SOMES ISLAND LIGHT

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 8, 9 July 1932, Page 22

SOMES ISLAND LIGHT

SIXTY-SIX YEARS' SERVICE

WRECKS IN THE. HARBOUR

The. closest lighthouse to the people of' Wellington ;is''on Somes Island,' tho pOrt'B ' quarantine, station, which was used ; during the Great War as an internment camp^f or Germans and other aliens. Thi's /light came about'through the made by the Wellington, Chamber, of ; 5 Commerce in 1864 for a-light to be placed-on Point Gordon (near Scorching.; Bay,), .but- the ; Marine Board.; decided.., that .Somes Island was the .better site in. order to give a lead into *£he ■ harbour.. The lighthouse • and dwellings were'erected in-1865,and the light: fijst: ; on. 17th February, 118.66., :i\fr.,W. Lyall,-,-who had b.eenthe first assistant at Pencarrow Head light, ;was t promoted tp be ■: the, first; principal keeper, at, Somes .Island. . The light ■on Somes Island was • converted .to an automatic flashing- light' on Ist April, 1924.-.: : : ,■.-. , ■-■ ,;; - -.'. _Tke following-isva'list": of shipping mishaps which 'have occurred within the harbour':—1 .: < ■ :: • 3rd July, ,1874—Barque Edwin Bassett, 414 tons, stranded on Jerningham Point in-a,fog! '' :. ''■' :'■ ; ■ 20th. July, .18744-The', paddle steamer Manawatu, 103 tons, and the brigantine Kate .Brain collided'about half-way across'Eva!p3-Bay' through the .neglect of the master of .the Kate Brain in not keeping' a ,look-out. .' ; ; 22nd, July, 1874—Barque Frowning Bea.uty,. 365. tons, was driven ashore.at Kaiw'arra,: in a southerly ' gaie when the-cable'parted: . :. ■'! Bth . July,,-;'.1877f75.5.' .Stormbird, ,69 tons,, ran .down: the'-,schooner Isabeile, 129 tons, 'at anchor in' Wellington Harbour.. ~ . ■ , . . ' : ,7th,' August,, 187.7—Paddle . steamer Luna, .247 tons, collided with' schooner1 Herald,, ,53 tons,", in. .Wellington ' Har"boiiif.V. •.•'.'.'.■','. . . ' , 11th July, 1879—Schooner Day Dawn, 2.4: .tons,, stranded,on 'Ward Island in a sputh.-east,.gale, ... ,'' 23rd. November,; 1879—-S.s: Tui,'-. 64 tons, struck.West Ledge: at entrance to Wellington'Ha.rbour. ~. .' " 28th- July, :ißßl—-Barque, Australind,1

429' tons, .collided,.with the brig,.Neptune,;279. tons, at (the 'entrance! to,^Wellington, Harbour. ,; „: ■~. ~ ... .',, 16th March,LlSSiJ-^Barque .Conference, '399; tons,: struck ■ a-reef midway between -Dorset : Point and, -Steeple E6ck,-Wellihgtoit Harbour. .. .\. '.. ■■• 23rd; August;, 1884—jBarque: Genevieye MJ Tucker,;; 519. ;tbns, 'Stranded"VhalfV mile :Bouthi of' Ward r Island in -Wellington ■Harbour.', -: •.•;,' :; ; .-...-. IBth- January, •1890-V-Brigantine-; j. W. Parker, 361" tons, stranded" on< shoal to south of WaTd Island;; ? :; : : -~,", '■.; 17th August,: 189.3—Barque:Achievement, 499: tons, drifted'ashore in: Worser Bay'when.-the :cable:par.ted.f :■; '3rd: May, 1896—Barque Goro'mandel capsized '< n.ear the .Eailway :Wharf- in Wellington Harbour,: ;, ; after ■.- being brought • from iWestpqrt '• im a leaking condition.': . . ~"':■ ■ : ■ Ist! Jime, 1900—Schooner : Lady,' St. Aubyn, 150 tons, and Sarah:and-Mary,. 145: tons, -were^ blown- ashore, on the Petone 'Beach in, a 'strong, i southerly gale. ■ - •■: ■■■' ■, / '~ ... ~-.- ■■.■ ■.- '. 19th December,' 1903—5.5.-: Edtoniahana collided with.the schooner Jessie Nic.o'l,l which was at" anchor near the Mari-o'-war buoy in! L'ambton- Harbour. 24th' March,: 1904—5.5.'. Dueo. struck an uncharted rock in Ofongorongo Bay. 24th April, 1907—S:S. Inveran, 2853 tons, was driven ashore at Point Jernirigham in a north-west gale and broke all her?propeller blades. , BtJi June, 1909—S.S.Rob Roy, 34 tons, struck' when going between buoy, and Point Jerningham. ;..-', '. 30th: March, 1910J—^Ferry ; steamers Duchess and Cobar collided off Point Jerningham. 2nd. August, 1918— S.S. Defender, 109 tons; totally, destroyed by fire when cargo of benzine ignited. : 10th ■ December, 1918— S.S. Dorset, 5599.t0n5, stranded on Hope Shoal in Wellington B.»rbour. < The Loss of the "Calder." . The BoaTd of Trade inquiry into the losa of the s.s. Calder has failed to elucidate definitely the mystery of that vessel's disappearance (states "The Syren and Shipping ".). She was a new ship engaged in a trade of which hep o_wners,_ the London, Midland,1 and Scottish Railway, have long experience, and she was specially designed ■ and constructed to comply with its service requirements. ■ She left her loading port, Hamburg, under conditions which'were established as normal, but failed to' an rive at'Gfoole, her home terminal, pb'rt. Somewhere-in her track was a dredger which had broken away from, »'her tug, This -jras one potential -JJeril, -jindtjan-

other may have been a. drifting vnirte. The Court, however, decided there was no conclusive evidence as to the actual cause, of the disaster. They ruled :oiit the possibilities mentioned, and expressed the view, that what- probably happened was-that the ship :was overwhelmed bya heavy sea,' whieli carried away the' unsecured hatches iaft,i and partially- flooded the bridge space,-.thus quickly destroying the vessel's stability and causing her to'capsize and foutfiler. The Calder left Hamburg in ,a-"Seaw-orthy • condition, and' .was' properly equipped' with boats and life-savirig appliances. The hatches were*v adequately, protected arid secured, and the scuppers and .freeing. ports were clear from obstruction :by deck, cargo; but the Court could not say "whether-sim-ilar steps were taken to ensure that the1 scuppers' and; freeing ports .iwere efficient- for. their; intended- purpose." Tiys'is- an important point, for it 'is notorious-that- somesailors,.if not carefully? .watched, will: frequently.: secure such ports, -ignoring the possibility of a sudden- emergency .when-the safety of the ship might depend upon ? their, instantaneous operation. We' shall,- however,"- never "know the. truth,' as: there were no survivors' to. tell the story;::of the disaster. •■ .> ■ " .-,-■■ v J Loss of Port.Stephens. ~ '; 1n1906 New Zealand was. taking the greatest interest in" a murder^ trial. The man:arrested for1 murder" stated.that at the time of the milrder he >was on the barque'.Bavenseourt, tried,?to prove "an-' alibi. However,.- the Eavenscourt,; which. everyone believed to ;;be well out to sea'onher voyage to Callao, uneSpectedly returned-to port;with the crew of the steamer Port; .Stephens, which broke-her .shaft at-sea,, and had to be abandoned. .The "niari was proved riot to' have' been on the Baveriscoiirt at the time, and was hanged. ■' The story of the loss of the P t drt Stephens is'viyidly; remembered by Mr.- H.-.'"'Griffiths, chief ' engineer' on the steamer -Port Pirie,: whichv was '.at. Wellirigtoii this year.: -At the time; of thp idss of tho Port Stephens 'Mr. Griffiths was engineer '■- on i her, ' ! ••'•■' -, In conversation'1 with a; reporter, Mr. Grirfiths said .that'when, the- disaster occurred the-!Port:'Stephens/ of 2278 tons' net, and,with engines'.of,4oo;h;p., was fbut'o fr.bm.'.Timaru''to. Sydney, abbiit! 100 'miles :squth';.of 'New^Zealand, j and1 about .two "or''-three days otit -of port. 'Two days before the'Bavenseourt j assisted1 the'disabled'vessel.-a sailing "ship was sighted;"and/ although frantic

efforts were made; to' attract: attention, the' Port Stephens .'was not -noticed. The shipjwas .'drifting 'helplessly >. towards the'icefields,- when.the barquß" Bavenscourt ■- (Captain . Jenkins), •: bound ■ from Newcastle ;td Callao (South; America), and- driven- southwards 'by .stress :of weather, -hove'in; sight.! •: The Port Stephens; was abandoned,' arid the crew taken' on "board !the Bavenscbuit. . What1, happened-during;tHe period of drifting on;.the Port-Stephens'is best described .in ,the .diary kept by Mr. Griffitns,»the entries: in the diary being ;as follows:— : 3rd Octobef,"l9o6::Broke tail-end shaft afe ' 7- a.m.- • Myself on watch. Started taking shafting ' adrift' in tunnel. ;Very heavy sea -running. , 4th;'■ October:. Blowing -. heavy gale. Tremendous'sea rripnirig.. Ship drifting to; south' at Tato\of'two'miles and a half per 'hour.'' Short o"f -food. Cut to half rations.- My proposaT of repairing shaft 'accepted; by." captain arid' all on 'boarcLy' Blowing',a .living gale. Tromeridous- sea' running. ; Unable 'to work at;shaft for;bad weather; . •■'. -sth-. October.:' Ship drifted 150 miles south. Unable to work:'at" lshaft. for bad weather,! Wind changed ;4 pin. All sails sot. Drifting' towards !-;Stewart Island, about'loo miles off. ' : ' The diary with a .reference to pumping. ; ■'~ ■". '' "•'■•"".-"•, ■', ' The Bavenseourt took the officers and crew of the Port Stepheris;baclc'to Port Chalmersi . On arrival at Port Chalmers a.snowßtorra was.;;raging,: '.and the Bavenscourf anchored' four1 to -flVe miles off the Heads, and in response to'signals a tug, came out. The Port Stephens's complement left .'the. ' Bavenseourt in two of the abandoned vessel's, boats, and gave the Eaveriscourt three cheers. An; inquiry",into the loss'of :tho Port Stephens was' heldj- and.as-a -result of it the master (Captain A"; E: Jolly) had to pay & 20l towards '.the' costs :of the Court. The next'-thing-was'l to get Home to England again, and.the ship's company cameup.to Wellington as passengers on the Talune. : At-Wellington they were ".most-hdspitably "treated by Mr. Hislop,l:brother of the then: Mayor. Mr. "Hislop-secured the officers accommodation at the;Trocadero, 'but during the Bight the;- hdtel was' burnt': down, and; the nautical'--men ; distinguished themselves in taking- children-out of the burning; hotel.1 The- Arcadia was tho next hotel at. which. they- staged. After a" short stay^at Wellington allsailed on tho Tdngariro, and were-'fardwcllcd by Mr. Hislop. The' Tongarird"• 'arrived Home'just before Christmas. ■ '