A Thrilling Experience.

Hastings Standard, Issue 112, 4 September 1896, Page 4

A Thrilling Experience.

THE FIFESHIRE SAVES A SHIP'S CREW. IN A TREMENDOUS SEA. The Bluff, Sept. 3. The steamer Fifeshire, Captain Wilson, from Sydney, arrived at 7 a.m. On August 28th, when a tremendous sea was running and a gale a hurricane force blowing, the Fifeshire sighted a dismasted ship flying signals of distress and asking for the crew to be taken off. Captain Wilson, after six hours' laborious work, during which the lifeboat was stove in, succeeded in rescuing the captain and crew of the vessel, which proved to be the ship Patrician, of New York, bound from Newcastle to Lyiteiton with 1800 tons of coal. At the time of the rescue the ship was quickly foundering. Everything had been done to try and save the vessel, but all efforts were futile, and she would not float more than a few hours longer. The following is a list of the crew saved :Captain, E. R. Sterling; mate, G. R. Harris ; second mate, Herbert Martin ; steward, Otto Koumplog; cook, Harry King ; seamen, Charles -Jansen, Albert Curt-ess, Chas. Petersen, J. Peters, Lewis Christopherson, B. Joknsen, T. K. Andersen, Hadwig Lyottery, and F. Heneer. When trying to secure some deck spars a Frenchman named J. Janiur was washed overboard and drowned, this being the only casualty. The position of the wreck at the time of its abandonment w T as latitude 89-85, and longitude 158-11 east. The greatest difficulty was experienced in getting the crew from the wreck to the Fifeshire, the officers of the latter displaying great bravery in the work of rescue. The Patrician was a full-rigged ship of 1200 tons register, and was owned by Captain Sterling. The Fifeshire experienced very rough weather during the passage, and at the time of sighting the Patrician was considerably out of her course, fortunately for the latter, as otherwise, all the Patrician's boats having been stove in by the tremendous sea, no chance of escape would have remained for the crew, who must inevitably have perished.