SUPPOSED FOUNDERING OF THE STEAMER 'TAURANGA' WITH PASSENGERS AND CREW.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 4038, 1 August 1870, Page 3

SUPPOSED FOUNDERING OF THE STEAMER 'TAURANGA WITH PASSENGERS AND CREW.

There is, unhappily, too much reason to believe that the ill-fated steamer 'Tauranga has foundered, and that her crew and passengers have perished. The atory of her unhappy loss may never be fully known, the sea may have engulphed every one of those who were on board ; not a vestige may remain of that fine steamer which little more than a week ago left Auckland. All that is yet known of the fate of that steamer is soon told. She left Auckland on the evening of Saturday, the 23rd July, for Russell, as she had done many a time before. She had safely accomplished about half her journey, when [suddenly, in the darkness of the night, she was run into by a miserable little coal ketch, and has not since been «een or heard of. Though every tongue which could tell us what followed the collision is probably silenced in death, we may yet conjecture the circumstances fr«m the statements made by the crew of the ketch ; we may even realise, though faintly, the feelings of some of those on board. The gallant steamer is cleaving her way through the waters, " Some the watch of night alternate keep, The rest lie buried in oblivious slee}>." : It was, says the only witness we have, about half-past eleven o'clock at night ; suddenly j the man on the look-out sees a dark object ' ahead ; the next instant there is a crash, j which makes every timber start from its I place ; there is a yawning hole, through which the waters rush in with resistless force. Some who are sleeping are crushed to death, or caught in the fierce inrushing tide, while the rest, half stupefied by the suddenness of the catastrophe, seek the boats. But, alas, the time is too short! Ere they have hardly realised their situation the frail timbers that intervene between their feet and the deep are sucked undei", and in an instant they are buffeting with the waves. When we think of the circumstances we are forcibly reminded of those lines of Byron's— And the sea yawned around her like a hell, And down she sucked with her the whirling wave, Like one who grapples with his enemy And tries to itran^le him before he die. And first one universal shriek there rushed, Louder t'aam the loud ocean, like a crash Of echoing thuuder, and thnn all wa» huihcd Save the wild wind and tho remorseless dash Of billows; but at interval! there gushed, Accompanied with a oonvulsive spla 1), A «olitary shriek, the bubbling of/ Of some strong swimmer in his Agony, Never since the wreck of the ill-fated ' Orpheus, ' on the Manukau bar, has any catastrophe occurred that has excited such | general and profound sorrow in this commu- i nity as the loss of the ' Tauranga.' Many of j ' up can remember the feeling created here, I when the news of that awful wreck, in which j [ nearly 300 persons perished, reached Auckland. We mourned their loss as our oountry- j men and brave defenders ; but we dwelt proudly on the memory of those gallant fellows, who, when the vessel was sinking in the boiling surge, manned the rigging, and met their fate with three ringing cheers, which told of tho consciousness of duty nobly done. But these poor people who perished in the steamer 'Tauranga,' though fewer in number, were nearer and dearer to us than mere countrymen. They were united to us by the ties of kindred and of friendship. It -was aol to bo wondered at, therefore, that, when the last hope ~oT" their safety was i swept away, the feeling of anxious suspense which had existed in the community should give way to one of poignant and profound grief. There are those amongst us who have to mourn the loss of a husband, a father, a brother, or a son : deep grief, that no words of sympathy can entirely assuage, has been carried into many homes. By this calamity many poor women are made widows, and some 30 children are fatherless. But the duty of the community is a plain one. The sorrow that has come to those poor widows and fatherless children must not be intensified by want and privation. The wealthy and the influential in the community must set the example ; and there must not be one amongst us who can throw in liis mite that will refuse to do so. But it must not end there. Those im« j fortuuate women and children have peculiar claims upon our generous sympathies. Let both the General and the Provincial Government contribute something handsome towards the general fund. A money vote, a few acres of land, provision for the education of the children — such aid as a Government reasonably give should, not be grudged, j TKe Parliament is in session, and it will therefore only be necessary for our Superintendent to bring the matter before the House. The Provincial -Council may nob meet for some time, but we' U<& certain that any reasonable sum given fi'&r/i fche Provincial Treasury will be freely voted the Council when it meets. There is also another source of aid. Let the various places* -si— For--ship make speoial collections in aid of tbe funds ; aye, # let even the j lessees of the theatres and other jjlaces of amusement give benefits towards the same object. This is no time for hesitation, and the sooner the movement is afloat the better. There never were any circumstances in the history of this province which more powerfully appealed to public sympathy; and we trust that the well-known generosity of the people will so clearly and unmistakably manifest itself on this occasion, that in after years we may be able to look back upon the event with somewhat of a feeling of honest pride that Auckland did its duty nobly. The details of this catastrophe are meagre, but, brief aa they are, they are painful enough also. We shall be discharging our simple duty as public journalists by placing all the facts connected with the affair ou reoord ; but we trust that no word of ours will increase the grief that already exists. THE <TAURANGA'S' HISTOTtY. This beautiful little steamer may almost j be said to have been the first sea-going | steamer entirely built in Auckland. The j hull was built by tho noted builders, | Messrs. Nicool and Son, of tho North Shore, and was launched in March 27, 1867. 'I he J engines were constructed by Messrs. Fraser and Tinne. Her dimensions were— Length, 110 ft. {breadth, 17ft. ; depth of hold, 7ft. ; tonnage, 67 register ; horse-power, 75. For some time she was engaged in the trade between this port and Tauranga, but, the trade having fallen off towards the close of the war, the steamer was transferred to the Thames trade at the outset of the gold discovery. The 'Tauranga waa, however, slightly outstripped in speed by her rival, tho p.s. ' Royal Alfred," and at the invitatiop of many influential Bay of Islands settlers, who promised their support, gho ontered into that trade, in combination with her eld trade between Auckland and Tauranga. Considering the distance she used to steam weeklysomething very near 1,500 miles — the punctuality with which she performed her trips was so very remarkable aa to render her a credit, not only to her builders, but to the port itself. She was justly looked upon as a local industry, and very natural pride was felt in her performances. •The state of the weather for a few days previous to the 23rd ult. had been exceedingly boisterous, and it was owing to this cause thattho 'Tanranga' was behind herfcime on her last trip from 1 Russell. She wag due ins Aucklandfrom the Bay of Islands on the morning of the 20th ult., but she did not make hW appearance until Friday evening, the 22nd ulfc., having been compelled by the heavy weather* to run back to 'Russell. Finding that the steamer could not make her trip toTaurauga, and return early enough to take up her usual return tvip to the Bay,

I Mr. Hurst with praiseworthy enterprise despatched the * Go-ahead' to Tauranga in her place, and determined to send the 'Tauranga herself back to ftussell on the next day. Accordingly at about half-past five c'clock on tbe evening of Saturday, the 23rd, the * Tauranga steamed from the Queen-street Wharf, the weather at the time being wet and dirty. The p. 8. 'Samson' had taken her departure for Whangarei at five o'clock, half an hour earlier. She aaw the 'TaurangaV lights at about eleven o'clock that night, when the two vessels were abreast of each other, the ' Tauranga, 5 however, being about four miles to seaward of the * Samson.' They were then a few miles of Sail Rock, near which the collision ds said to have occurred.

THE KETCH 'ENTERPRISE. 1 The ketch ' Enterprise,' which -was the cause of this catastrophe, was built at Hobart Town of Australian gum, which is one of the hardest woods produced in that country. She was not altogether a new boat, but she was still good for a number of years. Her tonnage was 27, and latterly she was worked by a crew of three, viz., Richard Millis (master), Bernard McDermott, and Charles Clifton. The owner of the vessel, Henry Hadfield, was also on board at the time of the collision. We believe the ketch was for some time trading on the West Coast of New Zealand. She was subsequently engaged in onr coasting trade, and had on board at the time of the collision a cargo of 39 tons Jof coal, for the Thames. She was very strongly built.

THE COLLISION. Unfortunately the only account we have of the collision is entirely one-sided, and was j made under circumstances which leave a | strong suspicion as to correctness. No one dreamed that a terrible catastrophe had had occurred until Sunday afternoon, the 1 24th ultimo, when the cotter 'Euby' arrived in harbour from Little Omaha, having on board the owner and crew of the ketch ' Enterprise. ' It then leaked out that there had been a collision in which the ketch had foundered, but that those on board of her had succeeded in reaching Little Omaha in their dingy, whence they were brought in as stated above. It was not until Monday that anything like a coherent account of what had happened could be gathered. The following statement was then made in the presence of H. S. McKellar, Esq., Collector of Customs, and the Nautical Assessor, Captain Clayton: — "Custom-house, Auckland, July 25, 1870.— Richard Millis, master of the ketch ' Enterprise,' 27 tons, owned by Henry Hadfield, Thames, states : I left the Bay of Islands on Saturday about 7.30 a. in., bound for the Thames, having on board a cargo of 39 tons coals, consigned to Captain Souter, with Henry Hadfield, Bernard McDermott, and Charles C. Clifton as crew. When leaving the Bay the wind was N.W., moderate. At 4 p.m., when off Tutukaka, the wind in* creased, and came on thick with frequent squalls. Took the mizzen and staysail in. Passed the Sail Bock at 10.45 p.m., quite i olose. After passing the Sail Rock I steered by compass S.E. by S. Charles C. Clifton | was steering. We carried no lights. Clifton reported a bright light a-head. After coming on deck to see where the light was, I returned to the cabin for the purpose of making a flare up, Whilst below, Clifton reported a red and green light close to us. I ran on deck and ordered Clifton to beep away, and immediately the collision occurred. We struck the steamer on the porfc quarter. I went forward to see if we had sustained any damage, and found that our bows were knocked in. I had the boat at once put over, and myself and crew got into her when the ' Enterprise' sank. When in the boat I heard a cry on board the steamer as if some person was hurt. The cry appeared to come from one person only. When in the boat we had to keep her before the sea ; and, on the moon ( shining out, we pulled to Little Omaha,* where we arrived at 7 a.m. We " were taken on board the ' Ruby^- cutter, i Captain Catchpole, who brought us to Auckland." — "The statemeut of JRifturd Millis being read over to us, we certify that at is I true in every particular to the best of our ! knowledge and belief. —(Signed) Henry Hadfield, Charles C, Clifton."

THE PUBLIC ANXIETY. j This statement was published in the newspapers, and created an intense feeling of anxiety. The general opinion was that a great deal that might have been communicated had been kept back, and as time passed on this feeling increased. A principal cause of anxiety was a3 to whether the steamer with which the ketch had come into collision was the 'Samson' ov the ' Tauranea. ' It was known that the two vessels left Auckland within half an hour of each other, both bound north. The men were apparently unable to give any definite information on the question, and all therefore was conjecture. They did in fact state, subsequently to the inquiry at the Customs, that they observed the steamer's red bottom, and also the paddle-boxes. This however was doubted amongst na itical men, who knew the respective courses which the two steamers would take, and who believed fiat the 'Samson' would not have taken so seaward a course as to have been on the spot where the collision was said to have occurred. However, there was much anxious speculation amongst the general public, and more particularly amongst the relatives and friends of the passengers i niyj crew of each vessel.

THE 'SAM&fN* SAFE.- _ The doubts as to the identity of the ves&alwcre cleared up on the morning of Tuesday, the 26th ult., when the p. a. 'Samson'arrived in this harbour. Her captain had heard nothing of the collision, nor of the s.s. 'Tauranga after seeing her lights on the ocoasion already referred to. The feara for the safety of the s.s. 'Tauranga inoreased, and one of the owners (Mr. W. J. Hursfc) took advantage of the departure of the • Samson * on the same afternoon for Russell to proceed by her, in order to ascertain, if possible, the fate of the ' Tauranga,' or to render any assistance that might be required. The anxiety in the public mind now increased, and the arrival of some vessel from the Bay either at Auckland or the Thames was looked for in the hope that something might be heard of the missing steamer. None, however, arrived, and the suspense was protracted until Saturday evening last.

THE RETURN OF THE « SAMSON.' I At about half-past 10 o'clock on Saturday a steamer was signalled outside Tititiri, and shortly afterwards the signal was altered to " Two steamers inside Tin." Public excite- > ment was now -wrought up to an intense pitch. Those who had been sanguine still clung to the hope that the second boat would prove to be the missing 'Tauranga,* while j others had doubts as to whether it might not be the 'Go-ahead,' which was also due at this time ft-oin Whangarei. As the intelligence circulated through the town, hundreds of people flocked .to the wharf, anxious to learn the fate of the 'Taur nga ' At about 2 o'clock in the afternoon the steamer * Samson ' rounded the North Head, and as her well-known hull came into view all hope as to the safety of the ' Tauranga died out. Hitherto people had clung tenaciously to the hope that, after all, matters were not so bad as some believed. The proverbial absence of shipping casualties on our coast made the public loth to believe that the worst had happened, and so to the last moment there was a lingering hope that the ' Tauranga would again take up her old berth beside the wharf. Therefore, when the fatal truth was shadowed out by the return of the ' Samson,' the revulsion of feeling was the more painful that the suspense had lasted so long. As the • Samson' neared the wharf, the anxiety amongst the crowd assembled increased momentarily, and an eager rush was made to the place where she waa expected to come alongside. "Any news of her? Is she safe?" was eagerly asked, and the answer came like a deathkaell—" No signs of her." The scene on the wharf at this time was enough to carry sorrow to the sternest heart. The wives and mothers of some of those who were known to hare been on board the ' Tauranga were there weeping, and a settled look of

deep grief had come over the faces of all. People who had, come eagerly down th» wharf, full of .bustle, now returned slowly and sadly to repeat the intelligence to the many inquirers whom they met by the way ; and ere lone the painful news had spread throughout the town. The following is Captain Mnndle's report of the paisage of thep.s. * Samaon' :— Left | Auckland on Tuesday last, at 5 p.m. j but, •wing to the strong K.E. gale, was compeUed to put into Whangarei Heads, where 1 she arrived at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, remaining there till 1 p.m. next day, arriving at Russell the same night at 10 o'clock. The 'Samson' left again at 6 p.m. on Friday, arriving at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday. During the passage down the 'Samson' experienced strong N. and N.E. winds. She went round the Little Barrier to search for any traces of the missing steamer, but without success. Captain Watson, of the s.s. 'Go-ahead,' from Whangarei, also informed us that no signs of the ' Tauranga * were seen on the tnp. Mr. W. J. Hurst, who returned to Auckland by the ' Samson,' has supplied us with the following : — On Tuesday last, owing to the storm that prevailed, the 'Samson' passed between the Hen and Chickens to enter Whangarei Heads for shelter, without meeting with any sign of castaways or wreck ; and Mr. Aubrey was ignorant of the accident. The steamer searched the Bay on Thursday night, only to find that the 'Tauranga had not reached there. Mr. Hurst, and others with whom he consulted, considered that if any were thrown alive on the mainland they would be quite safe, and the only place to leeward that held out the faintest shadow of hope was the Little Barrier ; thither the steamer proceeded, after passing again tojthe Hen and Chickens, but without the slightest sign of either the crew or wreck. The 'Go-ahead,' which left Whangarei Heads on Saturday morning, brings no tidings, and considering the time that has now elapsed, and the ease with which information could be obtained had any one gained the shore on this side of it, there appears only the one sad and painful conclusion, that she tank instantly with all hands. Owing to the severe weather it is known that the ' Tauranga had her two boats swung in on the davits. We gloan from the narratives of the men that the ketch 'Enterprise' struck the vessel just abaft the engine department ; consequently one of the boats would ' c destroyed, and it is just feared that the other might cause dimoulty in launching.

THE PASSENGERS AND CREW. The subjoined is a complete list of the passengers and crew (aa well as the families who remained behind) of the 'Tauranga'on her last trip from this port, so far as it is possible to ascertain :-—

Passengers. SALOON. Edward R. Hector, 26, unmarried. — Wall, Montreal. — Walters, married.

STEERAGE. — Land. A Maori, name unknown.

CREW. Edward Vincent Bolger, about 26, New Zealand, unmarried, commander. W, Harwood, 33, London, chief engineer, wife and 5 children. John D. Mquroe, 26, Inverness, chief officer, unmarried. Griffiths Fritchard, 25, Wales, A.8., wife and 2 children. C. Law, 31, Prussia, A.B. William E, JRansome, 23, Dundalk, A.B, W. Foster, 33, Kent, A.8., wife and 2 children. George Oldham, 31, New Brunßwick, trimmer, William Davaney, 28, England, fireman, wife and 2 children. Christopher JReynolds, 33, Dublin, cook, unmarried. Charles Jobson, second engineer. William Hahan, providore, wife and five children. — ""ileriry , second steward, single. These Are the names so far as we have been able toascertain them, but, as no list of passen« gers was kept, other passengers may have stepped on board at the last moment, as is usually the case, and whose names are not known. We believe, however, that the above list is about correct, Mr. Hurst's accountant, Mr. Snell, having taken the passengers' tickets immediately before tho departure of the ' Tauranga from Auckland. It is fortunate that the 'Tauranga on this occasion took less than her usual complement of passengers, which averages from fifteen to twenty, Captain Bolger was the son of an old resi« dent at Russell, and was born «it that place. He was a young man of much promise, and wa3 respected by a'l who knew him. Mr. Edward R. Hector, licensed interpreter and surveyor, who was on his way to Waimate to visit friends, was about 26 years of ase, Hi 3 loss is a severe blow, nob only to hia large circle of friends and acquaintances, but also to the whole community. He was brother-in-law to our respected fellow* townsman, Mr. G. P. Pierce, and related to others amongst us who will grieve for him more than words can describe. Mr, Muuroe was a brother-in-law of Mr. Fraser, of the firm of Fraser and Thine, and was much respected. Mr. Wall was an American by birth, and was on his way to Russell in order to bring up some goods from that place. Mr. Harwood was at one time second engineer on board H.M. s. ' Esk,' bore an excellent character, and was well known as possessing a very fine . jrpice, as also did Captain Bolger. These two yourigiaen were accustomed to meet every Sunday evening llfil<L_ at Dr. Ford's, at Russell, and to join in the hymns. Mr. Walters was a brother of Mr. Wm. Walters, the butcher, and leares, we understand, a wife and five children. Mr. Oldham was, we understand, married to a daughter of Mrs. Parker. We may mention that a William Boyle, who, until a few days previous to the departure of the 'Tauranga,' was second steward of that vessel, left her, and so escaped the fate which would have befallen him had he gono with her.

ADDITIONAL PACTS. We are informed that, at the time of her departure, the starboard boat was hanging to the davits on board, and it would only be with great difficulty launched, the davits not being sufficiently wide to allow her to swing through. The other boat, a gig, capable of holding 20 persons, was securely lashed; and we have been told that, with the exception of one man, none carried a sheath knife. At the time of the accident (11.30 p.m.) almost every one would ba turned in for the night. Captain Bolger, it is believed, was on the bridge on the look-out himself, the men in the ketch Jstating that they fancied they recognised his voice.

THE LOSSES. By thio melancholy catastrophe Mr. Hurst loses £500; Mr. Wrigley (of Tauranga), about £1,400; Mr. Douglas (of Tauranga), about £900 ; Mr. E. J. Morris (of Taurauga), £100 ; and Mr. Vilcoq (of Russell), £100. The cargo consisted of about 30 tons of miscellaneous goods, valued at about £400, in, addition to which it was known that Captain Bolger was entrusted with considerable sums in gold, supposed to amount to about £300. There was besides about 500 feet of 9 x 1 planking on the deck. The « Enterprise' had only recently been purchased by Mr. Hadfield from Mr. J. S. Macfarlane, and was insured in the New Zealand Company's office for £120.

THE SUBSCRIPTION AT THE BAY. At the instigation ,of Mr. Barstow, the esteemed R. M. of the Bay, a subscription list was started, after the arrival of the * Samson,' when in a very short time about £60 was subscribed. Mr. Hurst, on behalf the owners, headed the list by a donation of £20 ; Mr. Barstow also gave £5 j Mr. Vilcoq, f5 ; Samuel Stevenson, £5 ; Dr. Ford, £5 ; Henry Williams, £5; and the Messrs. Bpsby, ib. Several other subscriptions -were expected to come in. Captain Bain, of the s.i. 'Keera,' which arrived yesterday morning from Napier, informs vi that he Haw no traces of any wreck on the run from Cap© ColVille,