ON THE ROCKS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 23, 27 July 1911, Page 2

ON THE ROCKS.

! GRAPHIC STORY OF SHIPWRECK. THE LOSS OF THE BELLE FLOWER. CAPTAIN JUMPS OVERBOARD, A graphic description of the events leading up to tho wrecking of the schooner Bell Flower on Sunday, and the rescue of the ship's compnny was told by B. Way, the mate ol the ill-fated vessel. "We left Duhedin on Sunday ,at daylight," said Mr. Way. "Ther© was then a moderate southerly wind, suitable for carrying all sail. Towards afternoon, however, a very strong wind came up, and the Sea- was increasing all the time, and we had to shorten sail at 8 p.m. The wihd and soa still further increased, and we had to reduce sail further at midnight. It was blowing a strong southerly gale, with trenidndous seas, sweeping the ship fore and aft. The patent log then showed that w,e had run 128 miles. The captain remained oil deck with me, and from time to time one of us ascended thd foremast to try to pick up the Akaroa light. The last tima I went aloft was at 2 a.m. on Monday, and then I saw high land directly in front of me. The ship Was fetched to tho wind immediately, and all hands were called, but it was too late. We let go the port anchor, and paid out fifty fathoms of chain. ANCHORS NO USE. She started to drag, and we let go the starboard anchor, but the ship still continued to drag, and in a very few minutes she struck the rocks, swinging stem-on. The fact of her striking this .wajf wa«, hotrerof, the ultimate meahs oi saving our lives. Tremendous seas were breaking over the vessel, and she rapidly filled with water and sank by the head. I immediately Served out lifebelts, but owing to the rocky nature of the coast and the tremendous backwash then running it was deemed inadvisable to attempt to launch the boat, which was smashed to atoms a few seconds after, That was the only boat we had. The seas continued to break over the ship, and every removable portion of the deck fittings, etc., were immediately washed into the gea. I llred fourteen signal rockets in the hopes ot attracting attention ashore, but met with no response. It was impossible to attempt to land, and wo therefore hung on to the ship foi' our lives the best way we possibly could till the nrßfc grey of dnwn appeared — about 6 o'clock. WISDGED IN BETWEEN HIGH ROCKS. "We then discovered we were wedged in between high rocks from 80ft to 100 ft high, with a big sea, running, and there \vas flot the ghost 'of a chance of the very best swimmei' possible getting through the waves until the sea had greatly calmed. 1 *aw it was feasible to reach the overhanging cliffs, so I cut away the mizzen boom, and with a deal of trouble lashed a spare spar on to it, and got it over the side. LEAVING THE WRECK. "Able-seaman Watson, in tho most heroic manner possible, .made his way along tho boom, which afe times was tilted to an angle of 45^ degrees, and after many unsuccessful attempts got a small heaving line caught on an overhanging crag, and so swung himself off the end of the boom and oh to the Jocks. With the assistance of Able*seanian Pope, I then got the two boys, Heron and Roberts, passed alofig the boom. The seconds were then becoming very precious, and I did my best to perauado the captain and cook to leave the ship, bub they absolutely refused, .to leafe, I then set about saving my own lifo. The ship's dog waß aluo passed along the bootn and saved. When we got ashore I immediately sent one of tho boys to the top of the nearest hill to look found, but he could not see anything. We then called out to the remaining two men on the ship, the captain and tho cook, but they would not come a«hofe. After about an hour's wait the cook at' tempted the passage. The captain fastened ft rope round him, and the cook by this means' Was dragged to the top of the cliff. We then stood by {at the captain, who seemed fo be quits dazed, and not to know what he was doing. ' Up to th& time of our leaving the wreck he was calm and collected, and acted in a, most seainstttlike manner, but he seemed to collapse afterwards. He took no notice of our repeated calls to him, and finally jumped overboard mto the «ea. His head appeared once above the backwash, and we then lost sight of him, and he must have been dashed to pieces on the terrible rocks below. finding" shelter. " "" "Against my express order, the cook left us when we were trying to induce tho Captain to come ashore, and although We searched about we could not find him again. Ho must have wandered ftway by himself, and got lost, or collapsed. fThe man haa since been found.] We then started to look for shelter, and after travelling about for an hour or two we dißCovered a, post and rail fence, and following this ior some miles we came to a little tin hut, where We took shelter for A few minutes. One of the boys dom« pletely collapsed at this time, and we left. him in the shed in the meantime Thti other boy thefl went ahead, and was successful in finding the homestead of Mr. M'Girr, of Te Oka, who conducted the boy to his home, afld then set out to our assistance^ "By this time one or two of us were completely played out, and Mr. M'Girr helped us along it his house, where he and his good lady did everything they could possibly do for 11s. At Little River, too, every kindness was shown." In the course of further conversation, Mr. Way Baid that ho had saved the ship's log, papers, and articles. On the run Up tho coast he was reckoning by the log to pick tip Akaroa between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning, and he was hot very far out,- but the gala of wind and the set of the current must have taken the vessel out of her course a little. Ho had only been on the ship a fortnight, and all tho crew were new hands, with the exception of_ tho captain, who had been with the ship for two and a half years. The ship went to pieces soon after the party landed, for when Mr. M'Girr arrived on the scene about an hour after tho ships company left there was scarcely a trace of her to be seen.' , Two of the men, while getting ashore, injured* their feet against the rocks. The only other injuries gitstaihed by any of the 'crew were scratches and bruises. weather," said Mr. Way, in conclusion, but the weather on Sunday night will take a lot of beating." ANOTHER VERSION OF THE CAPTAIN'S DEATH. John Horon, aged 19, one of the crew, gave the following account of how Cap' tain Howell died:— A final appeal to the captain to save himself was of no avail and his only response was, "This is the end of thirty years' savings, boys." , (The captain wae. reported to have been a shareholder in the ship to the extent of about £600.) After making his pathetic statement, the captain Inched a heavy axe around hia shoulders and climbed out oh tp Hie boom. He reached the end of the boom safely, but all of a sudden lost his balance and toppled over. He. hung on to the boom for some seconds with his legs, during which time hs was struck by a huge wave which washed his ca.p away. The next wave wns, however, too strong for him, and when the crew saw the boom again the captain had disap* peared from it. Each member of the crew waded out for some distance in the hope of assisting the unfortunate man, but they had to desist owing to the cold and cramp, though the captain was eeen by them about thirty yards distant.