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Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 409, 27 August 1868, Page 2

The schooner Wiliam and Mary, from fytteljjon, was towed to the wharf by the I). 8. Dispatch on Tuesday afternoon. She eft Lytteltou on the 13th instant, with a very large cargo of grain, and after a good run reached this port as above. She ja con : Wgned tp Messrs Kennedy Bros. Messrs N. Edwards aud Cp.'s two. fine steamers the b.s. Kennedy and p.s. Charles Edward arrived off the bar yesterday forenoon, and at three p.m. stemmed, into the liver, the Kennedy Jeadjng. There being i.ianfyf w-*r- « n qic Dar 'ana v bcnu^Ju channel, they crossed without the slightest difficulty. The Kennedy left Nelson at noon on Friday last, and had got as far as Mokihintri when she encountered vtr-y heavy southerly weather, and was compelled to run back for shelter to Wanganui Inlet, where •he remained until Monday morning, when •be left again anil reached the Buller next morning ; left again op yesterday morning's tide aud arrived as above. The Charles Edward left Nelson at 2 pm. on Mpnday, and overtook the jtepnedy at Westpprt. She is now od the berth fur the Manukau, and will leave to-morrow. The cotter Satellite, for Taranaki, with 20 tons of coal, was towed to sea by the p.s. Despatch yesterday afternoon. The Panama Company's, steamers Egmont and Rangitoto are expected to. arrive here today, when they will be immediately despatched, the former for Sydney direct, and the latter with passengers and gpld for England via Panama. She wjll also take passengers for Wellingtop, Punedjn, Bluff Harbor, aud Melbourne. An inquiry was held yesterday at the Cujtom Bouse by Mr Andrews, ActingCollector, into the cause of the stranding of the ketch Jane Elkin, on the Xorth Spit, on Saturday last. The master, John Burue, stated that the ketch was a rebuilt vessel, about 28 tons register, and was nailing without being registered. Neither himself nor the mate bad certificates of competency. She vailed from PakiWi for tbjs port on the 4th iust, with about 15 tons of cargo, and Btruck on the Grey River bar, north spit, at 4 p.m. on the 22nd, weather fine, two hours aud a half ebb, wind S.W. He could not say if the vessel would be totally lost ; but the spit was making, so that it might coat more to heave her off than the vessel was worth. Shewas worth Ll5O, but uninsured. The cargo was insured, but for what amount he could not say ; it was saved. No lives were |.)it ; the crew saved themselves by jumping ashore. At the time of leaving Pakihi she was driven 40 miles north of the Buller ; the last land seen was Rock's Point. He had no chart on board. She was drawing from four to, five feet of water, was fully found, had uo deck load, and the compass was in good condition. Every effort was made by the crew to save the vessel. His reason fur attempting the bar when the red flag was not up was that he was short of provisions and water, and had not enough on board to enable him \jo keep to sea for another day. They had been enduring great suffering from the want of water for eight days. He brought the vessel in to save the lives of himself and crew. He had never been over the Grey bar before, and he followed the directions of the signalman as well aa possible. The mate and two seamen corroborated this evidence. Peter Leslie, part qwner of the vessel, boarded her immediately on coming ashore, and was satisfied the statements made by the master and crew were correct, and that the master could not help himself in attempting to run in. James Stalker, signalnian, said that on Saturday lost he had no signal flying as the bar was not workable. When he saw the Jane Elkin in the breakers he put the semaphore to tLe northward to pilot her in aecontpg to tbe best of his judgment. He then steered right for the channel, uad kept her two points tp windward off the beacon to allow for leeway. He thought she was safe and in smooth water when, all of a sudden, Wo rollers sprung x\p aud caught ber oji the quarter, drove her on the North Spit. Nothing but the direst necessity tbould have induced the master to take the bar, but being in a state of starvation he did not see that any blame could be attached to him. Patrick Jam«s Allardyce, Harbor Master, said that considering the circumstance of the pepnle on board being in a state of starvatioD, he considered that the master was justified in attempting to run iv. Mr Hmdews atfivedat the fujlon iiif decision j—

The master saw the risk of taking the bar, when no signal was tiying, as on the one hand he had starvation to himself and crew, and on the other the chance of being able to get in in safety, and therefore chose the latter alternative, it appears there was not a piqt of water remaining on board. The owners attach nu blame to the master, nor do the harbor master nor signalman. I presume, therefore, he acted to the best of his jndgr ment to save the life of his crew. The vessel, therefore, was lost by stranding in attempting to oroBS the Grey River bar at a dangerous time, to save himself and crew from death by starvation and want of water.