WRECK AT STEWART ISLAND.

Press, Volume XLVII, Issue 7525, 15 April 1890, Page 5

WRECK AT STEWART ISLAND.

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frat-cnAssocrATioiv tb__w__u-.] nm_iMx_3Gii__» 4»_aiv ! News wm received late on Saturday ol the wreck of th© barque £___!«, which left tile Bluff on the 25th ult./with B cargo of timber for Port Pirie,«t__de s charter to Mr J. Q. Ward. The day af tea

leaving the vessel was struck by a squall and thrown on her beam ends. rGaptpin Small and seven men were w_a__ed overboard. The vessel drifted mV Doughboy Bay, Codfish Islands, of Stewart Island, and about , forty miles from the Bluff, the surf ivotf consisting of the mate and three tmsh who landed and walked to Mason's Bay* *here they fell in with a party of mutton birders. On receipt of i_ie news i graphed to the Premier, who authorised the despatch of the Bluff Harbor Bo_xdfs tug in search of the castaways. Sha found the party at Mason's Bay and .returned to the Bluff at 12.45 am. to-day. The survivors came up by train were taken to the Hospital, The mate is. very weak. The Emilia was a barque of' 7Sj) tons, a Nicaraguan and last f_qa» Melbourne. She had -61,570 feet of timb_- on, board for the Hew, Pine Company, whioh was "insured for _Jl3so in the New Zealand and tTajkioii offices in equal shares., What is. t^.insurance, if any, on. the vessel is unknown. ,",. *••'"> The ncunes of the survivors are Brownrigg {first mate), Joseph Green, $eij. Camming-, and Wm. Meek (A.B.'aL, 'V It appears that the morning after the vessel left the Bluff, when just losiJj& sight of land, a nor'-west squall struck' Her, and laid heron her beam ends, txwhehdotts quantities of water washing over her. Am attempt was made to launch a boat, a falling spar out it in two. Tlio __id one man in it were drowned,. ThjS fore and main masts were cutaway, ah,d the vessel righted, but while this., w#» being done si-; more roen were swept oy4rboard. 3?he survivors lashed thenj-iwea to the,miz-ea rigging, and drifted toj-f&rqi the west coast of Stewart's lalflnd.' The vessel went ashore on. the Sisal ,)&**<s> on Bed Head, the south point" oi Stewart Island. Cummings and the others stuck to i_©.yea_el all the next day, when the. broke up, and they landed oil pi«b#*j@. timber, having then been Aw day.''without food or water. They wandered afeoat the rocks seven days, Uving bft *'*ro Maori liens, part of a dead J m>w'' fraud on the beiioh, a few shall seaweed. During this time they ascenpra the o__f to reawh the other part island, and when half way up Brownrigg, 'Whose feet and legs were in a fearful Bta_te from exposure, gave up and lay down oaa ledge of rock. The others reached the beach ott the opposite side. A; partjPM mutton-birders from an adjoinirig isUi-d, under : George Newton, saw. the 'vf ssel strike, and, aa soon as the weather all£*ed, made search. They first. discovered Brownrigg on the ledge, after having/lain there three days: His mates wefe subsequently rescued by the same pasty and taken to Mutton Bird lalanda, receivitJa the greatest kindness from Natives had others. The tug Awarua went out £nd brought the survivors to the Bluff, and they now are in the Hospital at Invercergill. Brownrigg is in a very orifctaal State, and has little hope of _t_arviv_ag. The others are doing well. They say Captft|n Small, who was lost in the boat, behaved splendidly, giving orders with the'g*_eat&it coolness to the last. The A.B.s ar4. p men and the mate a widower, none hayu}g friends in the colony. The three sailors saved joined the vessel at the Bluff. The jßtewjgM of the, vessel, who is among thou charged with attempting suicide, but the case was dismissed and he returned to the, vessel. : He was a swimmer of phenomenal ability. The Emilie was *commanded by Captain G. L. Small, of Boston, with the following officers And crew :—John Brownrigg (first mate), &. Morgan (second mafs), T. MoConnell (steward), W. Fleming (carpenter), and seaniea _\ Yafrnall, George Henry, Christian Holm, George Gi'een, Chas. Cumfflingti, W. I_ Meoki The vessel five years old, and Was formerly known fes tha Arabella. Soon sites the «md.Bift?£ed she leaked badly, and the pumps totddtfot be worked. The captain tried to ran;te___ to the Bluff, but the vessel refused 'Jto answer her helm, lying* like a,log thk tos water, and ultimately rolled over (*d jj&r broadside. The captain ordered the brats out, but these had been . praviDtutly swamped, and the eight who got,,m, one wajre drowned. The captain, who behaved with the utmost coolness, went, id Ihe cabin, and nut £900 in his pocketi oa the chance of neing caved. jßrowntn^g- ; i« dead. ■ , , ' * '"'„7t't George Green, an'A.U. of the* barque, who gives an intelligent' a&couns of the disaster, describing the position of the ,«mr-*iyor3, a_f*ter- r the vesajel Stl the _t_l_aSefl rigging till dark, when we formed a bag ox the spanker, which we lashed lo the stump of a_a__t-a_.d all got int&ife, tXI-V-iea was maa-h-g' a clean >■• breach over the hulk, , asid , all /would hw& <■>} pssjshed but for this device. We, itum nQthin g to; eat Or drink and our, sat-arai)ed. We lost j Cv fihs days, and I cannotaay whether!it WMjisba SOtii or the 3lst March, about aurise&tj-wt the wreck drove ashore in Meek, who w&i delirious, greatly from thirst,, jumped over»pa»dfa)aa managed to swim ashore, where, he .cam* across a creek, and; after delating sager)y. lay down and slept in a flax ousn all night. Thtf fliate, Ii "and Cumming remained on the vessel .ttutil neatt morning. We were iff a Jtnoet nii?_r_ble and desperate condition,and Cumming jumped overboard to swim ashore. He was too weak, and sank, When he |rose I threw him a rope, and I pulled him aboard again. We then turned into the spanker, and _em_|ii«4 till day light, when tho. ship broke up. The sea was soon sfereT/n With timbered, othei , wreckage, upon mc SqMd. 'mfcim* We found Hone wore boots, becauße' the second; day after the vessel went over ousf feWragaa to swell, so we threw bur boots away. The mate had gum boots, and did not try to remove theni until three days after we got __hor_, which t#as nine day, _ft«r __e ; gale. He tried to tske off the bodts'ilitJUV-Sut conld hot, the pain being toostemJ' Wa, then out the boots away, aa*4 removed them his toe nails '_f*-*We4 off, and hiai 1 feet -Apptmka iqv&fo dead. I feel sure that' if 'to'''bad thrown off the boots at first he would fesvs been all right, for they undoubtedly caused mortification. After being sia days without anything to eat or drink, iwe got fresh water and a few limpets, on [ which, together with seaweed, we sub* sisted for a whole week. We were roaming a&dut on th_ rugged ooasfe, ele©pingi»lometimes in the bosh, and sometimes among ' the rocks* If; rained nearly the wholn time. Our feet were cut and bruised with travelling, our clothes not only Soaked but"' torn to rags with clambering about, and on the fourth d-_y ashore the mate's legs got so bad ami he became so •®mk,th&t he lost £tet_rt. We wese tmvelltua about all the time expecting to- find » littt where we could get Sood The 1 xhate sail he could come no further, and thai he would lie down to die. We left him *t_ad worked ohr way round tha bay, and on fifth day s_3bore we caught two wos-dhensj, the first whoieaome food w« had had. This revived us a'.Utile. The n_xt day we found a dssd aiealj, a_td_anly for that as would have bean alive fcow. : We out & feoie la him md dr__ik the ,blooil;aad th»ia ats the raw flesh, for we ( had no kaatchu-. The _«venth day ashore was the EEst, tirjr day,' and we sat' ok the reckfl aad jm<}s ia the ssm/and saag vA-yam-a, We * wf?r- ', just about»*a ; iatys-toi travel *_paa wh« we _ia|fe-a4 a eut-w Elliot, w- _&o_gld ha& bota, ■■-" .' r ■ • , - <:" r.",j'i r-..*t'»

sent is for us. We a__de signals, but they 1 could not see aa_v and we wandered on till \ rundown, and slept in the grass that! night. I dreamt that the cutter came ! next xsoEning to cake us off, and sure enough if did come. We saw her next day in the bay, and afterwards noticed a small neat. The cutter had been -attracted of , the wreckage, and had come bay I suppose, to see if .here were any survivors, but finding .__other • boat, left again. The occupants of the boat that remained were G. _._d'T. Newton, Hore Huri, G. and H. Cross and C. Pratt, mutton birders. They found the mate upon a steep -tiff,,-,- on to a branch of s tree, unable either to get up or down. After getting him aboard in a very i-xiaciAted state they came round arid took us in. That was on Tuesday last, twelve days after the wreck. The treatment seeeived from Newton's party at Mutton Bird Island was so kind that I and others are unable to express our gratitude. Our feet were in a dreadful state, and they tore up every piece of linen and rag they oould find and abound them up and dressed them with mutton bird oil. .They sat tip with the mate, who was more dead than j__ive, day and night, and were continually •putting warm sand to his feet to bring them to life. They also tried bags °f hot Salt, which' they changed almost every hour night and day. Their whole time was devoted to attending us."

regarding the seaworthiness ..the barque, all three men say that she wa* quite unfit to proceed to sea. Green hi-d," She is one of the worst old traps that atver filled with salt water, and was not fit to be afloat. Any seaworthy boat would Ifeve stood the weather all right. I have -Wen in much worse. All the canvass was taken off hex before she went on her beam f&ds. Sails, ropes, and rigging were -rotten; in fact, there was nothing but red f___tt holding her together." The mate, Brownrigg, who died in the hoatpital about fifteen minutes after his at____B_ton, was a native of the Isle of Man, _D_3 -was brought up in the - North of Ireland. He was of big proportions and _t_ong build. The terrible experience he had gone through during the last two ■weeks had completely wrecked his constitution. Brownrigg was a widower, and had aieveral daughters in England. It is stated that the captain wanted to leave the vessel at the Bluff, but at the _*cquest of the mate decided to remain in -barge until he got to Port Pirie, where Ifcrownrigg was to take captaincy. 'Gumming, Green, and Meek, the only __e_-bers of the crew now alive, are doing M well as can be expected. All three Skipped from Port Chalmers a few days t>_forethe vessel sailed.

There have not been many shipping _MU*ltlea at Stewart Island during the feiat ten years, although a number of aca-ldaente nave occured InFoveaux Strait, d& the Invercargill side. The following ax-as the only two shipping accidents near Stewart Island since 1879. ■ In 1880, on May 21st, the brig Transport. "2)07 fonß,vrtth a cargo of timber, stranded \m the West Head, Port William, Stewart Island. The wind at the time was light -tram the south. Command was lost over the vessel on account of the wind falling •• she was going through the channel .- atetween the West Head and foul ground. . In 1883 the s.s. Lillie Denham, 21 tons, foundered and becameatotallossnearLong laland, Foveaux Strait. There were four men in her and' the vessel commenced to leak While they were out fishing and below she could be run ashore she '< foundered. The wind was light from the The ISmuie arrived at Melbourne from San Francisco on January 7th, after a pas__ge ot£3 days. -, She left on February Ist .for the Bluff, at which port she arrived on Feb-___y 19th. Captain Small, who Commanded-the illfated vessel, "was appointed maister of her ftn 188-> ■'■<' . The Emilie was a wooden barque, and • was built: in Ouebec in 1875 by Mr Charland. , She was lately owned by Mr A. Bichard, of Cobija, Bolivia; ber port of ■registary. Her.net tonnage was 729, and toatf dimensions were:—Length, 132 fee. 2 Efta-hesi'de-th, 19 feet 1 inch; and extreme .-*iitot3_i IS feet 8 inches.