DREADFUL CASUALTY.

Press, Volume IV, Issue 448, 6 April 1864, Page 3

DREADFUL CASUALTY.

3 The cutter ' Swallow , arrived in port yesterday } from the Great Barrier Island, and brought intellif geuce of a fearful disaster which happened to the " schooner ' Kapid' -while on her way from Mercury ' Boy to Auckland. William Puge, one of the sur--5 vivors was a passenger by the ' Swallow,' and we 1 have taken down the following particulars from his k own word of mouth. He says :—"We left Mercury 5 Bay in the ' Rapid' on the evening of the 19th met. 5 (Saturday) for Auckland, and loaded with timber* We passed through Mercury Islands with very light ' weather, and it continued so until Sunday morning 1 The wind then freshened, and kept frcsheninggradually all day. I went below at seven or eight o'clock that evening, and the wind still kept freshening. The ' Kapid' is a new boat of about 30 tons. About niuc '< or ten o'clock they shortened sail; two reefs were ' taken in the mainsail. While below I felt the vessel ' plunging into the sea very hoavily. I went on deck, ' and as I passed along the deck I saw one man hanging ' on to the fore rigging. lie was a passenger ; and he cried out to mc " We are gone, Bill." All sail vaa ! then down, the foresail and mainsail hanging ! down over the lee side in the water. The vessel was then going well, free from the wir.d. I hare been a sailor, and I said to the captain that he had better ' hoist the peak up and keep the vessel up to the wind # ' I was trying to do that myself, but found that the ' peak halyards had run aloft, and I could not do it. The captain said, hoist a bit of the foresail again, but I replied that I feared it was no use. About this time one of the seameu went to the forecastle, ' looked down, and eang out that the vessel was filling ' with wifter. This was caused by her plunging into ■ the sea so heavily. Directly after the man sang out 5 that she was filling with water, she fell over on her 3 beam ends and filled. When I sang out to the ! captain to set sail, McFadgen was standing on the quarter-deck, and he cried out, "come hero—do come here Bill." Those were the last words I heard him ' speak. After the vessel went over we were quite lielp- ' less. Four of us took to the fore-rigging, nnd four to the main-rigging, and Paget, a passenger, was 1 below in the cabin, and was drowned by the vessel filling with water. He was a bad sailor, and very alarmed, and was probably helpless to save himself. This all occurred on Sunday night last, and we were then between the Little Earner Island and Tiri Tiri. As the vessel was filled with timber, she was, of course, waterlogged. Mr. McFadgen was at first on the quarter-deck, and when the vessel went down on her beam ends, he floated away on two planks to the masthead of the vessel. He then got oft'the boards, and worked himself up to where we were holding on. The head of the vossel being to the wind, th c sea waa breaking over us, and we found greatly difficulty in holding on. About half an hour after that Captain Meiklejolin called out that McFadgen was dying, and I i said take a rope and lash him to the rigging, which the captain did, and about an hour after that Portuguese Joe died in the rigging where I was. He was washed off two or three time*, and we pulled him in !

again, mit at hist wo fouml that it w.-n no use, that ho could not Imld i>n. 1 can't ri'n:>'inner iktst whether it was the s.-suii' ilav i.; , the next ui::ht, but they wrr.t oil'one by one after fha!. The l.i«t one that weiit was just whrn we were leaving the wreck at the Great Barrier. Wo >:iw ono ashore, and this man cither dropped ctl', cr in ut tempt ing to swim was drowned. We Imd pulled him into the rigging two orlhree tinus, 11it he was so far gone thai wo oould|not pull him on any move. We were not far from the shore, the vessel having drifted in e!i>so to the riH'ks. As fiv.n iisllr i!im> ofi.swho survived gut ashore, we h>\ ui.wn and had :»:«leep until daylight. We got up mid tried to walk to Mr. llnrdins, , '*, hut the Cnptain bring best able to walk, said lie would go on and send a boat for us, winch he did ; and we were taken to Mr. Harding's house, and treated \err kindly, and 1 came in the Swallow to Auckland. — : Sov/ftM'u Cro.'-s. Tiik Sri'iu.ML* Curirr.— Since the last mail arrived i from Auckland >-cve;al important cares have been I tried at the Supreme Court. Anions these were the trial of Ruarangi, for the murder of Mrs. Thompson and her daughter, who was found guilty and i sentenced to death ; of Wireinu te lJckircke iuul Kerelumia Ilerangi for sedition and conspiracy, who were acquitted ; nnd of .lames ALbott f.ir shooting at certain Natives at Kiiipara, who was also acquitted. We will jrive a more detailed account of these trials to-morrow. ConoMANnKL.-'J'lie correspondent of the Southern Cross, writing on the 17th cays :—Since my lastcontribution nothing of » very startling nature has occurred in connection with our " fields,* , but I will give a succint account of claims which aro working. In the Southern Cross Gold mining Company (No. i), they aye still crushing, but expect to be liuished on either Friday or Saturday next ; tho mining operations' are for the moment suspended, on account of its being necessary to put in fresh timbers in the drives. In tho Golden Point Gold Mining Company (.No. 5) they have got out about 150 ounces of the precious metal, lint this is merely an approximation, inasmuch as it is in imcrushed stone. They are now working in the. direction of the Albion claim, nud him , 50 lace of a leader uncovered to work Jon, and next Saturday they esjvet to be getting out payable gold, and during tho ensuing week they hope to have another crushing, having nearly a suUieiency of gold-bearing quart/, out for that purpose. So soon as they may get 150 ounces more gold out they will be in a position to declaro another i'lO dividend; there i< already one of £5 lying in the bank to (lie shveholders' credit. In tho While Swan and Albion claims, they have not yet. got over the water difiiculy. The population of our district is, as I told you in my luM, steadily on tho increase, and the Wanderer nnd Sarah Alice, our two regular trailer?, must he doing a very good passenger trnf'ic, but i am happy to say that theso cutters always bring more passengers than they tako away. ?.lay they soon bring plrnly of the Melbourne element, and then indeed will we exclaim—advanco ! Coromandel. Pkikce or Wales Tiieatiie. —In it* account of the first performnr.ee tjivrn by the frovpe just arrived from Sydney, the Fwrfltcrn Cross wiys : —Tho reproach, so long nnd so frerjucntlv levelled at Auckland, as teji.g the place south of the equator"—the very home i.f the Genius of Dullnes?, seems at length about to be shaken oil*, by tho establishment of what we hope will be a respectable permanent theatre. We welcome the advent of the dramatic company that has found a local habitation at the Brunswick Hall, not alone os the means of supplying <->ur idlers with something in plaeo of that , objectionable species of work which a certain name- ( less gentleman so carefully provides for idle hands to do, but us oilering a refined nnd refining source of 1 enjoyment to tho numerous class of our population i whose evenings, for lnck of nny other congenial ror creation, hare perforce been devoted to the culle of " billiards and nobblers.' . As far as can be guessed by their first effort, this is intended lo be of a high 1 character, and as efficiently brought forward ne tho limited recources that our city at pre?ent posseseeH will admit of. The stage is \ery prettily und conveniently arranged, with all suitable appointments, and the scenery much superior to any wo havo ' hitherto seen here. The house vas crowded in every . parr, and the season has time been inaugurated with e\ery premise of a lasting eucres?. IIOBSE TAMISCr BY pROVESSOn BF.J.EW. 3lr. * Belew gave another exhibition jeeterdny, in this • town, of his skill in subjugating the A\ild horse. Tbo , performance took place at two o'clock, at a building at the back of Mr. Hardingion's horse and carriage 1 bazaar, and though the animal Mr. Belcw practised on was very stubborn, fhe professor, with Itis cus- . tomarv skill and intrepidity, succeeded in effectually , subduing it in a rcry short time. He will give a final perforn-innee in this town to-morrow, commencing at two p.m. As a very good subject is promised, it is expected there will be a large attendance. It Las been rumoured lately that the New Zealand Government, acting on the precedent set them by tho Homo Government in the case of Mi - . Ifrirey, are about to avail themselves of the services of Jlr. Belew.— Sovlhern Cross, March 24.