COAST WRECKS

Evening Star, Issue 18623, 2 May 1924, Page 1

COAST WRECKS

SPOIL OF THE SEA. “ (loci, fend a good wreck," is alleged (o have been the prayer of some of the Cornish parishes in the bad old days. Them, arc parts of the Australian const where a fat. wreck is regarded as a not unmerciful dispensation of Providence. Some of the OrnLlimm used to assist Providence by ptillnu; out false lights, but no case m ’.wiich lights have been used to lure a vessel io her doom have been proved on the Australian coast. There were, however, a conpn. of instances years ago in which strong suspicion was aroused. Police mquines worn made, hut nothing could be proved. But once the vessel lifts been wrecked there is not unnatural feeling that it would bo flying in tho face of Providence not to take advantage of tho disaster. Some opportunists pick up the cargo when tt is washed ashore; others, more enterprising, or better equipped, go out to letch it. On most pans ol the Australian coast it is so long between wrecks that there is no chance of developing t lie art of protiling by wrecks into a skilled trade. There are, however, one or two si vetches of shore where, wrecks may be looked for at irregular but. not too long intervals. AN OMINOUS NAME.

One of these is the south-east corner of Australia, from Green Cape to Cape ifowe and Gabo Island. Nearly tlimc-fonrih,- of the shipping oh the Australian coast has to turn (Ins corner. li is a wild and rugged shore line, backed by some of the least-known country in Australia, most of it in the same condition as it was when Captain Cook sailed northward along the coast. The Otway Peninsula, another wild, nigged region, which lies to the south-west of Port Phillip, has had its share of wrecks in the past, but for a long time it has been free from disaster. This cannot be said for the Capa Howe region ; it is only last year that the Iron Prince went ashore near Gabo. Just below Green Capo is Disaster Bay, the very name of which is ominous. On the desolate shores of this bay lie rotting the bones of many a stout ship. Short, as is the period since Australia's seaborne tniflio began, dozens of vessels have been wrecked on the short stretch of inhospitable coast between Green Cape and Gabo. The wreck marked by the heaviest, loss of life was that of Hie Ly-cc-moon, at Green Gape, in 1867, when neatly 200 persons were drowned. Another old-time wreck was that of (.lie Monumental fit v, which came to grief near (la-bo with, so it was bialjevedj, a large quantity ot gold on board. A MYSTERIOUS ('HAUL An expedition went down to leeover the gold from the Monument,>l (■'.’• for a Melbourne syndicate. But when they got there the cupboard was bare, They t'-il yon at Twofold Bay that when the diver went down ho found that (he safe door had been blown open, and (hat the gold was gone. They will also tell yon whose craft had a lot of business down Gabo way, and will add that the owner was able to sell bis boat and a diving suit, and retire to cultivate the virtue’s of a quiet spirit. If there reallv was £IOO,OOO worth ol gold on the Monumental City, and someone really did get hold of il. that was easily the host haul ever made in (hose parts. Still, other vessels have yielded excellent pickings. One of the. more recent cases was that of the Cumberland, which struck one of the mines laid down by the German raider Wolf, and was benched near Gabo. She curried n most valuable cargo, including an immense, amount of useful stores.

Such a valuable carcass attracted more than one eagle. One boatman who helped himself liberally was prosecuted at Orbost in Victoria, and lined £. r io. Ho bad the misfortune to be a Victorian, and the oScEca ytas ooounittocl ia .Victorian water*.

Another competitor was also prosecuted, but lie was a resident of New South Wales, and when the case was brought before a New South Wales court it was held that it bad no jurisdiction. It is alleged by those who ought to know that large quantities of the goods from the Cumberland were buried at various points on the coast near Capo Howe—an old dodge wit list uff from wrecks—and used gradually, as conditions allowed, in fact, il is said that supplies are not yet, exhausted, but are still being dug up and brought north. An ingenious device adopted in the ease of one of tlso vessels engaged in “ salving " Gta Cumberland, wa-- to have a falsa bottom. All was fair and above board, above I lie boards, but under the boards of the false bottom were slowed all kinds of valuable stuff.

As to the latest wjpek, the Iron Prince, she was hardly worth touching. She was a cargo steamer, canying limestone* for the steel works, ami what is (be use oft limestone? Even her fittings were nothing very much. " PLANTING " THE WHISKY.

In tad, ihe palmy days of the flotsam and jits.im. especially jetsam, business between Green tape and Gab** Ho well back in the past. V, reeks are scarcer now, and with boiler ne"in-. of communication the oliieial salvage pr.ipie are more quickly on the spot than ii-cii to lie the case. But, there are keen eyes amt quick wits still’ ready tor a chance of some unofficial salvaging. There are men who have to till in time with fish and oysters, and petty coastal traffic, who would be quite ready to try for bigger game if the news came over the bush telegraph, which is apt to beat the official met hods, that there w ere [lickings on the rocks at Gabo or the, Howe.

The days of shipwrecks on the Otway coast are still more remote. It is only the older men in “ the Forest ” who can (ell of the days when luxuries were a commonplace, when a big ,Swedish ship wentf ashore at Moonlight Head, with a cargo of tobacco and brandy, and there wa.s cheap tobacco for a couple of years right along the coast from Capo Otway almost to Wavnininbnol.

They alone can tell yon, too, of the man who “planted” wreck whisky by burying it in a paddock, and planting a crop of grain over it. In this case, someone gave, (be plant away, and the whisky was dug up by the police. In fact, it, is useless at this distance of time to go digging in the dunes of the, Otway mast, in search of buried treasure. But anyone with a taste for treasure-hunt-ing might still dig up something down Gabo or Mallaeoot.a way, id ho knew- the rigid, place io dig. It would hardly run to gold or jewels, hut there might be some (led Cross goods from the Cumberland.—Sydney ‘ Sim.’