WRECK OF THE GOLDEN ISLE.

Press, Volume XIV, Issue 1864, 6 April 1869, Page 2

WRECK OF THE GOLDEN ISLE.

The £ne new-schooner Golden Isle, Captain McDonald,' fully laden with oats, wheat and barley, for Auckland, was totally wreoked at 11 o'clock an Sunday night off tjae new breastwork at Lyttelton. She finished her loading on. Saturday evening, and was ready to sail £>r Auckland as soon as.the wind moderated ■uffieieh£y to enable her to haul off from the railway wharf, where she was lying. !H,er cargo consisted of 1160 hagß of grain, shipped by Mr J Grigg, of Christohurch, valued at £900, and it was, we believe, insured. The Golden Isle was a new vessel of 78 tons renter, this being her first Voyage. She was built near Auckland, at a cost, when launched, of between £1600 and £1700. She was insured in Auckland for £1200. The Captain gives the following account of the disaster:— •« At 11 p m on Sunday night, the wind blowing a gale from the son-west, and a heavy sea running, the hawsers (8 thicknesses made fast to the piles of the railway wharf) parted, and the vessel swung towards the breastwork; the anohor was out with 75 fathoms of cable. Immediately upon finding the vessel had parted her fastenings, I ordered the capstan to be manned, and the crew commenced heaving upon die cable for the purpose of keeping her clear, but the sea and wind being so high, the anchor came home with her, and she drifted upon the breastwork, broadside on, a hole being immediately knocked into her stern. I 1 endeavoured to save tne chronometer, and handed it opt of the cabin to the mate, but the mat* Jlbding he. could not get onshore with it, handed it back to mc, and it was placed upon one of the bunks. I now told the men to look out for themselves, whioh they did, but ~fer« unable to save" any of their clothing, not a single thing being sa?ed. Within half-an hour of the; vessel breaking adrift, B he filled and went down, cud now lies across the breastwork wxabout 1? feet water." The diver has been employed <o recover property, and j»as brought up the chronometer, sextant, clothe^ n*v s TOld ** th * *«* o^om c