IS IT A WRECK?

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 288, 4 December 1889, Page 8

IS IT A WRECK?

DISCOVERY ON THE COAST.

This morning a wire from Mangonui trom Captain Farquhar, of the coastal steamer Clansmati, reported an occurrence which might lead fco the supposition that some Island vessel had meb with a mishap off the northern coasb of New Zealand while bound to Auckland, in the recent heavy easterly gale. The telegram stated : " The Maoris along the coast north of Mangonui report during the strong easterly gale on Sundaylaet thou sands of oranges, apparently an Island veesel's cargo, were washed ashore on the long beach between Nuka Point aud Taipu, in Rangaounu Bay." It seems pretty conclusive from this tbab the flotsam found in Rangaounu Bay was portion of a vessel's freight from the South Seas, bub ib would be premature to assume that a vessel foundered in the galo off the coast, and chat these oranges are the sale relics of her wreck. Instances have occurred before where similar quantities of orasages have been found washed ashore on the coast, and subsequently ib has brauspired that they had formed the deck load of a schooner bound from the Islands to Auckland, and had been washed overboard in a gale. There are no Island schooners expected from the South Seas just now, but the steamer Little Agnes, owned by Messru Donald and JDdenborough, of this port, ie about "due from Rarotonga and the rest of the Hervey Group with fruib and cotton. The little schooner Araura was most likely to come up to Auckland from the Hervey Group before long, but is not likely to have sailed yet. The probability is that a vessel, perhaps the Little Agnes, has encountered the gale, and had her deckload of oranges taken overboard by heavy seas. Further news regarding the discovery will be awaited with interest. No wreckage is reported to have come ashore. The schooner Fleetwing, which arrived a few days ago from Mare Island, in the Loyalty Group, partly disabled, with 100,000 oranges, reported on arrival that she had encountered a very heavy easterly gale on Thursday last off the Northern coasb and had her steering-gear carried away. None of her fruit was, however, washed overboard.