WRECK OF THE SURAT;

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1699, 14 January 1874, Page 2

WRECK OF THE SURAT.

[^RjpijEi)' iPßoat 'the otago daily times.] From CaD^nt Thompson, ..the harbormaster, we obtain the following statementiof Cap|ki Johnson ,of the, Sur?it-^ — '^On "Wednesday night at' aboui; terl^ o'clock, tho-rsh^Suw l tjß.truok.\t J he rnck's, % by Chesland's Mistake,-and aftef a severe bompipg, /gQt.<;off. ,jjshe was/yery/ leaky after this, and was hove-to all night, all hands being-ikepfc:at>*lthe ipumps. r >'on' Thliriday'morning the" vessel wasran.-^ chotefi in'i Htfcfe bay- riear'Caitfin's'rive^/ and some of the passengers were landed/ Sobn^'af tSt "it f wW fourid' Mt 'tKe^vesser was sinking. andHhe "cables' were slipped, andt^he 1 s^ip-' Fnn'a^b^e'in'Ca'tiitt^-Bay^ This was abontiO or li'o'ciock on Thursday morning. The remainder of the passengerV fl Wei'e li laii ! deaV aiid-stll tiiVxrew, with the exception of the first mate and two v hieii, aU welit ashore. '-Nothing wW saved except a little bedding.^ On Frida/morningtthe< mate: and men'whb' had been left on the' vessel cmade signals of distress, and were taken off by a boat aeoiGßy'.'ftne'.Por't ' ;Moiyne6xJarid : Citlid's ■ River Harbor-master. The Harbormaster an r d' Gaptairi 'tfohnso'n l of the Surat went.tq the pla.ee .w,l;ere;mqst,pf the.passengeW'nad^b'een 'lauded, 'an'd' brought a number, of wom§n rpund \o Catlin's river in<a-ik\K /'About d' hundred J ofthe'paß4 sengers wer'd'landed first itoia:> thfel 'Suraf; and among them were six or seven women, who were weak v 'atid-nbt^'ab'ie'io travel. Tb^^^ere^Frbught^ou'nd/tp theriverin a bbif] bein l^ strbtigf i b pojacross the bush. The passerigSrs 'were then ; ampiigst/ the^ saw^ mills}ancf some *" of ihtim jy.ehe lodged at th!^ Harbor-master'.s; quarters: jr;On;tTihursday morning, before the anchor was let go, theaisaptaitt'Sßnt! 1 a- boat;, to, the> stearher Wanganui^?which- was'i in; ; sight, .bnt : thb • pexWms^on^he' stearrfer did hdfr' appear to see the .boatJ^^THis'cftmpletesthePcaptain's «^rUte\nbnl; i^,f'- l the circumstances attenliii?^tHa f titraii ; ding of the vea-sel. The adcourits of lijm ijiej SuraiTstruck, how she came to be sd 'close in shore, and the subsequent events .on, board, are most conflicting. #^t is s|ud* ipat thewind was moderate at the tirapij-aticiii blowing off the land, andjihat oply'lialf an hour before, the vessel*bumfted on the rocks, the catf-i tain and one of the cabin passeng^ers^-Mr, Bo6 r tt3^haß ds^riainea 'what • was l mpposed to be th'B'Bnfp'y ''exact*- position and marked it off:on;the ; ichartj Afi-_>ricfon on the 31st insfc. the ship was in lat. 4:7. 34 Booth', >lt)igf.'>lß7.27 J east.J: Dog' k lsslariawaa sighted at two p.m/j at eight p.m. the coura^^earejl'rbyr standard . cgmpass, was N.E. by' J^/jhajlf; E-yßpgt/fslanav.be'arirfgl W. by W. under plain sail, and the yards cheeked about a point/tfttdlft/lhalf tit t#or.pointßTjva:t!9Hs the ship struck pn^^he^rpjbhers and got off. The pump's werd Bounded, and it wa£jfo#nd tjh[a.t I tbe, r .yeßßej.;had o ; nly ; made fo>Wiftn^lie£tK.o^: nater.?for ythe'lfirstihoTiiHl At 11.30 it was found thaLtha .water; had' suddenly increased to^o inches ; at midnigh«yih^lwo^ fdu'rif44l Si water in the hoklcftnd-tj}e ship was run -Bloody Ja«k7stfsikr/a/- JTbe fltarboarflHnchoV/.fras let gViW^eren'^fktli^s;; 1 ob^served that the sh^p {Wfyfy settling down, and notkjggy wat{ [lef^cj jb,^ done, b,ut ( to lan^.# P^^er^,, li F^om i^h.aj; i^ %c, wfftimfrfa&PW&jJW 9- « f r.Qm.^hg li aRp 1 ca l r ill anfej^sojmesof^he^pnipn especially^ Ujja pa^gnfter»appear y tp; hay e ; suffered ».greatdesiuCtf I haifdßbip. ;; f¥c(ry[iif e wi u l^ithera managed Ito- get; ashore i.withjmore tHaili the clothes they -httd'-onyanrf th^Ailt^ jority of them were in bed when the yesm fl s|fQcfe if a«d !i? wii'eh I 1 tli s e l^cbntusfbri' y>*ffl*mswi\mi j ciotWs m'-tyM ihem. In landing, some df^'thVm 1 "ran a

great risk of losing their lives, and most of them reached the shore cold, wet, and miserable. Of course, when the Surat first struck there was the most intense excitement; and with referenced what afterwards occurred, it is impossible to . .get tw,oLStatements,.that do not differ in a_ cood many "material points. One of the passengers; s,ayst that when the .Vessel bumped on the rocks a considerable shock : was felt, and as the ship went over the rock a.,noise,.wa.s.-jhear_d resembling, the rumbling* of 'a lot 4 of 'iron tanks being moved; aboutv / Some of the passengers state that the pumps were never sbundedj' in order to ascertain whether the ship^vas making any water or not, until long after she ; passed! over; .the rocks. , The little bay in which the vessel anchored on the following morning i&. called Bloody Jack's Bay. • 'Nearly I all the passengers' statements are to the effect that, after the Surat struck, and before she was beached, there ■ was considerable confusion and disorder on, bo^ar'd/ Attempts on the part of the pas- ; sengers to .signal, the, passing steamer Wan sraniu were stopped, revolvers were produced,, and violence threatened. . The waiUr ,'gaineel, .notwithstanding the . working , of „the',:p umps 'incessantly by the crew. and, passengers, including the inarried^women;, and, girls, aU of whom took, their turn at the work. When it w,as. determined to beach the vessel, and the boats were lowered, the men behaved most creditably, according' to the accounts we havVfieardi ,?;Thb ,w6men and childi'en, and the pj.dimeiv were:aU, put in , the boats. • before the other men followed, and, ex- > cept'in'the caao of one woman, there were' ; no accidents^ Pilot Heyward,. who is ' ' also, Harbormaster at Port Molyrieux and: •' Catlin ' River, was of great' jiasistance iii i pointing,, pu.t/tlie. be,st place^tdjbeach the,/ shipj.andin landing the passengers landi I getting tbemM together. ; .JDliei.passe.ngera 1 . ' also speak v.we.li; of -the carpenter, whose " name is. Lpdge, the.sailmaker, familiarly,, . jtiWW'S Old Sail^" Jbu t whose proper ' • name we I 'di ! d riot" hear^ 'arid a seaman named Donovan. ,, "Dr. jighe also made himself most ilsefuT/b'oth on board, during the time when greatjConJEusion- prevailed,/ and after the,passengers were landed. At one tirne\some, ot4hejwpmen are said. to have been almost frantic with excitement, waving; 'their shawls arid handkerchiefs, - and making-all tHe efforts in their power to attract the 'attention of those on board the Wanganui ; and a few of the male passengers had' a great deal of trouble to , en'deavdr to calm them and get them below.' The excitement did not last very long, 1 and when 'it was over, all the passengers fire reported to have become remarkably : calm. 1 " There was no moonlight, and rain , Was falling nearly all the time. At the jtime the vessel struck, the second mate, : isiHasaltine, was in charge of the 'deck*, arid the captain, was below ; With a few other passengers. We have avoided giving any of the passengers' statements of what occurred' on board the • Surat after she struck, the, rocks, as they jire^ contraclictpry,, '-and,' as,' tne jrue version pf|he'wb;Qlei,m^tter.,;wj[ll f shortly- be laid, }>efpre .the; ; public; K^hen an : official inquiry into the»loss,of tbejvesselisheid. .;;.: :■■■ j iWe have 'already stated i what took place/ £iter tlio arrival of the French man-ofr. war at the scene of the wreck. The Vire 4nd the Wallabi both left Catlin's River it| i 'abb*ut ' J the r same; ; tj[me^-4: • p:m.^on r , Satu'r'diy. • ii THe''Vire;camS' : np'!uri : det^ site'a'in, ; an : d f «ae r/ ;^^ag';arriV^;M;; ( thoj port some time'before Ker^with!' a few of' I|hq{ jn^o/ej^dejicat^^.^f .tlie pas.senge i rs 1 on W*rf«^H^Wshfeyfei ; .W)»toUp'//tA. ' Dunedin. The \jreianjcbpre ; d ; a.t?jihe; port. 3 j t about 4 o'clock on Surictay morning, ' i.nd was immediately boarded by Captain . . '. i*aterson of the Golden Age, with whojn^., arrangements ; were ; ., made ,, to , 1 imjt "^^jthe" Siirat's' passenger^,' .who 'were ' \ o.J^&^^yiifkdi po'lowii,. by'; ,'train^ ' .'.Thje £cen'e on."b'pard. Wai a, curious, one., f Tlie, ( leo.Hs^werie.;. crowded : withyraen^ -wpmen, £ nd children, whoiall/ibpre s.bmet evidence.! . (f the, hardships they ..had lately gone t hrough. The women and children were - ( resse'd'iri^atiytnifig. that could'keeii 'them uarm, and most of -the youngsters had pieces of grey.^b.l^n.ke.tr > w.rapped about \ hem . Some' of trie girts' had no covering ■ far their-heaSs, ahid^S fe"w of -the men'apI eared to be gearing, no thing but oil- £ k^^^^_the_j^sage iipje very attention . was shown to the passengers by "the < fficers and/njeij^oiithefVire,; The. women ( snd children' were all accommodated I lelpw. but the rneri had "to remain on ceck Uurin'g tl\e night: 1 ;^hey were : all f jd'yiiH.'sfh'ip's biscuit, muttony and soup; ,ari|l' i ! wb'ro" : Te^a ; lb > d 'with claret, and ordi- : i ajjr j drinfe"- pfr ' board.'. ' The passengers c iS.nojbjappear^p. down-bearted,. as might lave "been expected, although not one of - had saved anything of yalue. The Jojhildren all looked well and jolly, and v>ere intensely amused with the antics of 1 ; Roberte;" the pet of the sailors and o fficers. ( ' Roberte" is a fine sheep, who ' -vas originally taken bri board for the purp'o'se,'df ; being duly con verted into r nitton. iiy!! -He ! shovVfid"himself ' : so' in telli-f', gent, however, that' 'lie escaped ; the 1 ..butcher's knife, and is now an established favorite,. He drinks brandy, and, cur^agoa before y b/eakfast, ; and Smacks " his : lips over it, and is fast"' learning to chew tobadb'6V ;! '-Th^ } dailpra ; were ; very ikind if 'tb tlie children, and t atten.tive to airtHe r pas- ; j»sengers, who speak iri : the 1 highest terms I of -thejr-rkindness; -The -Vire was not)ip so/early in the mprning,' .and . no pro vision had been j made for a train' before eight o'clpckj. ; j^efpreseven, however, the Surat's passengers nad been . trar t 3ferjredl ffotn tKe'iVirelto.the Golden' l A«e, and landed., at ; the, wharf.; .As they .left thje^man-pfrwar they:^^gave i^ireejiearty^ /ctieers ipfj,,,t6,e,. officers , and crevv, ,wlio' r waved their hats in return. Arrived at the railway station: there, was still an.honr to ■ wait,.;a'nd' as the :tnorning: was vdatnp > andncoldoandi the passengers niostly illclothed, this was rather hard upbn them. They^a'U a'ppe^ed' fo-maliethe bes;6' Vf iti, f : ■hpvf^v'ejr, dh^fi'W'as . pleasant to see the •njany little aWo'f r kiridri'ess ; doh6:bysbrne -bf the residents of the Port. ; So'me brought , f rni|ja)a^ ( p f ihjß'rs bisicuiiis'f or the "childreri, ; a few of the wbmeia jwere t^ken to houses .whe^.hptrtea an^co^ee wef^ given .them, ; Jwhijsfcimosijt.plt^e: men received friendly • invitations! , t<> . •Jlli&ve. .a 'drink. ". < When the train arrived it was soon filled, and started almo^tiimmediately fo^ Dunedin.'