SHIP LOST IN GALE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 4 July 1928, Page 9

SHIP LOST IN GALE.

WORST STORM FOR YEARS. MAIL STEAMER/ SWEPT BY SEAS. 9 - . . =» SYDNEY, June 15. • in one of the most violent gales winch has tieen experienced on the New Soutii X' ales coast for many yeai-s, ,1 small coastal steamer, the white Su,., was uiJ.en ashore on Stockton ijeaen, Newcastle, on Thursday, and six lues were lost. One lnemuer of the crew, an Italian, survived. Many other steamers, including the Amo. uan mail boat Sonoma, were batleicd about by the heavy seas and reiciieu severe damage. 'The Hunter, irom Newvast.o, was blown GU miles oul of her course, and did not reach Sydney till G p.m. on Thursday, instead ol G a.m

1 Louses were unrooted throughout the su utrbs, and torrential ram jell throughout at frequent intervals. Tint min Lvv-I,. iug parts ot the metropolis already report that the waters nave penetrate.i to the verandahs and lower parts oi houses, and in some places .amities im>e been marooned auu have only oeen rescued alter a Goat has been requisitioned.

le.cphoue. telegraph, and electric lignt cades have sunered severely, a nd in consequence many outlying districts are tin on or are without lighting or power.

At Newcastle a pedestrian was electrocuted and killed through, touching an iron .cnee which was in contact with- fallen live wires. Throughout the metropolis many narrow’ escapes were reported from live wires also.

The iOss of the \\ hite Bay was witnessed by hundreds who lined the hills near the Nobbys lighthouse and other vantage points, powerless to assist.

die Jen Newcastle harbour shortly after noon, loaded with wool for Sydney. The seas had not reached their intensity at the time, and she l breasted the bar safety, but w’hen she rounded the breakwater and laced south the full .ores of the mountainous seas struck her and she was hurled back into the Sto.kton Bight. The White Bay was only a annul vessel of a little over a hundred tons, and could make little headway against the' strong sea Furthermore. a strong current running rounci the breaKwater point precluded any intention which the master of the ship might have had of returning to port. Ic would have been suicidal to iiiive turned his head irom the seas, signals*)! distress were sent up. and the pilot steamer from Newcastle steamed to her assistance, but it was found impossible to launch a. boat- or e on to approach within line-throwing distance of her owing to the danger of being carried on to her. Rocket brigades were hurried across the harbour on to Nine Mile Beach, where it was e ident that the storm's fury would so.m blow the little ship.

K.ery minute, thougn it could lie •seen as the White Bay rode over- the >v a. e-, that her engine was going at f* 11 speed, she was lorced further north ana close to the treacherous beach. At times she would disappear lYom sight- altogether, and it was feared that she vvou.d rounder.

Almost e.eryone in the city crowded to tlie high hills round the town and .watched with alarm the stirring fight w ich the little vessel was putting up with, tile elements. At 2.30, however, the White Bay took a last dive into the trough of a huge wave and disappeared. Three hours later the body of one of the crew was washed ashore, followed at. intervals by '.five others. At dark tlie battered bull of the steamer also came its I lore, bottom up. Tangled pieces of wreckage were strewn for miles along the beach, while big piles of coal were also washed ashore. Ihe names of the men who were drowned have not yet been definitely as ertained, though it is known that the master of the ship perished.

liai s and lifeboats oil tlie American mail steamer were torn and battered when the vessel reached port, after a tempestuous vo.vagc during the last 100 mi e» of her trip. Tlie windlasses on the forward deck were torn irom their mountings, aii the .orvvard decking and houses were waslie:l away, and much property belonging to seamen on the ship was lost. Late last night many coastal, rivers reported ships -sheltering in their harbours. Flood reports from higher towns were telegraphed to the Weather Bureau, and it is expected that during the next few days serious losses will be incurred on river flats ami low-lying parts.'

The Nobbys signal station reported late last night that- the North Coast steamer Uralla, from the Hastings River, was also driven ashore on Stockton beach. She left Hastings River •on Wednesday afternoon, but though steaming at full speed could make no headway when near Newcastle. Her master decided (it- would appear) that beaching his ship would be safer than trying to make for the safety of Newcastle harbour.

No loss of life was reported from that ship, although the crew had an arduous time getting ashore. From many reports of houses being unroo ed. one from Bondi is typical of the fury of the storm and the velocity of the wind. A married couple, in bed at midnight, heard an ominous rending sound, but -for a time did not take any notice of it. Only when a torrent of water almost flooded their room did they realise that the whole of the roof o' their house had been lifted right •off and carried in all directions by the wind.

Tliev switched on the light and- found huge holes in the ceiling, through which water was pouring in little waterfalls. They sought sanctuary in another room, only to discover that that was e on worse than their bedroom.

Finally, neighbours took them, lint not before they had succeeded in removing the more valuable parts of their household furniture and effects to a shed in their backyard, which, luckily, had escaped the full force of the storin and was still intact.