WRECK OF THE 'MIMOSA' (S.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1954, 21 October 1863, Page 4

WRECK OF THE 'MIMOSA' (S.)

Messrs. IJixson and Moriarty, and Mr. M'Nab, returned yesterday morning from the wreck of the * Mimosa.' "We aro therefore enabled to give full particular. The •Kembla' s. left Sydney with the above-named gentlemen, on the Ist instant, at one p. m.; arrived at Woollongong afc 6.30 p m., and left again at 10 p.m. Pub into Bateman's Bay on the 2ud, at 7 a. in., and sailed again at 2 p.m., for Moruya. Here they were transhipped on board the •Miuora' s., and finally arrived at the wieck at 7 ft in. on the 3rd instant. Mr. Hixsou's first care was to lay down buoys in the proper position for the steamer to be moored, and this being done, the 'Minora' was brought in and properly secured. Mr. M 'Nab haviug arranged all the diving apparatus, including 250 feet of hose, went down to the wreck, •which is lying in twelve fathoms of water. On getting below ho first pasted along both sides of the ship, to ascertain where «he had been injured, but ■\v ithout being able to discover the slightest signs of collision ; the ship had settled down head fust, at an angle of thirty-five degrees, some five feet of the stem being about that distanco off the bottom. In going down she had apparently ploughed up the wind with her stem, as she had formed a complete furrow on both sides, but was perfectly upright. The following day he again went down, this time going on board. On going into the fore cabin he found a considerable quantity of ' sand which had been forced through a hole iv the vessel's bottom, which ho judges from the appearance to have been made about four feet from the bottom of the fore companion ladder on the starboard ''side and right in the ship's bottom. He examined the' ship most carefully, but there was not the slightest appearance of strain in any part. The panuelliugii in the cabin were perfect and everything below in the same order as before the foundered. Hit ' search wa« now directed to the finding of the bodiei of Mr. and Mrs. Ivell, stated to have been ,on board at the time of the accident. His search, however, was fruitless at that time, from not being' sufficiently acquainted, with the arrangement of the cabin. He, however,

found fche mail-bags iirtliftfllii^-ofßow'a^cabinriincl' which are reported ( to contain' valujblo property in> ;casli, &o. These, with snudry articles at Hand, weio sent up, ami ho returned above water, having been down two hours. After a short rest, ho agfain wont down into the fore cabin, and, breaking open the j door of the ladies' oabin, he discovered the bodies — that of- Mrs. 4 Ivoll was in nn upper berth amidships, while her husband was partially in a berth oil the hide, and ho had apparently been iv the act of nrouung his wife when overtaken by the rush of water that^must have speedily deprived both of life ;' to convey ,tho bodies to the surface was a task of no small difficulty, independent of the nervo required under tho circumstances ; he however, mtoceodud in carrying them to the companion-hatch, and, in a few minutes they wcie lying on the ' Minora's ' deck. The bodies weie seaichod, and a considerable amount of money found on tho female. An investigation was also made by Mr. u C.»swell, P.M.,' of Moruya, who had accompanied'tho Minoia. The 'bodies then, being veiy much decomposed, were sewn up in a tarpaulin, with a sufficient weight of iron attached, and, tho service for tho doafl having bcun read, they wovo taken out to soa about half a mile, and again committed to the dcen, at tluoo p.m. Mr. Scott, the diver employed uy tho Government, then went down and Rent up somo nwio ai tides, such as tho shin's wheel, the brass ventilator, tho bell, &c, remaining below until dusk. Mr. M,' Nab had also been instructed to make diligent seav'ch for the cashbox, said to contain the freight and passago money of tho ship, and repotted to bo in a locker in the chief-officer's cabin, which is situated abaft tho paddleibo\. Ho acordingly opened the looker described and brought up the cosh-box, w Inch, however, on beiug opened, was found empty, the drawers not being iv it. He agaiu, however, wont below, and at last found the remainder of tho box, but no money or papers of any kind in it. Ho went into the saloon, and describes the startling effect produced by viewing himself iv the large miiror at the, end of the cabin, in which ho was leflected as distinctly as if above water. Ho opened tho captain's cabin, and sent up all the clothing, instruments, &c., and was about to secure other articles, when ho received a warning signal from tho Mimosa to at onco/como up, which he did. It appeals that the wind had been gradually increasing, and Mr. Hixson considered it dangerous to trust to their moorings any longer; they accordingly left tho wicck, and returned to tho • Moruya,' where tho patty again embarked on board the ' Kembla 1 aud started for Sydney. Mr. Ilixson teports that he examined tho lock.on which the ' Mimosa 1 struck, and that a poitionof tho wateiwoin face had been knocked off, and that it is a very considerable distance nearer tho land than repoited byCaptain Kelt.— Sydney Herald, October S.