ANCIENT WRECKS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 29 July 1909, Page 2

ANCIENT WRECKS.

• TOTAL LOSS OF THE STEAMER "CITY OF DUNEDIN." IN THE REGION OF THE KARORI ROCK. .a ' A~ PENG*TJIN PARALLEL. (Compiled for the "Evening Mail" by g Charles Jannion.) The recent wreck of the Union Steamship Company's old and useful screwsteamer "Penguin", recalls to memory the terrible calamity which befell the Dunedin-owned paddle-steamer -"City of Dunedin," it was supposed, in or about the locality in Cook Strait where lies the hull, or so much of it as^is now left, of the "Penguin." It happened in the year 1865, at the time and st the- height cf the rush to the newtydisctovered goldfields on the \Y'e>>t Coast of the South Island. Though nut attended with such painful scenes and heart-rending results which ' the paaseu gers and crews and their relatives and friends experienced by the wrecks of the steamers "Penguin," "Tararua," "Wairarapa," and others we may mention in New Zealand waters, the Utile steamer "City of Dunedin," — originally brought out from Glasgow for use as-^I ferry steamer in Dunedin harbour — is said to have had on board when she left Wellington for Nelson and Hokitika four to six hundred passengers, and, whether she struck a rock and foundered, or blew up, not a soul escaped to tell the story of what did realIv happen to her; neither was there a single' body washed ashore. Hence no inquest could be held; and, as the hull of the vessel was never found or located, there was consequently no , inquiry into the cause of her disappearance. Who could give evidence _ in either case? Nevertheless, it occasioned without doubt, the most appalling loss of human life which has ever occurred in New Zealand or Australian waters; and eclipsed even in this respect the less of life which resulted by the wreck and foundering respectively at sea of two of the most noted of Australian passenger ships, the "Royal Charter" and the""London," both many years ago. The p s. "City of Dunedin," 327 tons. J. P. Bovd. master, left Dunedin for Lvttelton' and Wellington on the 15th M*av, 1865, with the object, principally, of conveying as ninny prospectors, miners, speculators, and others as practirafil<>. who were eager to reach the new El Dorado at Hokitika. on the West Coast, in the shortest possible time. She arrived at Lyttelton on the 17th, and sailed the same day, reaching Sellingten on the 18th. A few cabin parser r per* had booked at Dunedin mid Lyttelton to proceed by her to Wellington, Nelson, and Hokitika, but as voyagers were iv the habit in those days of eoinK on board coasting steamers without booking themselves at the agents' office, it was not possible to ascertain the actual number who went on board at the various ports of call, so it could only be known, as in the case of othev' ferry boats, by the captain or steward of the vessel. At Wellington the boat was literally rushed by passengers, an eye-witness states that "the people went on board like flocks of *heep." Other living witnesses estimate the number on board to have been "250 to 260," "4C0," and the late Mr Thoma« Dwan, sen., pronrietor and editor of the fellington* "Weekly Press," replying on April 21st, 1888, to a correspondent, stated — "Six hundred pasjengsrf were en board, none of whom were ever heard cf. ' On Saturday, 20th May, at 4 o'clock in the afternocn— the time given by the agents. Messrs Bethune ar.d Hunter— the "City of Dunedin" tock her departure from the Queen's Wharf, Wellington, for Nelson and. Hokitika, the captain stating that he "intended having his Sunday dinner in Nelson." "It was fine when she left," the agents state, "the little wind that there was being from the south-east; but there was a heavy swell, also from the southeast, in the Strait."The boat never reached Nelson, and the steamers "Wellington" and ."Tararua," which respectively arrived at Wellington from Nelson op the Tuesday and Wednesday following, reported having seen nothing of her. There was no cable cr telegrapt/p communication between -the various ports in Cook Strait at that time. The first intimation of the- supposed wreck of the "City of Dunedin" was given by Pilot Davis, of Wellington, who reported on Monday, 22nd May, that he had picked up a quantity of timber on the beach, supposed to be part of a skylight of a vessel. About 200 yards from the Pilot Station at Wellingion Heads, he found a desk smashed open, aud, lying beside it a letter,, written eight years prevoiusly, signed "T. Rvan ; " also part cf a bulk-head. Another'account stated the letter was signed "T. Kecgh." As ,a green cushion and some small fragments of maple-coloured cabin-fifci tin^s we^ also picked up near Sinclair Head, at'he instance of Messrs Bethune iand Hunter,' Wellington agents^Jor the shin, Cantain Blair, of the "Sea Serpent," Captain Onmpijell, of the '.'Esther," and Alex. Weir, the master of another coaster, who had been secondrdfiicer of the "City of Dunedin" fOrmore than nine months, searched the coast" from the Heads around by Terawhiti. They reported having' found a binnacle, a skylight, and a boat rudder.. '; Mr Weir Tocognised these three .articles as belonging to the "City of : Dunedin." Captains Blair ami Campbell were of opinion that the "City Of Dunedin" had struck one of the outlying rocks off the Heads, or off Cape Terawhiti. A day. or two afterwards other portions of a wreck were washed up on tho same beach, and a half cask cf pitclt was discovered, addressed (on a parchment label) to the captain of the steamer "Favorite, '" Hokitika. A Mr. MoGill, the owner of the "Favorite," slated that he himself had shipped the o ; teh on board the "City of Dunedin," at Dunedin. This was regarded at the time as the most conclusive proof of the 10-s of the ill-fated vessel. Mr P. R. Ru'sell, a settler, ateo wrote .-:t,ilinri that a quantity cf wreckage had Ijp.'n washed ashore iv Palliser Bay. amongst which was the figure-head" of a vessel, which he described ns> being a bust of a female, painted white, with a gilt rural crown on her head, her hand resting on a shield painted blue. Other articles consisted of some staging. On- Tuesday, 30Eh May, Captain Hollidav. harbour master at Wellington, proceeded in the schooner "Sarah" lo the Heads. On arrival there he obtained the pilot's boat, and proceeded in tho direction of Terawhiti, . and went within a mile of that place. Between Island Bay and Sinclair Head some cabin fittings, painted, stone-co-lour, and a deal plank 20 feet long, used by steamers as a gangway, and other planks were found ; but, westward of Sinclair Head, he reported,: there was no sign of wreck of any kind. The majority of the relios of the \vreckwere found between the Pilot Station and' Sinclair Heat), ' The late Mrs John Dvn — a sister of Mr James McMenamen (who lately rendered such valuable relief and assistance to the passengers and crew of the:'-' Penguin" who were fortunate enough toreach the shore a|ive) — left Wellington on horseback on the same day that the "City of Dunedin" sailed, and rode round the coast to her home at Terawhiti. She saw a steamer, apparently in distress, and shortly afterwards, it j disappeared from view. Reference similar to the foregoing statement was made in the * House of Representatives in the month of September following, when Major (afterwards Sir John) Richardson, in reply : to a question, said that "he received information that a young girl, living at Terawhiti, had seen a steamer near the Karori Rock on the very night that the "City of Dunedin" left Wellington, and apparently the steamer, was in great distress, the crew running about as" if in great difficulties. There appeared very strong evidence, it must be admitted, which led to the supposition that the "City of Dunedin" met with her end near the Karori Rock. There were two instances of persons having stated that they had seen a steamor ill very great distress." . Mr Philip Jenkins, a retired mariner now living in Wellington, in reply . to interrogations, states: — "I had a fore-and-aft schooner named "Kate,"' 27 tons, running at that time, occasionally' ■ to the Wairau and sometimes ' to" the Manawatu River. I sailed through .Wei '• lington Heads on Saturday, 20ch May '

1865, bound for the Wairau River. The "City of Dunedin" passed .me off binclair Head. The night was fine and clear ; the moon did not rise till very late at night. There was a little wind from the south-east; I wished there had been more. Shortly after the steamer passed me, the dense smoke from her funnel obscured her. lights ; and then in a few minutes, smoke and lights suddenly disappeared, and 1 saw no more of her. this would probably be when the boat was abreast of Tom's Rock. .-■■-■ . The letter picked up by Pilot. Davisno doubt belonged to the Rev. Father Driscoll, who went on board the City ■ of Dunedin" at Wellington. It ■ was dated "St. Edmund's College, England, 1856:— My dear Michael" — that being the Christian name of the Rev. Father Driscoll. It related to the time 'and place when and where the rev. gentleman was completing his clerical education. Customs' department, records, which might havo thrown more light, upon thii subject were unfortunately Eoved by a fire- which occurred in the Government storehouse on Lambton QuayTwcllingtoh-, many years ago. *•" rro_be continued). -