THE MISSING VESSELS, ' HENRY HAVELOCK' AND 'KIWI.'

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2712, 27 March 1866, Page 6

THE MISSING VESSELS, ' HENRY HAVELOCK ' AND 'KIWI.'

To the Editor o! the Daily Soothmn Cross. Sib, — In your issue of Saturday lasb I observe a report of the supposed loss of the 'Henry Havelock' and the • Kiwi,' and as I daresay any intelligence with, regard to them, of however vague a character, will be anxiously looked for, I trouble you with the following information : —We left Jnvercargill about the 28th or 29th of November last, bound for Hokitika ; and on the second day out, when we were somewhere between Break-sea and Milford Sound, we sighted a cutter, which some on board recognised as the ' Henry Havelock.' She was very close in shore, almost imprudently so, although the weather was fine at the time. The day after we saw her it came on to blow very heav y from the S.W., with, a high sea running, and 1 am much afraid she must have perished ia the gale. There is just a possibility, however, that 6he might have got into one of the sounds which occur every few miles on the part of the coast where she was last seen, and been so disabled as to be unable to put to sea again. Before leaving Hokitika, from whence I have just arrived, I made many inquiries with regard to her, but no tidings of any description had been heard of her, although the parties of whom I inquired were likely to have received the earliest intelligence, if anything had been heard. With regard to the * Kiwi,' I received the following account from the captain of the • Spray,' of Lyttelton, of a circumstance which happened to him on his voyage from that port to Hokitika. About the latter end of last month, when off a part of the coast between Wanganui Inlet and Rock's Point, the wind died away and left him to the mercy of the heavy swell which constantly rolls in on this coast. Before the breeze sprung tip he was drifted very close, when he observed a smoke made on shore, apparently as a signal to him. This smoke was put out, and repeated again in. greater volume than ever, more than once. Oft darkness coming on, powder was flashed as a signal, evidently displaying great anxiety to attract attention. As this occurred on a part of the coast known to be uninhabited, and as it was impossible to communicate with the shore at the time, the captain of the ' Spray' i considered the matter of sufficient gravity to warrant him in making a report of it when he should arrive at Hokitika. I am not aware whether he did so or not ; but it has occurred to me that perhaps this circumstance might afford a clue to the fate of the missing ' Kiwi/ It is not at all improbable that she might, have got into the same predicament as the ' Spray,' and got ashore altogether, or she mighfc have been driven ashore ia a gale, in either of which events life might have been saved. This suggestion, however, you can take for what it is worth. I have related the circumstance to the be3t of my recollection as it was told to me, and you can draw your own inferences from it. It is right that some inquiry should he instituted in the matter, as it is very evident that it must have been some one in distress, from the efforts made to attract attention. — I am, sir, &c, Joseph Hall, Master 'Volunteer.' Grafton Road, March 26, 1866.