SALTWATER CREEK.

Press, Volume XIV, Issue 1863, 5 April 1869, Page 2

SALTWATER CREEK.

bailed. . April 3—Moa, se, 50 tons, McClatchie, for Lyttelton. .' extorts. Per Moa— 60 bales wool, 162 sacks wheat, Dalgety and Co j 18 sacks flour, Woledge and Co.

The " Otago Daily Times" gives the following account of the recent visit of H M S Blanche to the Auckland * Islands :—The Blanche sailed from Wellington on the 11th inatant, passed Otago heads on the 13th, and arrived at the Auckland Islands and anchored in Port Boss on the 15th. An inspection of the provisions left at this depot was made, which according to list was found correct. While here, a boating party was despatched to Enderby Island, where everything was found to be correct. At both places additions to the stores wero left, and a search for shipwrecked people was made, but none were found. On the 19th, the Blanche left Port Boss, and anchored in Norman's Inlet. A terrific gale, accompanied by heavy squalls, was here en coun-rtred, and during one of the latter she snapped her cable and drove on shore. Luckily there was no sea, and she was got off again in three hours (apparently having received no! damage), and proceeded to sea. The gale, which must have been the one met with by the Bengal, which put in here leaky on Friday last, continued for seven consecutive days, with thick weather, and hail and snow storms. During this time she was kept hove-to with her head alternately to to the northward and southward, it being the intention to cruise again amongst the Islands should the weather moderate; but that not being the case, she bore up for Otago. ss Lord Ashley, Captain H Worsp, arrived in harbour at 1130 a m on Saturday. She left the Bluff at 4 pm on the 31st, experienced fine weather until her arrival at Port Chalmora at 5 30 a m on tho Ist; she was detained outside the heads by thick fog ; left oh the 2nd at 415 p m, had tine weather, and arrived in Lyttelton as above. We have to thank Mr Henderson, purser, for files She sails for the North to-day. The three-masted sohooner Ocean Wave, Captain Brown, arrived in harbour on Saturday morning from Timaru en route for Melbourne, and sailed again on Saturday night. The ps Comerang, Captain Mailler, arrived in harbour yesterday afternoon from Dunedin -via Intermediate ports, but owing to there being no communication with the shore through the bad state of the weather we are unable to give a report. The a a Gothenburg, Captain Underwood, arrived in harbor on Saturday morning at f> 45 fr©n*| Melbourne, via Bluff and Dunedin. Bhe left Melbourne at 4 p m on the 25th ult; passed Port Phillip heads at 7, wad Cape Schank at 9 p m ; Swan Island was passed oc the following day at 9 p m. Fine weather was, experienced oh the run across, and the S W Cape was made at 10 a m on the 30th, and she came to anchor off the Bluff pilot station at 10 p-m ; entered early next day • discharged cargo, and left at 4 p m, and arrived in Port Chalmers at 2 am; left at 415 pm for this port, and arrived as above Experienced fine weather during the passage. We have to thank Mr Kirk, purser, for full Melbourne files. Last Tuesday morning considerable excitement prevailed at Havre. At daybreak the look-out men signalled the approach of a large Atlantic steamer. Shortly afterwards it became known that the ship was the

French transatlantic steamer, the Pereire, Captain Duchesne, which had left Havre ] on Friday, tho 15th January, for New York, with eighty-three passengers. Soon afterwards the Periere slowly entered in a disabled state —all but a wreck. On the 29th, when in 40deg west longitude, a violent tempest sprang up; on the following day the storm had increased to a hurricane, when, about two in the afternoon, an immense wave of about 700 tons of water, fell like an avalanche on the deck, crushing in the roof of tbe second cabin, sweeping away the bulwarks Jand two boats suspended from their davits, and breaking down the bridge, which fell on the deck with the officers' watch-house. The immense mass of water then penetrated into the interior of the vessel and inundated the cabins and engineroom, extinguishing twenty-four of the thirtyfix furnaces. In a moment Captain Duchesne, who had gone below to put on some dry clothing, was on deck, and had the vessel put about, which manoeuvre at once afforded relief to the steamer. But a most fearful spectacle presented itself, several killed and wounded passengers and crew lying in the midst of the wreck j four were found dead, and twenty-one more or less seriously injured. On calling over the names, a seaman aud a waiter were found to be missing, having bren swept overboard. The other deceased were —Jouan, a seaman killed by the fall of the mainyard ; and three passengers—Mr o'Callaghan,a Lazariet priest, crushed to death; M. Foulquier, died from congestion of the brain ; and Mdlle. Finekeli berg, a young German lady, aged eighteen, whose back was broken by the mass of water which fell on her. This young lady was seated in the saloon reading when the wave overwhelmed the ship. The water struck her on the back of the neck, and broke the spinal column. She was a very beautiful girl, scarcely eighteen years of age. The captain, finding that he could not continue the voyage in safety with the fore deck open and exposed jto s fresh disaster, at once decided on putting i back, and reached Havre, as already stated. — j M Daily News," Jan. 29.