WRECK OF THE OKTA

Evening Star, Issue 15293, 19 September 1913, Page 4

WRECK OF THE OKTA

THE PASSAGE FROM HOBABT. A TRYING time. , ALL HANDS To THE PUMPS, [Special to the Star.] BLUFF, September 18. Tlie Okta, which was wrecked at the entrance to Bluff Harbor yesterday, used to be a Shaw-Sayill passenger vessel in the seventies and eighties, idtimately passing into Norwegian hands, and making ray ages all over the world whither freight look- her. Before coming to Aiistraiia she was at Montevideo, which port she left for Hobart to load 800,000 ft of bluegum and hardwood (piles) for Falmouth. At Falmouth she was to await further orders. She was in command of Captain Duns, who has had charge for several years, and with him wad associated Mr Taraldsen (mate), both being Norwegians. A huge Dane named Fredrickson, who has been —Wrecked Ho Less Than Nine Times, — was leader of the seamen, and acted as a kind of boatswain. The crew of 12 were Norwegians, Russians, Danes, and one Britisher, a man named Harris, who has been to New Zealand several times in the Corinthic. Details show that shortly after leaving Hobart the vessel sprang a leak, which flooded the forepeak, and She had a very rough time all the way across, several times being on the —Verge of Foundering—dn the heavy gales. She is high on Pelham Rocks, with the seas breaking over her, and must become a total loss! It forms a pretty, though sad, sight to see suoli a fine-looking vessel piled up right in front of the pilot station, and hundreds of visitors from the Bluff and Invercargill have walked to the spot to see the unusual sight on a spot rendered immortal by the disasters of the Pelham, the Scotia, and the Maid of Otago in the early days of Southland. Aa soon as the wind changes round to the south she will veer round and —Break in the Middle,— as did each of the previous vessels stranded there. Most of the men saved sOmo of their possessions, but some have nothing, and Captain Duns lost everything he possessed, A ‘Star’ representative interviewed the mate, the boatswain, and six of the men, all of them being able to speak more or less good English.' Their stories show that the Okta left Hobart on Saturday,6th September, at 8.30 in the morning, for Falmouth direct, with a full cargo of 800,000 ft of bluegum and stringy bark lumber. She had trouble in getting a full complement, but eventually,got away with 15 instead of the 16 men necessary to comPjjdo the crew. Everything alpeafed to be all right before Sailing, and as soon as the Derwent was cleared a course was set for Capo Horn, en route foi- England. On the Sunday (next day) it waa observed that .ho ship was a little lower forward, and to satisfy the growing impressions of the ;rew the carpenter was sent to sound the ressel, discovering that the fore part was —Full of Water.— “Full right up of water,” one of the crew remarked, “ and it made me think I felt it trickling down my hack!” All hands were ordered to the pump, and every effort was made to cope with the situation. The water came in through the lower porta on the starboard side and the timber chutes fore and aft, and although the captain tried three barrels of cement with a view to blocking the ingress, nothing could bo done except try. to pump the water out. By continual pumpinv they got it down about 9in on the first day, and on some days they reduced the level to 18m, but further than that thev could not do, and " —The Water Remained,— despite all their efforts to pump the vessel out. Watches ot six men were fixed and maintained alternately throughout. It was pump and pump until they were tired o’ut, day and night. On the third day out (Monday) the captain called the crew aft and placed the position before them. He said he had to do the best he could for both the owners and the insurance people, and ins instructions were to sail for Falmouth direct. The crew said they would not consent to continuing the voyage to -bngJand, and demanded unanimously that a course be set for the nearest port. They adopted that view because they said their —Lives Were in Peril, and they Considered that they were quite justified under the' circumstances. Captain Duus replied that he would consent to their request, and accordingly ho set a course on the starboard tack for Cape Farewell (entrance to Cook Strait). South-west gales, with heavy squalls, were encountered for several days, and the seas broke on board several times, knocking the men about, one of them sustaining a dislocated knee. The galley was flooded continuously, and also the men’s quarters a.nd the captain s cabin. On several occasions she gave every —lndication of Foundering. All this time, however, the men kept "oing steadily at the pumps, and fortunately°were able to keep the water from gaining on them, bo food could be cooked in the gallev. but ' provisions were served out in a lull sufficiency. Nevertheless, although ihe men felt the want badly of hot food ami drink, a liberal supply of gro g M handy- However, on the Friday night the wind veered round to the northwest, and Captain Duus was faced with the option of trying to rido out the weataer under bare poles or change to the port tack and make his way to Puysegur under lower topsails. Although tho Okta —Strained and Wallowed on this Tack, she made fair progress, and the fact that she was making way towards land of anv kind was. welcome intelligence to the crew, as they worked steadily at the pumps, keepang the inflow m check. Gales still prevailed, but the Okta made fair progress, and by Wednesday morning 6 he had sighted Puysegur, and set her course for Foveaux Strait, Here she experienced rougher weather even than she had had across, and the vessel was in imminent —Danger of Foundering—on several occasions. Despite energetic pumping, the water gained on them, and seas broke into all quarters. However, she kept going, and unexpectedly ran into a dead calm, which enabled them to make up some of the leeway of the water. On Wednesday night they were close in to the Solanders, and were in that vicinity until 4,30 on Thursday (yesterday) morning, when the wind came up from the south-west and set them going again. They clung close in-shore until they got, abreast of Centre Island. Captain Duus did not have a single chart of New Zealand waters, and all he could do was to pick his way along until he reached a port where a pilot could be obtained. From Centre Island he made his way to the South-west Cape (off the entrance to Bluff Harbor), being off there at 9 a.m. He then —Steered for Dog Island.— He had his pilot flag flying, but so far his signals had not been answwod. At 10 a.m. the course was altered for Stirling Point. The absence of a chart of any description resulted in his being unable to steer by the bhoys. He hugged the shore, and sailed inside the red buoy at the entrance. So far so good. The black buoy was another puzzle, and as ho had sailed jnside tho red one safely he proceeded to sail inside tho black one too, with the result that ho touched and finished up at 11.40 by running at a speed of about leven knots —Slap Bang on to the Pelham Rock—which ripped her bottom so seriously that she filled immediately and settled down by the stern. The men were able to get at their belongings, but the captain’s cabin, being in the after portion, was full of water, and consequently inaccessible. Sails were furled, and the men stood by on the forecastle waiting the tug, which came promptly out.. Nothing could be done to assist the doomed vessel, and the tug simply had to bide her time and get the men off one by one, the last of them being taken on board by 2.15 and —Duly Landed on Bluff Wharf.— “ It was the softest wreck I have been on,” remarked Fredricksen, the bos’p, " and I have been on nine of ’em, There

was no. dark night, and howling storms, launching of life boats, and loss of lives. It was a soft ono. I told the skipper it AvOuld not be lohg before he struck water. That was when 1 fell overboard in Hobart. I said I had touched water and so Would he before long, and so ho did, biit I Was very sorry for him, as he has lost everything he possessed.” Continuing, the bos’n mentioned the s.s. Hector (South Africa), Tarantalis (Londonderry), Plymouth (Argentine), Yara (1893), Anna (Denmark, 1883), and several other wrecks Which had fallen to his lot during his 31 years at sea. The mate remarked that all hands wOre being —Well Cared for at Bluff, — and that they wore jolly glad to be ashore. Two of the men, ho said, would bo attached to the Norwegian barque Anglo-Norman, now 'at Bluff, and the remainder would bo sent back to their homos on the first opportunity offering. All hands put all blame down to the springing of the leak in the first instance, and to the fact that the vessel had no New Zealand charts. In the second instance the prevailing winds prevented the vessel making back to Hobart. Then squalls and haze obscured the vessel’s signals for a pilot, and so caused them to escape observation. —The Okta—was classed 100 A 1 at Lloyds, having been built for the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company at the Swansea Shipbuilding Yards at Dumbarton in 1874. She is of 1,058 tons net register, her cargo of timber being 1,643 tons dead weight. She was owned-by Grefstad and Hallofscn, of Arendal (Norway), Arondal being her registered port. —An Amusing Feature—of the wreck was the saving of two pigs and 12 chickens, which were promptly sold on being landed, the pigs realising 30s each. The Customs officers will remove sails, spirits, and all such commodities as come under their jurisdiction today. BLUFF, September 19. The weather is beautifully calm and fine to-day, and the Okta is peacefully lying in the same unfortunate position as when she struck yesterday. Although members of the new state that the vessel was steered inside the black buoy, the boatswain, who was at the wheel, now states that he never saw the black buoy at all, and so did not steer by it. He says that the captain, just before striking, told him to ease off the shore, but the order came too late. As no pilot came out in answer to his signal, the captain endeavored to enter the harbor himself, surmising that perhaps there was no pilot required. No inquiry will be held in New Zealand, as under the maritime laws of Norway all inquiries into the stranding of Norwegian vessels on foreign shores must be heard in Norway; consequently it will be many a long day before the official report is available. The vessel will be sold as she lies, and her cargo also. The vcstel is hot expected to fetch JMUch, but the bluegum and other lumber are expected to run very near to top value.