LOSS OF THE ONWARD

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 117, 20 May 1939, Page 24

LOSS OF THE ONWARD

Prompted to write by the letter from Mr. H. E. Combs, M.P., which appeared in this column last week, "Tholepin" sends some more details of the little steamer Snark.

"I did not think that any fuller details could have been given to any narrative until I read of the career of the Snark of Gisborne," he says. "There does appear to be a loss of continuity in the tender service between the Snark and the Tuatea. After the Snark was taken off the tender service about 1897, she was replaced by the little steamer Waihi (pictured on this page), which did quite useful service until replaced by the sturdy Tuatea (at present in Wellington).

"There was one accident in which the Snark was vitally involved, the loss of the schooner Onward, at Gisborne, in 1886, and, by a coincidence, two brothers were principals in it. I refer to the Mr. McConville, engineer of the Snark, mentioned by Mr. Combs, and his brother, Captain McConville, master and owner of the schooner. The Snark had the Onward in tow. All went well until they were getting close to the river mouth", when heavy seas caused the tow-line to part. The Onward soon went aground, as anchors would not hold in the sandy bottom, and she became a total loss. The cargo was salved, but a storm, rising at a critical period, smashed the Onward to matchwood." . ; . I

The writer says he "would like to endorse every word written by Mr. Combs in regard to the seamanship of Captain Neale of the Snark, and the great bond of mutual helpfulness, one to the other, which existed between master arid engineer."