Loss of the Catterthun.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 189, 9 August 1895, Page 3

Loss of the Catterthun.

She Founders in Deep

Water.

Great Loss of Life

Sydney, Augusb S.

The steamer Oatberthun struck on the Seal Rocks ab 2.30 this morning, and sank in fifteen minutes.

A boat conbaining the captain, doctor, second mate, two other white men and 16 Chinese of bhe crew landed at Foster.

The obhers are supposed to bo lost,

Later.

The boats which landed ab Foster contained SO Chinese, including 16 of the crew and the following white men: Doctor Copeman ; A. VV. Langfear ; second mate ; Mr Crane, and Captain Fraser, bhe pilot.

The other boats containing the captain of the steamer and other officers are missing.

The Catterlhun lefb Sydney last niphfc for China, via way ports, in charge of Captain Noil Shannon, and the following officers :—W. P. Pinney, mate ; Langfear, second mate; Harold Leffler, third mate; 11. H. Anderson, surgeon ; Messrs J. H. Harper, Wilaon, J. VV, Adams, and A. Wolstenholme, chief, second, third, and fourth engineers ; R. Manning, chief steward ; W. Jackson, quartermaster; throe Chinese quartermasters, and a Chinese crew of 44. She carried as passengers:—Messrs R. Fraser, T. Crane, Copeman, Dr. Anderson, Captain Fawkea, Mesdames Mathias, Loring, Misa Lot ing and 15 Chinese. Tugs have been Bent from Newcastle to the scene of the wreck. Latest. An intense sensation waa caused in the city by the loss of the Catterbhun, which was accentuated by the uncertainty as to the fate of the missing people. The weather for Lho pasb day or co has been boisterous, and an angry sea was running when the steamer left Sydney yesterday. Owing to the isolated part of the coosb where the wreck took place, very little intelligence is as yet to hand. The survivors were very much exhausted when thby reached land. From accounts received from them, the vessel must have been somewhat to the south of the lighthouse, as the keeper did not see her. A bug which hat just returned reports a high sea, and no sign of the vessel or boat's. The steamer had eighty-one on board all told. Accounts are conflicting as to the numbers saved, which are variously stated as 22 and 25, but the latter is certainly the limit. Several coastal steamers paseed the Seal ! Rocka during the day, and their arrival is anxioußly awaited here to-night in the almost forlorn hope that they may have picked up some of the boats. The passengers saved are :— Dr. Copeman, of London Captain Fawkes, pilot, and Mr Crane, official of the Eastern Extension Company. The spob where .the survivora landed is 20 miles from the Seal Rocks. Amongst the missing are : — Mrs Mathias, wife of the captain of a steamer trading in Chinese waters, who was formerly connected with Money Wigram's Australian steamships, and Dr. Anderson, The ship surgeon, a young Victorian doctor named Smith, joined the chip ab the laeti moment. The hull was insured in London. The general cargo was insured for between £20,000 and £30,000. Those chiefly interested are Derwent, Tamar, Canton and China traders. There was £10,800 in specie on board. £5,000 was shipped at Adelaide, and the rest belonged to the Chinese paasengera. The gold was insured. There was ono bag of mails trom Wellington and two from the Bluff. The following statement has been obtained from Mr Crane :— We cleared the Heads ab 5.30 laeb night,; followod by a south-west gale, high broken ; boh, and rain squalls. All wenb well till 2.25, when the passengers were atoused' by a sovere shock, quickly followed by a second. The captain quietened the passengers, telling us we were only struck by a *ea. Shortly after we were rouaed out by ! order of the captain, and told to go on deck. The ship had a strong list) to starboard, and heavy seas were breaking over her fore and aft. The position waa appalling, for the ship was evidently settling faab. The officers and crew had already succeeded in getting oub the lifeboats, but the efforts to lower them were greatly impeded by the tremendous seas which constantly broke aboard, carrying bhe boats in again. The porb lifebonb was swept off the davits. A noticeable feature was bhe coolness and discipline of all on board. The captain, chief and second mate, and Captain Fawkes were swept over the bridge, and the same sea smashed the cutter to atoms. The sea waa then level with the rails, and breaking clean over bhe poop. The starboard lifoboab was successfully launcho.'l, and a moment after the steamer gave a sudden lurch bo starboard and disappeared. The crew of the starboard boab subsequently picked up all the survivor?.

Captain Fawkes abated that jusb before the ship disappeared he with tho captain and chief officer were swept off the bridge. He saw no more of his companions, and was thirty minutes in the water before being rescued.

Mr Crane remained in his cabin to within a minute or two of the foundering. He then went on to the poop, and was 20 minutes in the water before he was picked up.

Dr. Copeman, who was in the starboard cutter when it was washed away, clung to a spar and then dropped into the water, where he remained till picked up by a lifeboat.

After examining the wreckage, the life boat proceeded to Charlotte Bay, where a trading cutter conveyed them to Gaps Hawk.

Langbear, who was in charge of the bridge, refuses to make any statement.

After striking, the t-teamer continued her course for some distance. It is supposed ehe struck a sliding blow en the edge of the outer reef, that the rocks ripped open her side, that she swung off at a tangent, and wenb ahead till she filled with water.

Off the outer rock there is a depth of 25 fathoms. • ft

The Marano, which has just (11.20 p.m.) arrived, saw nothing even to indicate ihat a disaster had occurred.

[The Catterthun was one of the beat known of the efceamers trading between Australian ports ana the East, eha having been engaged for eotae years in that service. She was an iron screw steamer, built! by Messrs W. Doxford and Sons, of Sundorland, and was launched in April, 1881, to the order of the Eastern and Australian S.S. Company, of London. She was of the following dimensions :—Length, 302.3 feet; breadth, 36.5 feet; depth, 23.7 feet; tonnage (gross), 2,179.]