THE WRECK OF THE FERNGLEN.

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 115, 14 November 1881, Page 2

THE WRECK OF THE FERNGLEN.

+ NARROW ESCAPE OF THE CREW. [Br Telegraph.] [fkom odb own cobbespondent. j Auckland, This Day. Following are the particulars of the wreck of the ship Fernglen from Wellington, as gathered trom a despatch dated Astoria, Oregon, 13th October •. — The British iron ship Fernglen, Captain Bubb, from Wellington, New Zealand, wont a3horo on Clatstop Spit on Sunday morning at 4 o'clock. There was no pilot on board. The weather was calm and the prospects good for driving the ship over the Spit in the channel. The captain declined to' abandon the ship. Yesterday a heavy south-east gale drove the vossel further up, and the captain set the signal of distress, which was seen by the steamer General Canby on her way to Astoria. A later despatch says : — The General Canby has ju3_t returned with the news that the Fernglen is on her beam ends. The spars are gone and the Cvew are clinging to her sides. The steamer ia now leaving with another life-boat and volunteers, who will take off the crew if possible. Captain Harris made two unsuccessful attempts to-day to reach her. 'i he wind has moderated and the sea is going down. There is some hope, therefore, that another attempt will be successful Another telegram, dated 3 pm. the same day, say:— The tug Columbia jn3t arrived here with Captain Babb and the entire crew saved from the wreck. The ship has gone to pieces. The Oregonian's Astoria special gives the following statement of Captain Bubb : — " We lett Wellington on 22nd August, made Hancock light at 2 a.m. on Sunday, 16th Octobor, and arrived off Columbia River bar at 4 a.m. I was puzzled with the lights. I know nothing of a light being on Tilimook rock, or the change of light at Point Adams. I taw a red light where I expected to find a red and white fla3h. I took bearings of the lights to windward, and wore ship to stand off for daylight, believing that I was in a good position for making the bar and picking up a pilot. After wearing, which was about Caa.,l found the ship striking, with a very strong tide, which I was not aware of, setting her right in. I set all canvas to liy her over and force her over the ground, bnt found that the strong tide and set of the sea were still driving her over ground against the sails. The wind was then Bouth-east. The ship lay easy and made no water. On Monday, at 5 a.m., finding the ship gradually working astjrn, and still making little or no water, I got steam up, and oommenced heaving the ballast overboard. We kept at it till 4 p.m,, wiien I found that the ship had commenced leaking, and cams to the conclusion that she was not likely to come off. I got tackles on the life-boats, and saw everything was ready to leave the ship, if necessary. At 7 p.m. I found the ship leaking badly, and striking much more heavily, and the wind increasing tast. I let go both anchors, as I thought she might come off into deep water, and could^see no chance of saving the chip. On Tuesday morning, the ship having struck very heavily all night, the wind and sea rising and the ship making water very fa3t, i prepared to leave the vessel. I got the starboard life-boat out, but found the sea too heavy, and could do nothing with her ; she washed aboard and stove in. At 9 a.m. the ship began to heel over, and in half an hour her ballast shifted, and her masls were in the water. All the hands were compelled to get on to the ship's side and cling. I saw a life-boat making every effort to get to us, but the wind and tide prevented it. At 10 a.m. the ve3sel began to break amidships, and everything was washed out of tho ship. All the yards were gone, and the ship was lying with her masts in water. At noon there was no sign of the lifeboat, and we were expecting the ship to go to pieces every minute. She being already in two pieces, and her stern settling down fast, as a last resource for paving our lives, we, with great difficulty, launched the only boat we had, and left. In launching she had two holes stove in her bottom. After twenty minutes' hard struggle we managed to get her clear of the wreck, and pulled for the shore with the whole of the ship's crew in the boat. We had but two oars, and it kept four men busy baling the boat sufficiently to keep her aflyat. After getting over the reef we were picked up by tae tug Columbia and arrived at As tori* about 3.30 p.m. The crew, 20 in number, Bayed nothing. The vessel now lies southwest of Fort etephen's, and is fast breaking up. She waa owned by Perrot and Co., of Sunderland. (]