WRECK of the GENERAL GRANT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 938, 28 April 1868, Page 3

WRECK of the GENERAL GRANT.

BETURN OF THE BRIGx AMHEBST FROM THE AUCKLAND ISLANDS. We take the following official report to his Honor the Superintendent of Southland of the cruise cff the Amherst from the Southland Timesftf the Ist April : — ' (To his Honor the'Superintondent ) Sir, — I have the honor to submit for your information the following report on the result of a voyage made in the brig Amherst, for the purpose of forming depots and necessaries ibi* castaways on the Auckland and Campbell Islands, and of searching on these,, the Antipodes, and Bounty Island for survivors from wrecks. We left Bluff harbour on the morning of Saturday, 25th January, with the wind from the W.N.W., there being just enough of it to take us well clear, when it left us at the disposal of the tide. In the Straits we had very light north-easterly airs, but by " snubbing" with a boat's anchor aud ninety fathoms of small line, we held our own against flood, and then worked down with ebb tide. Whilst brought up abreast of Smoky Cave (Stewart's Island) a boat's crew was sent ashore for the purpose of catching some woodhens. The birds/were very, shy, but j the officer, bearing the" appropriate name of Anglem, deftly snared two fine ones of opposite sexes. They^will I trust rapidly ' increase their numbers on the Aucklands, where we turned 4hej!u ashore. A fine breeze sprang up on the 27th from the N.W., and a course was shaped for the Snares, believing it to be quite possible that those for whom we searched might have reached those islands, and by some accident losing their boat, had been unable to proceed further. At noon the 28th, when as yet the brig was eight miles distant from the Snares, the wind headed us, so a boat was lowered into which I stepped, and we pulled away for theN.E. side of the island, where is a small quelch or coye — the only boat harbotir on it I believe. Thousands of mutton birds, nellies, penguins, &c, heralded our approach, and to some extent prepared us for what we saw on landing. Once on shore, our party was divided, and- we commenced our search. After satisfying themselves that no one was living on the island, they erected on the rocks at the point a large pole, fifteen feet long, on which are secured two bottles; one containing a letter notifying their visit and for what purpose; the other filled with matches (well wrapped up in flannel), fish-hooks, a knife, and some dressed flax. They reached the Auckland Islands on the 30th, dropping anchor abreast of the Victoria signal tree: The report goes on to say — The day following (Saturday), we formed the first depot on Enderby's Island, in the hut nearest the beach (occupied by Teer and four others.) This hut is in capital repair,kand only required a little extra fastening to the thatch, which was given to it. The case No. 1, containing clothing, blankets, compass, matches, tools, &c, was placed in a good position, and on it I wrote — "The curse of the widow and fatherless light upon the man who breaks open this box whilst he has a ship at his back." A spade was left with, the case. A bottle suspended over it contains a letter, similar in its contents to those left at the other depots. Along the front of the hut, under the caves (giving j it tfe« appearance of an ac-commodatioa-house) is nailed firmly a board, 16ft. long, painted white, on which, is carved in deeply-cut letters, four inches long, " Depot of necessaries for castaways. Landed from the brig Amherst, February 1, 1868, by order of the Government, of Southland." The other hut hard by is also in good repair. After a short description of the Island, the report continues : — On Monday, February 3, having determined to form the depot in the straits whilst the weather remained fine, we decided to take the boats along the west coast, being anxious to see the cave which swallowed up the ill-fated General Grant ; moreover I desired to ascertain whether any portion of the wreck was yet visible. We started at daybreak with the two whaleboats, five oars in each ; an officer in charge of one, Captain Gilroy and myself in the other, and upon rounding the N.W., Cape were met both by more wind and sea than we had expected, the wind from the S.E. sweeping down the gullies with fearful violence, lashing the water into spray, and at times almost turning the boats round. We pulled along at the foot of the cliffs down to the entrance of the straits, never further from the rocks than three hundred yards, and occasionally, when doubling a point, only fifty or sixty, scanning carefully every gully and every cave, but we saw nothing even approximating to the description given by the General Grant' 3 people of the cavern into which their slip drew. At a point on the coast from vhich Disappointment Island bore N.W.,we observed lying on a shelf of rocks and on a beach at the foot of the cliffs, some spars and fragment of wreck. Near thest places, a little to the south, is a gulch, formed by two great masses of rock jutting out into the sea (like buttresses) letween which we believed the ship to aave jammed herself in. Whether our imaginations helped us or not I can't say, hit we fancied the rocks above appeared marked by the vessel's masts, some fractures lookin g fresh . Moreover the water shoaled here. It would be, however, almost impossible for an} r save those who escaped from the ship, to point • to the exact place where she drove in, ' there being so many of these gulches, and ■ all so much, alike in amearance. I made ' as faithful a sketch as I possibly could of ; that portion of the eoist ; the motion of the boat aud the blindng spray render- : ing it rather a difficult task. No wreck i was seen further than That I have already • mentioned, and prudmce forbade our l lingering to make a [loser search, the F hour being late, and tb> weather looking i " dirty." Wo noticd several places L where a landing conld ie effected in tole- . rably fine weather; <ne spot, indeed, I where even a boat m?ht be hauled up 1 (by practised hands). What can I say of 3 this coast but that I ht^e seen nothing to j surpass, or even equal, flic grandeur, the , savage majesty of its jrim storm-beaten l sea walls ; standing up oold and defiant, i sullenly challenging oldDcean to a trial f of strength. There ac portions of it i where the cliffs rise perpendicularly to a . height of nearly five hiidred feet, their s sides presenting a perfelt plane surface, i, at their feet a small she! of rocks, or a 1 long, low cavern ; the s4 breaking over V the one, and driving intobhe other with a 1 noise as of distant thujder. Entering 1 the Straits, the toiling cre'f pulled through, c the narrow passage at Monumental Isle land, through which the tse sweeps with s great speed, and entering jsea Devil Cove, .'. we camped for the nigh;, having been c fourteen hours in the boaj the men woeg fully disappointed at not b#ing discovered y a cave large enough to tate in a fifty gun ir frigate with royalmasts standing. On •s our way next morning toDamley Harbor is we found the Fanny at Anchor in Camp 3, Cove, and going on \board, through the 8. courtesy of Capt. Aektya, I was enabled

to take a tracing of Perseverance Harbor (Campbell Island) from a chart in his possession. A few miles further and we land opposite Musgrave's hut, in Carnley Harbor; in front of which, not twenty yards from the beach, lies the wreck of the schooner Grafton, with her' bulwarks cut away, and three or four holes in her bottom ; her hull otherwise in wonderfully food condition. Finding the roof of the ut fallen in, we set about securing it, which was promptly and effectually done by shoreing up from both sides with planks taken out of the Grafton; fresh thatch laid on the top made all snug. We next took the spar, twenty-four feet long, which Captain Musgrave had fashioned into a keel, charred its heel, and nailing firmly two boards (each eight feet long, lettered as at Enderby) on its top at right angles, like the arms of a semaphore, we planted it six feet in the ground, and shored well up. It stands in front of the hut, facing the harbour. Case No 2we placed in a hut ; with it a « spade and a small box of books. As this hut is likely to be used occasionally by sailors, I painted on the door—" Be careful with fire." I left a letter in a bottle fixed to the mast by a band of copper. The following morning we took the Grafton's bowsprit in tow, and pulled down to the Peninsula. Here, close to Musgrave's old signal, we erected our spar, which stands twenty feet above ground, and is firmly secured ; two white boards fixed to its top, one with a hand carved on it, the index finger extended, j pointing up Carnley harbour, and the j words ''-Depot, &c, in the hut, six miles distant <' ? the other board facing the en- j trance of the ' Straits I left here, also a letter. On Friday, the 7th February, was erected Port Ross signal mast, a fine spar, perfectly sound, forty-five feet long, one foot in diameter, which we found on a beach, having apparently formed a portion of the old jetty. It is placed in the position formerly occupied by Mr. Enderby's flagstaff, stands thirty-eight feet long (lettered), in the shape of' an equilateral triangle. The whole, painted white, presents a very conspicuous and sightly object, which can be seen from all the neighbouring hills and from the entrance of the harbour. At its foot is a small weatherboarded shed closed in, containing the case, a spade, and a small box of books. Fixed to the mast by a band of copper is a bottle holding a letter. The next day being fine, I went down the east coast with one of the officers and a boat's crew, and made the fourth ana 1 last depot at Saddle Hill inlet (marked on another chart as Norman's inlet.) At the head of this inlet (right-hand fork) is a pass or gorge which runs through to the west coast, not more than three or four miles across, down which pass any one on that side would naturally take in order to arrive at the east coast. I placed the case and a spade on a shelf of rocks, under an overhanging cliff close to the beach, thatching it well above and around. In front of it, facing the inlet, a board sixteen feet long (lettered), was raised fifteen feet from the ground. We had some difficulty in securing it, the natural advantages not being great. A letter was left here. When abreast of the entrance to the bay on our return, we landed at the point and climbed on top of the cliff, overlooking it some 150 feet. We left here a board to indicate the position of the depot, a hand carved on it, with the finger extended, pointing up the bay. Thus ended our work at Auckland Islands. The report expresses the opinion that a man might be cast upon a very much worse shore than that of the Auckland. Pigs, seals, sea birds, ducks, rabbits, mussels, and limpets abound. After a short stay at Port Boss they made for Campbell Island, arriving on the 13th in Perseverance Harbour. The anchorage is good, being from twelve to eighteen fathoms. On Monday, 24th February, the wind moderating, we put the pigs (two boars, three sows) the case for the depot, &c, in the boats, and with a large spar, which we brought with us from Enderby Island, in tow (Capt. Gilroy being very seriously determined to leave substantial evidence of the brig's visit), pulled up to the head of the harbour, landing opposite the Victoria's mark, three boards forming a triangle on a staff six feet high. Not fifty yards from it we erected our spar, with the two boards fixed on the top, as at the Aueklands. The case and spade at its foot, raised from the ground and covered with a thick coating of thatch well secured. A search was then made for castaways, which extended over four days. We crossed over to West or Monumental Harbour, separated from Perseverance by a range of hills about three miles across. It is so called, I presume, from the appearance on a neighbouring hill of some large rocks, taking the shape of an obelisk. This bay is formed by the jutting out of the N.W. Cape, and a horse-shoo bend on the south side. A vessel might lie well enough in this bend with goodgroundtackle, although there must be a considerable swell rolling in with the wind from the N.W. It contains a good boat harbour. On the beaches were lying several spars and planks, all very old, and a ship's gangway rail (metalled), looking fresh. We saw no traces whatever of castaways. Taking one of the spars we set it on end, and left a letter at its foot, in a bottle, to indicate the position of the depot. I also mentioned the landing of the pigs, goats, &c. From the top of the hills dividing the two harbours we could see very distinctly our sigual-mast with its white boards — a very welcome sight it may prove to some poor nakecl and despairing sailor. To visit the third harbour (North Harbour) we crossed the range of hills dividing it from Perseverance. From the top of the highest on this range, Mount Lyall (which I measured with, the sextant, and found to be 1330 feet high) I took bearings of the headlands, which, with some I obtained whilst on the coast, have enabled me to make a rough sketch map of the Island.

The search here was equally fruitless. They next made for Antipodes Island, arriving there on the 2nd March. The same operation of firing the grass and scanning the whole surface from Ihe highest point was gone through, but not a sign of a human being was discovered. Before leaving, they placed a board on a high rock, securing it with stones, on which is carved " Brig Amherst, in search, of castaways, March, '68 ; by order of the Government of Southland." With it two bottles, one containing some matches, a flint and steel, fishhooks, and a parcel of dressed flax > the other, a letter, in which was mentioned what lad been done on^ the Auckland and Campbell Islands* <#cT Those Antipodes Islands (tworafmall one lying about half-a-mile off the N.E. end of the main) are situated in latitude 49---dog. 42 mm. S., longitude 178 deg. 43 niin. B. ; the coast line, bold and rugged, the cliffs having a weatherbeaten, bleached appearance. / The 'Bounty Islands were then made, but no landing was effected.

Tho report concludes as follows : —

The brig proved herself an admirable sea-boat, albeit rather slow, her bottom being very foul. Since my return my attention has been drawn by Capt. Thompson, harbour master, to a chart in the possession of Capt. Boyd, of the Robert Henderson, a chart published by James Imray, 102 Minories, bearing date 1851, on which the Auckland Islands are placed twenty-eight miles south of their true position. This glaring error in the latitude will of itself account for the wrecks which have taken place on these islands, without the further aid of haze and current to which I have alluded in this report, supposing the masters of the vessels wrecked to have been guided by Imray's chart. Captain Boyd is himself aware of the error, it having nearly cost him his ship on a'voyage home from the colonies. Immediate notice should be given to the shipping world of the existence of Sjuch error on such chart. — I am, &c, Henbt Armstrong-, J.P., M.P.C., Acting on behalf of the Government.