THE WRECK OE THE SHIP ECHUNGA.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 58, 10 February 1868, Page 35

THE WRECK OE THE SHIP ECHUNGA.

Tse loss of this fine vessel, taking ■ place as it did, on the morning of our last.publication, necessarily precluded us from giving more than a bare outline of the sad event, though by a short f del ay iu going to press we were enabled to satisfy our readers that no lives were sacrificed. We are now able to go more into detail, and also to give an account of such matters as have occurred since that time. Signs of an approaching change in the weather could be observed on the morning of Saturday, when the sun, glaring from the midst of a thick haze, ' produced a .halo of a most remarkable character. Later in the day other ; indications were apparent, as the sun . set amidst a mass of clouds of a flaming red color, and this was followed by rain,. Sunday too, came in with a ” w ind and intermittent showers which, with the. wind, increased as the.day declined. During the night the wmd veered-toward the ndrthward, until it became what is known at the port as a “ black north-easter,*’ that peculiar wind which exerts its whole force upon the bay, but which is happily of so rare occurrence. This it vi as that raised a sea against which few ships could stand, which parted two cables, and drove the ship on shore. Once agrond, she was at the mercy of the waves, and speedily broke up—so rapidly, indeed, as to be almost beyond belief. One after another the masts went by the board, and ere noon she was so entirely gone to pieces that nothing could be seen of her from the port. Willing hands were actively employed in securing what, could be saved of the wreck and cargo, 1 but out of 1,900 bales of wool which had been shipped, only about 50 could be saved. During the day the wind veered still more to the northward-, strewing the beach from the. wreck to the bluff with fragments of wreck and wool, large quantities of which was collected together and saved. The wind that cast this up is an unusual one, and it only continued a short time, so that the retreating tide carried away all the floating debris from the vicinity of the port.

On Tuesday an auction sale was held of the remains of the ship, by Messrs Routledge, Kennedy, & Co., when the following lots were sold as under The wreck, as :it lay, ,£3O; anchors, cables, &c., Jgl4; spars, sails and rigging, .£36; 500-gallon iron tank, j£4.

A preliminary investigation into the • cause of the wreck was fcelid at the Custom House at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, ® report of which will be found below.

. » - - PEEUMINABT inquiry. r A PBBiaMIiTABT inquiry into the circumstances attending the total wreck of the Ship Echunga, held under the n {Wrecks TnquiryAct, 1863,” took place . °n luesday last, 4th inst., at .the .-! Napier, before Joseph Moc oUect 0 r of Cufltoihß. Gapfe. Cellem, Harbour Master; and'Capt. ■ Taiiner'iOi ' the. p.s.~ Cleopatra, '-were -also preaent during the inves4igation.- ;:The fol--ilowing, eyidenpe was taken ;- - . v, ' ■i';d? - Bworn, deposed The • ; name of the wreoked ship waß thel Efchuh- ' ga, pf, which a was; master. Tholdan ■^mttra. master’B ' oertifioate : :of-iconipPtencj , . ! * ■hip^owii-edby-Po^^iW<y^n‘d -‘Co;, occurred; about 4.30 a,m., cf

Spit, of Hawke’s jyron board at r the'time the vessel r wentriwhore. The* wrecks to the best of tnv knowledge, was caused by 1 !® gale of wind blowing into the bay! whicfi raised a heavy sea, in consequence of which the ship partedher cables. The cables were heavier than required ! bv Lloyd’s regulations. At the ■ time the vep> sel parted her cables, she had down (1 wii told by the chief officer!) 90 fathoms of chain on the starboard, side, and 75 on the port. I left the ship at '4 p.m. on Saturday, Ist February, at which time all was snug on board, and no sign of-.bad weather. The registered tonnage, of the Echunga was 1007. She was, registered at Liverpool, and to the best of my belief is insured in Lloyd’s, Company, but to what amount I cannot say/ William .Anthony, sworn, deposed;—l was chief officer, of the Echunga, and.hold a master’s certificate pf competency. On the evening .of. Sunday, 2nd February, I anticipated rough weather, and made all snug on board, giving the ship more cable, bracing the yards to the wind, dec. I gave the ship 40 fathoms of chain to each anchor. At 4 o’clock on monday morning, the man on watch reported to me that the starboard cable had parted. I immediately ordered him to turn up all bands, and make .preparations to let go the sheet anchor. Before all the men were out of the forecastle, the port chain parted. ,1 then ordered the foretopmast staysail to be hoisted, and the foretopsail to be loosened out. I then run the ship for the beach! ill the likeliest place to save life. After thje ship struck we remained inactive for a few minutes, but the sea was making.a clean breach over her, and knowing that , shte would soon go to pieces, we got a * linis affixed to the foreyard arm, and by that means reached the shore in safety. To'the best of my belief, the ship, when she parted her cables, had 90 fathoms out on the star: board side, and 75 on the port. She waSs plunging heavily, And occasionally bows' under. ; ' '

Joseph ©acres, sworn, deposed :—T am a ship carpenter, and acted as such on board the Echunga. Shortly before 6 o’clock on;.the Sunday, 2nd Feb. the chief officer gave instructions to give the ship more cable, which was accordingly done. We paid out 40 fathoms to each anchor, which-made 90 to the starboard, and 75 to the port side. Next morning, shortly before 4 o’clock,. I felt a shook, which proceeded from the fore, part of the vessel. I went forward to see what it was,’ and -found that the starboard, cable hhcl parted. I told the man bn watch to treft the chief officer what had happened. Shortly afterwards the mate came forward, and we were making preparations to let go the sheet anchor, when the port cable gave way. We were then ordered to loose the foretopmast staysail, and hoist the foretopsail, which was done, and the vessel’s head put towards shore. The sails were not hoisted with the idea of trying to put to sea, but to make way for the beach, which was rendered necessary in order to save life.

John Donovan, sworn, deposed : —I am an able seaman, and had the watch on board the ship Echunga on the night of Sunday, the 2nd inst., and morning of day, the 3rd. My watch began at 8 p.m. on Sunday. As I anticipated danger, I kept a particularly strict look out during the night. I remained oh the foretop-gal-lant forecastle nearly the whole of the night, being absent only for a few seconds at a time, as I was afraid the cables would part. My duty was to see that the vessel did not part her cables, or drive. The ship labored heavily throughout the night,— the cables stretching at times to 15 fathoms in a straight line, and the sea breaking continually over her. About 4 o’clock on the morning of Monday I went aft on the poop. On my way I saw the carpenter dressing himself in his house. In a few seconds I returbed to the forecastle, where l saw the carpenter. He told me the starhoard cable had parted, and that I was to call’ the mate. 1 told him I would see for myself and upon looking I found that the cable had really parted. I then called the mate, who told me to knock up all hands, which I did. When 1 began my w itch at 8 p.m. the mate told me to call bum, should it come on to blow harder: accordingly at 2 a.m., I went below and told him. it was blowing very strong. He said he had been awake during the greater part of the night, and on deck part of the time. After both cables had parted, the ship was run for the shore. About a quarter of an hour elapsed from the time she parted her : cables to striking on the beach. u This was all the evidence taken. Another investigation will take place at . the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Friday (tomorrow) at noon. Capt; A. Palmer, of the Cleopatra, will appear as Nautical Assessor.

PUBLIC INQUIRY. At an inquiry into the cause of the wreck of the ship Eobunga, held on -Friday, the 7th inst., before John Curling, Esq. R>.M., Joseph Moliere Tabuteau,Esq., Collector of Customs, and Capt. A. M-Lean, Nautical Assessor, the following evidence’ was fc.vken;- —•' !. ; Jafb.es Knight deposedl am a master mariner, late of the ship Echunga. Ihold an ordinary and ■ extra certificate of competency,’and- haridthqmih, 'together with those of my vfirst ’ and- secondmates. vThe Echungawasa wooden’vessel, ship rigged; and biultj-I in 1854.-She was Classed ih 'Lloyd’s list A*l- for'four yedrs- id 1864; Her ; port; of registry was Liverpool;9 and

her tonnage was 1 1007. * The number of ihands,\ including master and mate,’ was 25. - At the time <of her -wreck she had. on boardu’a' 1 cargo of-wool. She oame’ from London I 'first to Otago, and brought out a ; general cargo, and 96 passengers under the .Emigration Act. „ At the time of her - loss she was anchored in Hawke’s >Bay':roadstead,,abouva mile from the Dearest beich, in seven fathoms water. On the morning of Monday, the 3rd, I was told that my; vessel was on the Petane beach, and was fast breaking up. I went to the spot, and found all hands on shore, and the ship entirely broken up. There was at the time a fresh gale from the N.E , and the heaviest sea I ever saw was breaking on the beach. I inquired of the mate the cause of the wreck; and he said that the vessel had parted both cables, and that he had run her on to the beach. I had taken' up clothing and provisions for the crew, and left six men in charge of the wreck. The vessel was insured for £9OOO for the voyage to Otago and Napier, and for'thirty days after arrival. I dont know whether the insurance had been renewed, but I had written to the owners advising them to do so. I considered that the roadstead was dangerous for a vessel so high out of the water. She was high wooded being built for the passenger trade. C had left the ship about 4 p.m. on Saturday; and before leaving had gone round and seen the windlass clear, and a large quantity of cable on both sides of the deck. The glass then stood. at 30.10, and there were no indications of bad weather, I left wjth more confidence! las' I knew that I could depend upon the mate, and that he was accustomed to roadsteads. ‘ The Harbour master had on Wednesday suggested mooring the ship to the Government buoy, and I told him that I considered my anchors as good as the government moorings. Being mail week I could not. spare a day to unmoor, but about Friday or Saturday I gave the Harbour master notice that I wished the ship to be moored to the buoy the following-week. We'had then been lying at our- own anchors for six weeks, and had 'sustained no damage from a S.W. gale which had parted a cable ' of the John Bunyan, lying at the buoy: / Ihfid jao copy of any harbour and; as tne Harbour master merely euggested- that I should to go the buoy I did not thihk that it was absolutely necessary that ! should go there. * The- ship was about two-thirds filled at the-time of the wreck, and out of 1,900 bales, about 100 have been recovered. I am paying £d per lb. for.all wool saved and brought ’to me.7 The anchors and chains: were in perfect border; and had all been examined by the Emigration Surveyors. I came on shore on Saturday on business connected with the mail, and to sign bills.of lading. When the gale commenced, on' Sunday evening, I was at Clive, and had no fears for the vessel. William Anthony deposed : —I was chief mate on board the late ship Echunga. On Sunday! the 2nd, the weather was fine in the forenoon, but about 11 a.m. it commenced to rain, and the wind veered from E S.E. to E. by N. About 5 p.m. the wind began to freshen, and I braced the yards to the wind, and gave the vessel more cable on the starboard side. * To the best of my knowledge she was then anchored S.E. and N.W., with an equal strain on both cables I did not, however, know how much cable was out already, not having been chief mate at the time the vessel was moored. 1 stayed up till 2 a.m., but had not the slightest idea that the ship was in any danger. I had been below about five minutes when a seaman named Donovan, who was on wa£oh, told me that it was blowing harder. I went on deck and found that the rain had ceased, but the wind was still E. by N. I thought the weather would moderate towards duylight. About 4.10. a m., Donovan came and told me that the starboard cable had parted. I told him to knock up all hands, and set about preparing to let go the sheet anchor, when it was reported to me that the port cable had also parted. I found that both cables had really parted, I ordered the foretopmast staysail to be loosed, and the foretopsail to be set, and ran the ship on shore in wbat I considered the safest place. All lives were saved by meanß of a line attached to the fore-yard-arm. The vessel soon went to pieces—the migen mast first went overboard, followed by the main and the fore, and I believe in about an hour and a half after she struck she had gone t > pieces. I do not think the ship oonid have been got out of the bay.' ' I looked- at the glass at s’p.m:; if was then at 29.70, having fallen since noon about three or four lOOths From then till midnight it was stationary. By the-Nautical Assessor.—l cannot believe that any of the men knocked the pins out of the cable; The men were, I believe, perfectly contented. The ship was in every i respect-stoat and seaworthy:' The ship’s carpenter, the second mate, and'John Donovan, the man -on watch, fully corroborated the chief ; mate’s evi- , dence. The. boatswain, who'appeared to be 'in a semi-inebriated condition, .declared that- he would not corroborate the cbiei mate’s evideuce,-and would not put his name to statement.” 1 1,1 ; . ' William George Cellem! sworn deposed: I am-Pilot; and Harbour Master for the -Port of Napier. As the character of the < Hawke’s '.Bay anchorage is - likely to be affected bythe loss'oftheEchunga! I wish ! to: make the following statemeht :-—Shortly after! the arrivalVof tho Kchunga, I moored ' her; north-west and * Bouth-east, 45 fathom& chain on the starboard'side, and 60 on the ; port,: : aad v gave> instruotibhs to- the chief ; officer to keep a clear havrße. ’ That' chiei

officer, is aj[present; he was I told the captain he had^^^^fef 9 fjtijftte top-gallant mast's which was aqre. jffier mooring the ship,''there was, Tllunk, 45 fathoms of spare cable o,n each side ready to veer out. On the 28tH January, while unmooring the John .jßunyan, Capt. Knight came alongside, and I suggested the advisability of his coming to t e buoy. His answer was to the effeot that he considered his anchors equal to the moorings. I told him our anchor was nearly three to ;s weight Some ten days ago the top gallant masts were run up and fitted. Capt. Knight’s objection to come to the buoy in consequence of the John Bunyan parting a chain, I did not think was on sufficient grounds, that accident having occurred through the crew neglecting-to clear hawse. On Monday morning at daylight Pilot Kraeft gave me notice that the Echunga was on the beach. I gave him instructions to launch the large boat, and take all the"gear connected with the mortar for throwing lines. We left the beach a few minutes afterwards, proceeding towards the wreck inside the Western Spit. When within about a mile of the wreck, we met a Maori, who told us the crew were all saved. We did not proceed any further with the boat, but walked the remainder of the distance to the wreck. On arriving there I asked the chief officer, whom I found on the beaeh, what cable he had veered out; his answer was 15 fathoms on the starboard chain.” I consider that the ship parted her cables through riding too short, having, I believe, 60 fathoms on each cable only ; her top-gal-lant masts being on end was a 'farther disadvantage. Had all the cables on deck, letting was in her chain locker, been-veered out, and her top-gallant, masts housed, I believe the ship might have, rode out the gale. I have omitted to state that the vessel had not a clear hawse, there being one turn in the cables. Some blame is being attached to me for not peremptorily ordering the Echunga to be moored to the buoy. It is A question in my mind whether, in the roadstead, I can insist upon my orders being obeyed, although I can do so as regards vessels in the inner harbour. 1 In this case, I consider the suggestion I 1 made to be sufficient. On a former occa- ; sion, the Strath allan was not taken to the moorings # when another ship left, until 1 within a -few hours of sailing. It was usually left optional with the masters of large vessels to choose between the moor- 1 ings and their anchors, but I always sug- 1 gested it. In no case has a ship in such case been taken at once to the moorings. Finally, I would remark that I believe this 1 ship would have rode the gale out in safety if she had been moored to the buoy. I have seen the Strathallan ride quite as heavy a gale from the N.E.; moored to the buoy with 90 fathoms cable out, in addition to which the mooring cable is 45 fathoms in length and 2fin. in size, with a mushroom anchor of nearly 3 tons weight. The wea ther looked bad on Sunday, with a falling glass. I was observing the vessel all day, 1 but the breeze did not freshen till after 1 dark, and I had no night signals. After ; the cables parted nothing could have been 1 done beyond what was done. i By Capt. Knight: Ido not think that it 1 was my duty to ascertain whether the dis- I charged officer had communicaten m> in- I structions to his successor, I presumed he had done so. There was no gale before 1 dark, and no necessity to signal the Bhip. 1 I had no night signals- The top gallant 1 masts might have been struck after dark, j I have done it at sea. I had offered Capt. 1 Knight the use of a 12 in. coir spring, but 1 it had not been sent for. The mooring i buoy acts upon a ship’s cable as a spring. 1 The court reserved its decision tillSatur- i day morning, when it was given by the 1 Resident Magistrate as follows : I

“ I do not think that any one is deserving of any particular blame for his conduct in tie case of this vessel. The vessel, I believe, would have been safer at the Government moorings; but few persons capable of judging would express any strong opinion that even ii there she would have ridden out the gale. The reason that the Captain has given for not having taken her to these moorings relieve his conduct of any particular culpability. The mate in charge of the vessel during the gale appears to have done all that could have been done under the circumstances.