EARLY AUSTRALIAN DISASTER

Evening Star, Issue 18173, 13 January 1923, Page 14

EARLY AUSTRALIAN DISASTER

WRECK OF THE SHIP LOCH ARD. toss or FORTY-FIVE LIVES. SURVIVORS' TERRIBLE ORDEAL. Forty-four and a-half years ago the rtately ship Loch Anl. a famous iron clipper belonging to Glasgow, was completing a voyage from London to Melbourne, when sho struck on a rock near Cap© Otway, and became a total wreck in a few minutes. The disaster, which was on© of the most appalling of tho early days of Australia, occurred on the morning of Juno 1, 1878. Forty-five lives "more lost, only two of the ships company — a Miss Carmichael and a midshipman named Thomas Richard, Pearce •—being saved. They drifted ashore on pieces of wreckage, and by a miracle ©scaped being dashed to pieces on the pocks. Misfortune attended, the Loch Ard coring the few' years she was in existence. She was twice dismasted and was nearly lost in the Hoogly River. Thai the Lodi Ard became a total wreck fa not to -be wondered at when the locality la deeoidhock Tbo only matter of surprise la that any should have survived to tell the tala. IThe coast for miles to the eastward and westward shows nothing but precipftcma rocks rising from the tea to height© varying from 120 ft to 300 ft, am! it fi only at intervals of many miles that there is an inlet or gorge through the rooka where there is a small beach on which a landing may be effected. This is the caw at tire spot where the wreck occurred, for at that particular locality there is a small inlet about a quarter of a mile deep and about 50yds wide at the entrance, opening out at the upper end to a largo semi-circular bay with a. fin© sandy beach. This is known a.s the Paves, about six miles west of the G alii brand River. On th© exact locality where the Loch Ard was lost the cliffs rise straight, out of the eea to a height of about 150 ft, without a single ledge on which a bird could rest. It is only in one place that it is possible for human beings to descend to (ho caves, and then it has to be done at. the risk of one's nock, holding on by hands and feet, and praying to Providence on© may safely .reach the bottom. How th© young lady who was saved was got. up the face of the cliff in her exhausted conditlcra waa a matter for wonder not only to those who had seen the place after the occurrence, but .also to most who were participators in the rescue. The only male survivor was Thomas Richard Pearce, a eon of Captain Pearce, who lost his life when the steamer Gothenburg was wrecked two or three years previously on a voyage from the Northern Territory to Melbourne. Pearce was then only nineteen years of ago, but although so young, had already had some ©xperionco at a wreck, as ho was ono of th© crew of the barque Eliza. Rnmsdon when she was lost at Port Phillip Heads. He was serving his apprenticeship in the Loch Ard. STORY OF THE DISASTER.

Pearco gave a thrilling account of the disaster. He stated that the Loch Ard experienced fine weather and fresh breezes from the Capa of Good Hope, and the easting was run flown with the full anticipation of making a tolerably good passage. Everything went well until the reckoning was worked out on May ol after the meridian, signs had been taken. The ship was then judged to bo 150 miles south-west of Cape Otway. The wind at the time was southward to S.K., and the course was altered to E.N.il. by compass, which course it was expected, with the wind then blowing, would carry the ship clear of Capo Otway, and perhaps give the officers a sight of the light. Captain Gibbs was apparently, however, in some doubt as to the correctness of his compasses, for in the first dog watch (4 pun, to 6 p.m.) he sbortopod, sail until the ship was left with her- three lower topsails and fora topmast staysail, to make sung for the night. The captain remained on deck all night. It had been very dark and hazy, and there was a heavy swell running, but the wind was not blowing very hard. Just ns the watch was being relieved at 4 a.m., and before the men had left the deck, the haze suddenly lifted, and land was seen right ahead, and at no great distance. Almost at the same moment eomeono on deck heoi'd the breakers, so that it was estimated that the distance was not more than a mile from shore. Captain Gibbs at onco gave orders to sot the spanker, mizzen, and main topmast staysail, and the helm was put down, with a view to bringing the ship round on the other tack and Blanding off the land, lu order to give the vessel still further way, and also to bring her round quicker, the order was given to hoist the upper ruizzen topsail, but os she would* not come to the wind, the command came to let go both anchors. The port one was let go first, with fifty fathoms of cable, and was quickly followed by the starboard anchor, with about sixty fathoms of chain. In anticipation ■ that the anchors would hold, the sails were clewed up, and a man was sent into trio chains with the lead to seo if the ship was holding. J.t was at onco seen that the anchors were not bolding, and the vessel was getting dose in to the cliffs. Captain Gibbs’s next order wan to slip both anchors and get eaill on the ship (width was then head to wind), with a view to standing on the port tack, An attempt was made to sheet home the topsails, but this .appears to have always been a difficult operation to cany out on the Loch Ard, and after soma time had been wasted 1 in an endeavor to do eo the buntlines of the mainsail were Jet go, the port main tack got on board, and the sheet hauled aft. Just as this had been done the ship struck on a rock, which appeared to catch her just under the starboard mizzen chains.

'When the orders were given to have the boats cleared iiway tho seas were breaking clean over the ship, and she. was bumping very heavily —so much so that the top hamper wan falling about th© deck. As ia usual in such cases, tho boats were not in th© davits, but were on tho skids, and Bonno lime ©lapsed before they could I*> launched Fearoo, with five others, was clearing away tho port lifeboat, and they were just about to hook tho tackles on wheat a heavy eea struck the .slap. The boat wan thrown over tho aide, and all with her. In falling the boat capsized, and Pearce found himself under iu Ho remained there for gome time, and then aw am ashore. He had scarcely been on Jaodl an hour when _he heard somebody (icreaming, and, looking ecawards, he saw fi young lady holding on to some wreckage «4id drifting through the gorge or ink-t, H© at once swam out to her, and, gcttni--bold of a portion of her clothing in hS teeth, h* brought her to kind, f;dely and managed to drag_ hor into a cave. Sho w«s then unconscious.

.THE RESCUE. A shepherd _ named lord discovered Jf&poo on a cliff. The sailor had found an peering the share that ho was about » mile east of Sherhrook, and had he not bravely climbed the cliffs no one would bare hem left to toll the story of the disaster, foi the ship disappeared in two minutes. At the time the Loch Ard struck the captain and most of Jhe crew were in tip long-boat disentangling the lifeboat. Xh*y went down, and were not seen any saora. The cliff Pearce climbed was about M!Qft high. _ Prom Miss Carmichael's statement, it appeared she was nearly tho last person «0 board, being in conversation with the explain just before the ship went down. waa bound ia a cork lifebelt. Before P*srce came to her rescue two others Wore clinging to the spar, but she saw (bam washed off. The bodies of Mrs Carmichael and her eldest daughter, which wore incased in cork lifebelts and fully dnwised,. and the body of Reginald Jones wore washed ashore. AN ILL-FATED QUARTET.

The Loch Ard carried' seventeen pas

•engera and had a crew numbering thirty , handa. She had 3,275 tons of cargo under 7, jnraf yahicd at Mid

insured: for £3O,(XXX The ship was insured for £13,000 {a .various offices. Sho belonged to the General Shipping Company, of Glasgow, <vndi was ono oI four iron clippers launched from th© earn© yard (Messrs Connell and Co., Glasgow)., qjl of which cam© to a disastrous end. Th© ship Asia left Newcastle for San Francisco, and ay as never afterwards heard of, and a similar fat© befell the ships Africa, and America. The America, before starting on her last voyage to Melbourne, had her name altered to Loch Loggan, From the very first the Loch Ard had been an unfortunate ship. Sho was twice dismasted when on her maiden voyage from Glasgow to Melbourne in 1873. Captain Gibb, who was a stranger'to Australian ports, was previously employed in th© American west coast trade. Ito was married only one week before ho joined the Loch Ard. He was a brother of the Captain Gibb who visited Australia in the late sixties in command of the ship Thomasina M’Lollan. Tho chief officer of the Loch. Ard (Mr M‘Lachlan) had been in other ships of tho Loch fleet, and was to com© out to Australia in tho Loch Khiel. Sixty-seven years ago the calling vessel Schoenberg was wrecked within a few miles of where tho Loch Ard went down.