THE KAKANUI MISSING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 30, 5 February 1891, Page 5

THE KAKANUI MISSING.

NO TRACE OF THE STEAMER,

BELIEVED TO HAVE FOUNDERED,

ALL ON BOARD SUPPOSED TO

BE LOST.

(by telegraph.—press association.)

Bluff, this day. The Government steamer Hinemoa arrived from the Macquarie Islands at half-past six p.m. yesterday. Captain Fairchild reports that the steamer Kakanui arrived there on the 2nd of January, and left again on the 3rd, taking away eight men from the island, and leaving Mr Mellish (the manager) and his wife. Two days after she left the Macquaries a fearful westerly gale was experienced there, and it is most probable that the Kakanui foundered in that gale. The people on the Macquaries had plenty of rice, flour, and biscuits, and also eat the penguin's egg?, and part of the birds. Mr Mellish refused to come away in the Kakanui, preferring to await the arrival of the Gratitude, kotch, from Invercargill. A thorough search has been made of the Auckland, Snares, Solanders, Traps, and all outlying islands, but no trace of any sort has been found.

The gale experienced at the Macquaries after the Kakanui left was so violent that casks of oil were blown along th 6 beach and a hut blown down.

Captain Fairchild fears that it is only too likely that the Kakanui experienced that gale and foundered, as when she lefb the Macquaries phe was very deep, and had apparently a good stock of coals on board.

A telegram from Dunedin says :— So far as can be ascertained, the names of those on board the Kakanui are : —

Captain William Best, married, with four children.

Captain Jacob Eckoff, mate, married, with six or seven children.

Morris Erickgon, mate, married. Robert Steward, engineer, married, one child.

William Morgan, fireman, married, four children.

William Raister, cook and steward, mar ried.

George Ludwig, seaman, married, two children.

Charles Silvester and another seaman whose name is unknown, and a fireman also unknown.

James Stewart. Customs officer, son of Captain J. Stewart, of tho Big Dredge.

The eight men taken off tho island were : —C. Gaamble, H. Couzens, A. VVateon, G. Godfrey, W. Dow, H. Lewis, and two lade. W. Cowan, W. Ralph Couzens and Dow are Dunedin men, and Lewis was a fisherman at Port Chalmers.

The Hinemoa's news has cast quite a gloom over tho place. No one over dreamt that tho Kakanui had made such a smart passage down. As to the statement that she was deep in the water, that can scarcely be correct, as she only had about sixty-five tons of coal on board, and about twenty-five must have been consumed on the trip down. She ought, therefore, to have been in the best possible trim.

The news greatly shocked Mrs Beat, who is in ill health.

Alexander Watson, the only man from Invercargill on board the missing steamer, has a wife here. Hβ was second mate in Circe,theand afterwards mate of Mr Hatch's schooner Awarua, but joined the shore party in March last.

The probability of so many lives being sacrificed for what proved to have been an unfounded rumour, that tho people on the Macquaries wore starving, has caused a fearful sensation here. THE INSURANCES The vessel was insured for £1,500 in Home offices, and £300 in the National. She was valuod at between £2,500 and £3,000. ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS. The second mate's name was Norden Erecksen. He was married and has one child. Resslor was married with one child. Morgan, five children, all very young.

The able seamen Lndwig and Silvester were single and had no relatives in this part of the colony.

A seaman shipped at tho last moment named Tanne, Christian name unknown. He belongs to Dunodin and was married with one child.

A fireman was also picked up at the last moment, but his name is also unknown.