STRUCK IN THE NIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 122, 25 May 1928, Page 8

STRUCK IN THE NIGHT.

MERMAID'S DEADLY EMBRACE

WRECK OF IRON CHIEF.

SEAMAN TELLS THE STORY.

Still tempting their fate upon the waters, several members of the crew of the steamer Iron Chief, which piled up on the Mermaid Reef, on the New South V\ ales coast, on April 1, are at present at Auckland in the steamer Iron Monarch, and the brief details already known of the disaster are suplemented by their vivid account.""

"We were bound from Port Stephens to CofFs Harbour at the time," said the narrator. "Crowdy Head light was abeam at 8 p.m., but the weather was very bad, with blinding rain squalls every few minutes. Thirty-five minutes after passing the reef we struck fairly on the outer edge of the well-known Mermaid Reef. The skipper immediately ordered the engines to go astern, but the propeller was stripped off. That undoubtedly saved our lives, for if the vessel had come off the reef in the darkness she would have sunk before we could have done anything. Our S.O.S. brought the tanker Saxicava, but she could only stand by in case the vessel started to break up. A little tug from Manning River came along also, but she was not strong enough to be of much use.

"At four o'clcok the next morning, the rising tide lifted the vessel off the reef, but so badly holed was she that we thought she would sink. Aided, however, by the tide, the tug got us beached at Diamond Head beach. All but half a dozen of us were then taken off."

"Tuesday morning saw the arrival of the steamer Doepel, with salvage gear, and we started pumping. There was rather an amusing interlude in our work when two reporters from the Sydney 'Herald' hailed us from the shore. When we went in to get them our boat was capsized in the surf; and we had a busy time collecting floating oars and things. "For the remainder of the week we stood by the wreck doing all we could to save her. The weather, however, grew steadily worse, and the vessel pounded badly. Three days' fine weather would have enabled us to pet her off, but it was not to be. On Saturday night she broke clean in half, and we found ourselves in imminent danger of a wet death. Only at the risk of his own life did the skipper of the launch that was standing by get close - enough to take us off."

"That was the end, of course. The old vessel began to break up rapidly after that, and there was no doubt but that she was a total loss. Besides the ship and cargo, which together were estimated as being worth £54,000, £4000 worth of salvage gear was lost when she broke up. What was still more important from our point of view, most of us Jost all our clothes and personal belongings."

"Yes, we certainly got off lucky," admitted one of the party, "especially seeing most of us have got other jobs with the same, company. But you can bet I am not hoping it will happen again. Not for mine,-thanks!"