TARA'S FISHING NET.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 31, 7 February 1927, Page 8

TARA'S FISHING NET.

CAPTURES A WARSHIP. WRECK OF THE ORPHEUS. A TRAGEDY OF SIXTY-FOUR YEARS AGO. (By AYAH.' "Tara's Fishing Net." or, to give h its i full title in the wonderfully expressive j Maori language, Te Kupenga o Tara- | mai-nuku,'' is identical with the Manu- " ! kau bar. but for tlie vagaries of I : e t i which the port of Onehuuga would ere , j now be one of the most important in the I whole Dominion, for it is the nearest to | j Sydney and other Australian ports. The ; "net"' has always been catching some- ' thing, right down through the ages since ' it first pot its name —in the early days [of Maori settlement in Ao-tea-roa. One II of the most notable catches was her Majesty's steam corvette Orpheus, carry - Ming 21 guns and a complement of over : 250 officers and men. This tine vc.-sel became a total loss during the afternoon land evening of February 7. li>63—just | sixty-four years ago. The Orpheus | was coming from Sydney to take up duty on the New Zealand station, and jit was anticipated by her crew and the 'authorities that she would soon be exj periencing very exciting times, for the truce of eighteen months before, between the Tarauaki natives and the British authorities had not ended the native " disaffection. As a matter of fact, there ; j was much concern in the Auckland prol a*ince at the increasing restlessness of ' the Waikatos. This, in part, was the : cause of H.M.s. Orpheus being disI patched to New Zealand. I I When a warship steams np the Waitemata nowadays it does not present the glorious sight that a ship of war ' did in those days, for sail power has ! given place to coal and oil. Ask an old seaman what was the most beautij fill sight in the world, and he will probJ ably tell you a ship in full sail apjproaching land after a long voyage. To ' j the few watchers at the Manukau ' Heads soon after midday on that bright February day, 64 years ago, the Orpheus made a noble spectacle, with all sail set to a fresh westerly breeze. But soon she had rushed to her doom, for the mouth of "Tara's Fishing Net" was gaping wide. The vessel was soon in the boiling breakers, nosing her way through and over the combers, seeking the correct charted passage that would take her through the treacherous shoals, and give smooth water all the 1 way up to Onehunga. But it was not to be. The Orpheus ran right on to the middle bank which divided the navigable channels, and though the recoil of the surging waters took her back off the bank again, it was only a temporary respite, for before sail could be slackened and way got off the vessel she was on the bank again, this time more securely, and the gripping sand resisted every effort to free the bonny vessel. Commodore Burnett quickly realised that the case was one for desperate measures, and, while part of the crew was clewing up sails, the others lowered £boat in an attempt to win to safety ifnd get help. Great seas were breaking over the ship and it was impossible to stay on the deck. The crew went aloft, and clung there for hours. A small vessel coming out of the Manukau for the run to Waitara and New Plymouth saw the wreck, but could not render much assistance, further than standing by for a few minutes while several dozen bluejackets plunged into the boiling seas in the slim hope of being picked up. It was doubtful . whether the circumstances would warrant the change, but the more hardy ones jumped, plunged and battled until they were able to grasp the friendly ropes thrown, from the small trader. It is not known how many essayed the 1 feat, but many failed. One or two actually got back on to the Orpheus. ! The trading vessel could not wait longer, as she was in imminent danger of joining the Orpheus on the sandbank. The ship's boat that was launched soon j after tlie first catastrophe had meanltinic won through to the pilot station 1 ' just inside the heads, but the station was not then connected with Onehunga Jby telephone, and night had fallen before ' the twenty-mile trip had been accomplished. There was another war vessel. H.M.s. Harrier, lying at Onehunga. and a# soon as word of the disaster was received herculean efforts were made to expedite her departure to render what aid was possible to the stricken victim of j "Tara's Fishing Net."' I The Harrier was much too late to give I succour, for just before sunset it was j evident that the beautiful corvette was 1 doomed to break up within a few hours, i i Tndeed so ominous was the situation j j that the vessel's commander. from ai j precarious position in the mi/zen j i rigging, told his men that they had , j better put their trust in <iod. for lie! | (the speaker) was convinced no human [ j help could save them. He ga\e them j j permission to try to win ashore if they j j wished, adding that he intended •-laying J with his ship so long as any of the crew j j slaved. They were seamen true ;o their | 1 i glorious heritage as Britisher-. for | ' within a few minutes the mainmast I' I snapped off at the deck, and went over ! : i (lie side with its human freight. Sur- j I vivors aver that while ilit- mast ua* I : j actually falling many of the men cheered ' i j fearlessly and hearteningly. and look 1 ' {up the battle with the waves. Tho-e ' 1 j men on the foremast and the miz/.cn ! I mast soon followed into the icv waters. I I for their precarious perches did not long ; withstand the buffeting of the mightv i waves. The brave commander of tha \t-ssel was drowned—some say a falling spur i killed him outright: but more prubahlv 1 he was knocked overboard by a falling i | -pur and injured so badly that he could not reach the shore. It was. of cour.-e. | . |se\eral days before the survivors were ! : [collected and accounted for. but when a j i careful tally was made it was apparent j < that Commander Burnett and ISO of his j i ,r, 'w had perished—thus there were <t'.i 1 \ survivors (including several officers) out i< of a total crew of 2.10. The lu.-s of the i i Orpheus could probably ha\c been ! - avoided, in \ iew of the ev'idenee tendered j at tlie subsequent inquiiie.-. bv a more efficient charting of the navigable chan- ! ' nel ot t.ie Manukau but it was f aU >d ' j otherwise. However. "Tara'« Fishing ,la<i never since caught s, i( .i, ?. prize. r |