WRECK OF THE BRITISH TROOPSHIP CLYDE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5400, 5 June 1879, Page 3

WRECK OF THE BRITISH TROOPSHIP CLYDE.

Some time ago a Router's message informed us that the troopship Clyde had been lost at the Cape We now obtain further particulars by the mail. It appears that the Clyde arrived safely at Cape Town, and left to disembark her troops nearer the seat of war. She had on board the troops which had been brought from England, consisting of 15 officers and 534 volunteers, being drafts from other regiments in England to make up the strength of the 24ih Regiment, the whole undor tho command of Colonel l>avis,_ of the Grenadier Guards. After being just about twelve hours from port, as it appeared from the information brought to Simon's Town, she was enveloped in a fog, and as the officer on duty fully supposed, quite clear of the coast, when suddenly rocks and breakers loomed up out of the fog before her. They were but a few lengths from the breakers. The best, and in fact, the only rational thing to do, was to reverse the engines, and this was fortunately done on the instant. She was then going at from ten to elevm knots an hour, and tho situation must have been full of terror to all who were aware of the danger ahead. The waters were churned by the reversed propeller with all possible force, but before way was stopped a grinding sound was heard under the bows, and extending amidships, when she stuck fast upon what was believed to be a bar of sand, The men on board behaved coolly, and steps wero. taken to land them at once. They were put ashore in boats onj what turned

out to be the mainland, the ship having Struck about a mile inside Dyer's Island. The Clyde had seven life-boats, and the Whole of these ' were let down and ready for use in the space of ten minutes. And the behaviour of the troops' showed even more conspicuously, if possible, that coolness and order, which are so commendable iin moments of trial and danger. While haste was exhibited in preparing for the emergency', there was no sign of panic, and orders we*©' calmly and properly carried out. Water beg-an almost immediately to flow into the fore compartments, and the leakage afterwards increased with the time she remained on the rock. About 140 men were got down into boats alongside, and, about 6 o'clock, began to pull to shore 1 . The men assisted the crew in this work; and many of them, being | familiar with the sea, did good work. j The#e was a moderate swell inshore, but ■ not etlortgb to- pretj>nt the boats pulling in close enough io land without much inconvenience. Th\* was done about day-light, and while most of the dotaehment landed, enough remained in the" boats to man them, and many worked at the oars till all had been safely brought ashore, some blistered hands being the consequence of the exertion . Somewhere about midnight the ship went down altogether, and in tho morning only the top half of her funnel was* to be seen. Of her cargo, nothing whatever was saved. It is known that she had on board the largest and most valuable cargo of military stores ever brought out to South Africa. There were 1,500,000 rounds of Martini-Henry cartridges, with powder, making up about 200 tons. There was also a large quantity of Gatling gun ammunition, and, whether true or not, it ia said that there were four Gatling guns with it. Besides these, there was a quantity of tent equipments, pistol ammunition, clothing intended for the other troops in Natal, and a considerable quantity of commissariat supplies, making altogether between 800 and 900 tons.