LOSS OF THE ALEXANDER NEWTON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 165, 12 July 1894, Page 8

LOSS OF THE ALEXANDER NEWTON.

News of another disastrous shipwreck on fche Eaab Cosßt camo to hand on Jnne 22nd, the wreck oa thia occasion being a result of the fierce gale which raged throughout the colony on June 17th. The Sydney barque Alexander Newton was totally wrecked at Portland Island, on the East Coast, on Monday (18th), while bound from New South Wales to Napier, the captain and cwo of the crew being drowned. The Burvivors of the crew arrived in Auckland by tbe Union Company's s.s. Poherua. The steamer Poherua left Dunedin on the 14th June for Auckland, and after calling at Lyttelton was, on the 20th, on her way pasb Portland leland, which lies at the extreme end of the Mahia Peninsula (north of Rawke'a Bay) when the officers noticed a signal flying from the flagstaff of the lighthouse on the Island. The signal read as follows :— " Alexander Newton, barque, of Sydney, complete wreck ; survivors on the island." On making oub this sensational message Captain Shepherd, the master of the Poherua, ordered a boab ashore to take off tbe shipwrecked men. The Poherua steamed round to the west side of the island, the more sheltered side, and one of the officers went aßhore with a boat. On landing, the officer was met on the beach by the lighthouse-keeper and six seamen, who, it appeared, were the Burvivors of an illfated vessel, the Alexander Newton, which had gone to pieces on the island two days before. The shipwrecked mariners were taken on board the steamer and brought on to Auckland, and provided with accommodation ab the Sailors' Home. Ib was assertained from the statements made by the shipwrecked men that they were the survivors of the wreck of tbe Sydney-owned wooden barque Alexander Newton. The barque, which was a vessel of 309 tons register, was well-known in the intercolonial trade, and had visited New i Zealand frequently. She was ab first owned by tho Newton family, of Sydney, who also own the three-masted schooner May Newton, well-known in this port. The Alexander Newton was builb ab the Manning River, New South Wales, in 1876, her port of registry being Sydney, and her last owner Mr Wm. Johnson. On the 3lßb of May the Alexander Newton, laden with a cargo of wooden piles for Napier, sailed from Port Stephens, New South Wales, for Napier. Tbe trim little barque was in excellent order, and none anticipated anything but a prosperous voyage for her. She was, however, destined to come to grief, and to be ground to matchwood in the surf on the New Zealand coast. Contain Harwood, who was well known in "Auckland, having been formerly master of the brigantine Prosperity and other vessels, was in charge of the barque. He was a elderly man, and bore the reputation of being an excellent seaman. Tho unfortunate captain met a sad death, as tho sequel will show. Tbe barque carried all plain sail across 1 the Taeman Sea, making the run from tho New South Wales coaeb to Cook Straits in a fortnight. Once clear of tho dreaded Straits, her ill luck began. Captain Harwood rounded Capo Palliser ab midnight on Thursday, June 14th. The barque then bore away for Hawke'a Bay, cloee-hauled, the wind being strong from the north-east. She slowly beat up against the contrary wind until Saturday night, when the wind shifted to the S.S.E. Next morning at daylight, the officers found themselves about ten miles eouth-ea?b of Bare Island, which lies south of Cape Kidnappers, tho southern extremity of Hawke's Bay. The weather then came on very thick (says tbe first mate, Mr Potts, who is one of tho survivors). The sky was obscured, and there was every premonition of bad weather. The wind quickly freshened to a violent gale from tho south-east, and in a short time it was blowing •' groat guns." Canvas was reduced, and under cloEe-reefed topsails and reefed foresail tho vessel kept out to sea. In a few hours a tremendous Boa was running, and great bodies of water now and then swept the vessel's decke. The weather became very thick, and the knowledge that the vessel was on a lee shore caused much anxieoy to the unfortunate master. With the very heavy sea running, and tbe gale increasing in fury every hour, the " skipper " deemed ib unsafe to attempt to run for Napior. Accordingly tho barque was laid on a course out to sea aa much as possible, in order to ride oub the galo. AH Sunday the gale blew furiously, and the greatest care was needed to prevenb tbe lifcblo barque from broaching to in the dangerous seas. Fierce squalls burst over the doomed ship frequently, and the vessel's whole suit of sails was nearly all blown away or torn to tatters. One by one the reefed topsails, foresail, staysaile, were torn asunder or blown clean oub of the bolt-ropes by the furious blasts. To add to tho dangers of the gale, the barque began to strain and labour heavily on the mountainous seas running. She probably started a butb or a plank somewhere, for she began to make water freely, and all hands book their turns ab the pumps. Thoclankof the pumps, aa may be imagined, made a more dismal music even than the howling of the gale. All throughout Sunday the tired crew were kept hard ab work at pumping the vessel out, but they did nob seem to gain particularly on the water in the hold.' To add to the. discomforts, tho gale and the flooded decks made it impoaeible for anything to be done in the galley, and the luckless men were forced to work on without warm food to sustain them. All Sunday afternoon and eveuing the gale raged, the vessel being kepb head to sea with only rags of canvas on her. Tbe captain and his mates hardly lefb the dock during this trying time. The next morning, Monday, broke as thick as bho previous day, and the officers had the creates* anxiety as to their position. The wind was still from tho S.E., with a tremendous sea running. Shortly before noon the fog lifted. Then tho crew saw their perilous predicament. Only a mile away wero the breakers, mountains of- water breaking on a jagged reef of rocks, while beyond the, surf lay Portland Island—a flat-topped island about two miloa long, of moderate height, lying off the Southern extremity of Mahia Peninsula, the lighthouse on the island, 300 ft. above tho sea level, was in lull view. All hands ab once perceived their plight. The barque was sagging down helplessly on tho loa-shoro, _ the wind and the terribly heavy seas driving her irresistibly towards the rocks, on which tho surf was breaking with a noise like thunder, Tho captain, as his last resource, decided to try and boach the barque to save tho livea of those on board, and a staysail was set in order to get) the vessel ashore* at what wa3 supposed fco be a sandy beach. In the grip of tho furious wind the staysail went the way of the other canvas, and tbo barque drifted rapidly on to the rocks, tho roef luying several hundreds of yards to I eenward of tho island beach.

The barque struck on the reef shortly boforo noon on Monday, and her fate, with fchafc of her luckless captain, wafl sealed. The creab Beas astern of her drove the vessel upon the reef, and it was only a question of a few minutes before ahe would be reduced to pieces in the surf. Accordingly the crew made such,preparations aa they could for saving their lives, and the lifebelts on board were served out to all hands.

" The old man was fche first to go." *aid one of fche crew. "The captain was at the wheel when the barque struck. Ho was an elderly man but still ho was pretty active. I was in the mizzen rigging when ehe struck, with a life-belt round me, when I saw a sea come over the stern and sweep the captain and the wheel both over to the companionway. The poor' old fellow was lying across the companionway with his face downwards, when another sea came over, lifted him up, and dashed him down again, back downwards, on the deckhouse. We could see blood coming from where he lay, without a move in his body, but we were helpless to assist him. I and another man who were in the mizzon rigging would have gone to help him, only it meant losing our own lives. Then anothor sea swept Captain Harwood over the eide, and we did nob see him any more."

The crew, as soon aB was practicable, ' made for the fore part of the ship, which was on top of the rocks, pounding up and down with tremendous crashes, with each send of the sea, with the intention of dropping from the jib-boom into the sea and making for the shore. All but three euccooded in gaining the barque's bows 6afely. The three were the captain, the cook, a mar. named Baker, and an able seaman named Charles Henrlrik, a foreigner. Thecookand the seaman disappeared shortly after thn captain, being washed overboard as they were making for the bows. The men, who took to the rigging as the vessel struck all got on to the bowsprit and jibboom, and one by one they dropped from the jibbooui-ond into the boiling surf. After buffeting with the waves for thoir lives they were washed up on the rocks of Portland Island, in a bruised and half-dead condition. The heavy work at the pumpß had told on them severely, nnd the only wonder is that more of the crew did not lose thoir lives. Francis Edwardß, the second mate, was badly cut and bruised by the rocks as he was struggling on shore. Most of the survivors could swim, and with their lifebelts under their arms they drifted ashore. Threo of tho survivors walked to the lighthouse, some distance away, and were hospitably received by the keepers, who had been witnossos of tho wreck. Tho other man made their wuy to a deserted Maori whare on the beach and waited, in a cold and half starved condition, till they got some clothing. Tho keepers then took them all to the lighthouse and made them vorv comfortable. All hands speak woli of the" kindnesses which they received from: the lighthouse-men during their involuntary stay on the island. Meanwhile the seas woro pounding the unlucky little barque with terrific force on the savage rocks. The vessel was giving way under tho men's feet as they left her deck, and Bhortly after they got ashore she broke up into several pieces, the masts going by the board. The sea quickly reduced the wreck to fragments, and litorally ground her remains into matchwood. "We went down to the beach an hour afterwards," said one of the survivors to a Star reporter, "and we _ couldn't find a piece of wreckage as big as a toothpick. We wanted to see if wo could get some of our clothes and other things which might come ashore, but all we could see of tho Newton were the-windlass and cables lying on the rocks." When the barque went ashore the tops of the rocke on which ehe struck were showing when eagh sea recoiled. The tide, when the vessel went ashore, waa about three-quartera ebb. The survivors who are in Auckland are : Thomas Potta, mate ; Francis Edwards, second mato; William Hodgson, Charles McDonald, Charles Sucketocß, and Alex- j ander Oteen, A.B.'s. The first mate was recently in the Auckland brigantine Stanley. Tho men drowned were:— John Harwood, master. Charles Hendrik, A.B. Baker, cook and stewardCaptain Harwood had numerous acqustintances amongst) the Auckland shipping community, and his sad death will be regretted by his old friends hero. j When tho survivors left the island none of the bodies had been recovored. Tho second mate is in tho Auckland Hospital lor treatment. Subsequent news from Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, states that a quantity of wreckage, including a portion of a hull, bearing the tuuno " AJexamlor Newton," also spars, plaiikinsr, otc, was washed ashora on June 19 on tho Tahaenui Beat*.h, near tho Wairoa, opposite Portland Island. Further wreckage, painted blno, was washed ashore at the Mania on the 21st.