo.ith, Ireland, in 1536 ; and C. Hannaford, cook arid steward, late of tho schooner WV.iapu, born at London in 1537. All these are well known in Auckland. Captain Short leaves a wife and family residing in Collogo Road, and Mr Hastings also leases a wife. Latkr.

When tho steamer Arawata arrived from Fiji on the 20th inst.,we were gratified with tho discovery that tho missing crew from tho brigantino Nightingale wero nlive and woll; in fact that thoy were visible am insist the passenger.". It appeared that thty liad been picked up by the barque Romijio, about 95 miles from Sydney, landed at Fiji, and that they had there .-•poured passages by the Arawnta bound for Auckland, Onoof our representatives waited upon Captain Short and Mr Dempsoy at Mr Ilendry's ollico, on Queen-street wharf, during the morning, when Mr Dempsey relate d the following narrative of their rescue: —Our boat left the wreck with a lug sail hoi-ited. Our provisions consisted only of breul and water. After going about two milue, five of the crow considered the boat too deep and crowded to be safe, and a.-kod to bo put back. Wo landed thoso who wero afraid to venture in the boston thebrigantine and again shoved oft. Our party then consisted of Messrs Short, Hastings, Dempsoy, Scott, Joe, and the coo!;. After leaving tho wreck for tho second timo wo- had a fresh breeze from the S.B. which lasted till next day. It then foil light, and kept going round the compas3 from N.E. to S. W. During the first day wo made betweon 90 to 100 miles, but after that we kept constantly at the Oars in tho hopo of picking up some veFsel going into or coming from Sydney. We liad no idea how long we might bo in the boat, so it was decided that all hands should go on short allowance, viz, two biscuits and a pannikin of water each per day. Itjwas very hard fare, I can assure you. Tho only change wo had was when wo rauglit a shark on the third day, and made a good meal off him. Tho wonthor continued fair until Sunday, tlio 2Gth, at 2 p.m., when a sail hove in Fight. This proved to bo the barque Remijio, in charge of Captain Howard, from Newcastle, bound for San Francisco. We made signals of distress, and soon had the satisfaction of knowing that wo had been obsorved. The vessel bore down towards uh, und we were all taken on board. Wo woro treated most kindly by everyone on the barque, where we remained for 16 days. Captain Howard consented to land us at Fiji, and we were put. anhore at Levuka on Saturday, the 11th.