THE SCHIEHALLION.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 293, 8 December 1923, Page 17

THE SCHIEHALLION.

STORY OF A TRAGIC WRECK,

The Schiehallion, a smart little iron barque of 600 tons, was built in 1869 for the Shaw-Savill Company. She had a rather short career, as she was wrecked in the English Channel when on a passage from Auckland in 1879. She visited all the principal ports of New Zealand, and on one occasion ran out to Wellington in 7S days from port to port. Leaving Auckland in 1878 under the command of Captain Levack. with thirteen passengers and sixteen of a crew the barque made an unusually long passage Home of 113 days. Nothing eventful, however, occurred until she had passed Ushant Light. Sho was running before a ten-knot breeze in very thick weather, and at 6 a.m. on January 13, 1879, ran ashore. There was a heavy ground sea running at the time, which lifted and bumped the ship on thg shingle; but, fortunately, she did not go to pieces for a couple of hours. The David Moore, a brave and -strong swimmer, jumped overboard with the lead line, and by a supreme effort reached tho shore. By means of the lead line « hawser was pulled ashore and made fast to the rocks. By this means the majority of those on board gained the land, hand over hand through the breakers, many being half drowned at the end of their perilous journey. Mr. Beetson, tho popular second officer, exhausted by hia efforts to save tlie women and children and by loss of blood, his thumb having been crushed off, was stunned against tho side of the ship as he was making for tho land, and was carried out to sea and drowned. When most of the crew had reached the shore, the coastguard* arrived with the rocket gear, and tho children were got off, lashed to on* another, or to the backs of sailors.

Before this the wreck had begun t» break up. The mainmast had gone over the seaward side, as subsequently did the other masts. The Schiehallion lay broadside on to the shore, and was canted to seaward, the port bulwarks, to which those on board clung, being high out of the water. To the after rail, on the land side, the last three souls to be rescued clung. One was a woman, a Mrs. Storey, who had refused to leave the ship hefore her children were safely landed. She was clad in only a linen nightdress. Her companions, old men both, one being the captain, were too exhausted and benumbed to even fasten the life line around her waist. There was a loud report like an explosion, when the iron plates of the hull parted from one another, and the ship broke in two amidships, the fore and mizzen masts going by the board. The wreck was lifted bodily up and heeled further to starboard, as if about to turn turtle and sucked down into the sea. For a few second* it seemed as if all were over, but a shoreward sea lifted the vessel back, and the. three pathetic figures were seen still clinging to the rail. Mrs. Storey was at last fastened to the rope, and was pulled through the waves, but when near the beach the line jammed and she -was held under water. A cry went up of "Cut the rope," but no knife was available, and the men tore at the rope with their teeth, scarcely knowing what they did, and at last the line was severed, and Mrs. Storey was hauled ashore more .dead than alive. The old man was the next to be hauled ashore, and last of all the captain was brought from the wreck in the lifebuoy cradle —■ the only one rescued by this means— nearly lifeless.

The story of the only other person drowned besides the second officer 1* a very-sad one. He was a boy of 14 years, by the name of Butt, and "was the only child of Captain Butt, living in Auckland. He was holding on to the bulwarks when one of the men sent him to fetch some money from a chest. He was washed over the starboard side of the ship, and though he struck out bravely for the shore, he was never seen alive again. The bodies of the second mate and the boy were found some days after. The Schiehallion made the followingpassages to New Zealand: — TO AUCKLAND. Sailed. Arrived. Captain. Days. Feb. 26 June i. 'Tfi ■ Levacfc 98 Mar. 16 :June 23, '73 ! Levacfc too TO WELLINGTON. Apr. 27 July li, "73 | LevacK 78 iJuly 3 Oct. v, '77 Levacfc 98 i I TO DUNEDIN. i | Aug. 23 ! Dec. 10,77, Levacfc 110 I ; (To be continued next Saturday.)