APPALLING SHIPWRECK.

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 20, 18 October 1845, Page 2

APPALLING SHIPWRECK.

WRECK/OF THE SHIP " CATARAQUI," FROM LIVERPOOL TO PORT PHILLIP, 414 LIVES LOST. [From the Port Phillip Herald.] The Vataraqm, Captain G. W. Finlay, sailed from Liverpool un i he Qoth April, with 369 emigrants, and a crew, indu linj; two doctors, Mr. C, and Mr. Edw. Carpenter, (two brothers), of forty-six souls. Perhaps iv the iinuulh of shipwieck, a more calamitous event is not to be found — tune bouls of a compliment of 423, being the only suivivors, and the ship herself, one of 802 tons, almost smashed into matchwood Tlie benchfor one mile above, and tluee miles below the spot « here she firs,t struck, presented a most dreadlul sight, strewed svith bodies, fragments of booms, spars, and tattered wearing apparel. Tic emigi.mts w it principally from Bedfordshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire. About HO of the passengers were married, and in all seventy-tlii't-e children. Nothing particular occurred until a ioitn ght prior to the 4th of August, with the exception o\ the weather being boisterous and a stiong gale of wind from tin- N W. to the S.W., with incessant rain. On the niglitof Sunday, 3id August, at seven in the evening, the ship w, iS hove to, and continued lying- to until 3 o'clock on the morning o f the 4th. At half-past tour, it being quite tlaik and laming hard, blowing a fearful g«le, and the sea numiug mountains high, the ah p struck on a reef situate on the coast of king's Island, at the eutianceof Ba-s's btraits. No opportunity had ofleied for taking au observation to €uabk the. captain to ascertain the blnp f b course, for

four days prior to the ship's striking; and from the dead reckoning kept it was presumed that the vessel was in 141° £2" oast longitude, and 39° 17' south, which made her between 60 or 70 miles from King's Island Immediately the ship struck, she was sounded, and four feet water was in her hold. The scene of confusion and misery that ensued at this awful period, it is impossible to describe All the passengers attempted to ru&h on deck, and many succeeded in doing so, until the ladders were knocked away by the workings of the vessel ; when the shrieks from men, women and childi en, from below, calling on the watch on deck to assist them, were terrific. The crew to a man were on deck the moment the ship struck, and were instantly employed in handing up the passengers. Up to the time the vessel began to be breaking up, it is supposed that between three and four hundred were got on deck by the extraordinary exertions of the crew. At this time the bea was breaking over the ship on the larboard side, washing away boats, bulwarks, spars, a part of the cuddy, and literally swept the decks. At this critical period, the captain gave orders to cut away the masts, hoping the vessel might right, to enable the crew to get on deck the passengers left below. The masts were forthwith cut away, and everything done that could be, under the circumstances, to get the vessel uptight, but it was all to no purpose. 13y this time, the passeug-ers below were all drowned ; the ship being full of water, and the captain called out to those on deck to cling to that part of the wreck that was still above water, till daylight, hoping that the spars would be of some service in making a breakwater, under her lee, and thus enable the survivors to get on shore in the morning. As the day broke, we lound the stern of the vessel washed in, and numerous dead bodies floating 1 around the ship, some hanging upon the rocks. Several of the passengers, and crew, about two hnndrcl altogether, were still holding on to the vessel,— the sea breaking over, and every wave washing some of them away. Thus those who were able continued to hold on until about 4 o'clock , in the aiternoon, when she parted amidships, atthe fore part of the main rigging, when immediately some seventy or a hundred were cast into the tumultuous and remorseless waves. The survivors on the deck still however, continued to exert themselves to recover back all they could ; but many of them were dead, although but momentarily immersed. Ridge lines were al^o stretched along the sides of the wreck, to enable them to hold on. Ihe remains of the upper deck now began to break up and wash away. The survivois now began to collect bits of rope so as to construct a buoy, with the view ot floatingit on shore, and thus enabling one of the ciewto land. This measure would have enabled thorn to have saved at least a hundred ; but notwithstanding every effort the buoy could not be got nearer that twenty yards from the shore, owing to its getting entangled amongst the sea-weed ou the rocks, and there was no one on shore to catch it, and secure it on the sand. The fury of the waves cou tinued unabated; about five o'clock, the wreek parted by the fore-ngging, and so many were submerged in the wide water, that only seventy survivors were left crowded on the fore-castle ! The buoy rope was then liauled on board to rig life-lines, andlash the survivors, who weie then clinging to the wreck. Thus the sea bieakingover them, the winds raging, and the rain continued heavy all night, the poor survivors continued Ringing to the vessiTs bow- Numbers died and fell wrboard and sank, or were drowned at the places where they were lashed. As day broke the following noming, it was discovered that about thirty only remained alive,- they being mostly dead through ex■austion and hanging where they were lashed. The jrevious eveniiig, the quarter-boat, (the only one renaming) was attempted to be launched, into which the loatswain and Dr. Charles Carpenter, with four of the :rew got, but she was immediately capsized and all vere drowned. As the morning rose, the sea was making a clean breach into the forecastle, the deck of which was rapidly breaking up. About this time whilst numbers were helplessly clinging to tlie bows and continually diopping off without the possibility of Miccour ; the captain attempted to reach the shore, but was unable, and with assistance from others, regained the wreck. The lashings ot the survivors were now un one, to give them the last chance of life. Mr. Thomas Guthrie, chief mate, now on the sprit sail yard, was washed out to the bowsprit ; he saw the captain, second mate, and steward, clinging to the bows, with about 18 or 20 only left alive ; amidst a host of dead bodies on the fragment of the wreck. Mr. Guthrie was driven to a detached portion of the wreck, but soon found it was impossible to live with such a sea breaking over him, seized a piece of plank under his arm, leaped into the water, and was carried over the reef, and thus got on shore. He found a passenger who had got ashore during the night, and Robinson, one of the crew, who got ashore in the morning, John Roberts, a seaman, when he saw the mnte ashore, plunged in, and partly swimming and partly driven, reached the land. Five other seamen foUowea, and got on shore dreadfully exhausted. Almost immediately afterwards the vessel disappeared, thus out of 423 souls on board, only nine were saved. '1 he names of the saved are—Mr. Tuos. Guthrie; Mr. Solomon Brown, emigrant; Messrs John Poberts, William Jones, Frances M-.llan, John Sympson, John Robertson, Peter Johnson, able seamen, and William Blackstock, apprentice. They had neither food or drink from the tune of the ship striking to the Tuesday afternoon, when they foundone small tin of preserved fowl, after eating which they went and laid down in the bush, having got a wet blanket out of the water, for their only covering, being quite destitute of clothes. The beach was strewed with pieces of the wreck, and portions of dead corpses, in horrible profusion. After a vain search for water, and unable to find any more survivors, they slept that night in the bush. The following morning they found a cask of water on shore, but were unable to get means to make a fire. However, about 9or 10 o'clock in the foienoon, they observed a smoke, which presuming they were on the main land, (accordingto the Captain's calculation), imagined it was a fire of natives,— however, they shortly saw a white man approaching them, who turned out to be Mr. David Howie, residing upon the island. It seems Mr. Howie aud Mr. Oakfey, with a black, perceived there was a wreck on the coast, through seeing portions o1o 1 wreck, and most humanely arranged instantly to reconnoitre the whole island, and fortunate mcWd was it for the poor exhausted and benumbed survivors, to whom he instantly afforded fire aud food, aud constructed a shed to protect them against the weather. As Mr. Howie's boat was wrecked, there was no possibility of leaving the island. The party therefore consti ucted a hut, and remained five weeks, during- whirl) tune they were most hospitably provided for by Mr. Howie, and his party, according to their means; the supplies having to be carried 40 miles over a most difficult road. On Sunday, Sept 7, they saw the Midge beating fur the island ; they immediately signalized her by a fire, and from her received every assistance ; the Midge look them off the island with great difficulty, by means of Mr. Howies whale-boat, aud arrived at Hobson's Bay in safety. Throughout the whole of these trying events the survivor* "ive all praise to the captain and crew for their exertions; it was not until hope was utterly extinguished, that they lelt the vessel. Mr. Gjuthrie, the mate is also warmly commended,— it was to his encouragement that most of the seamen saved, ascube the saving of their lives in the manner abovementioned. They employed themselves in burying the dead bodies as tar as was possible, the mangled condition of many of which it is too painfully hornble to describe; and they speak in the most fied manner of the exertions of Mr. Howie and his party ot sealeis, who reside upon King's Island. In conclusion, every per on speaks highly of the conduct »t the officers,— -they weie all able and brave —the Captain is particularly regretted. There was some 111-ieeliug between him A ud the Doctor, but in

what it originated we have not heard. , The only fault the Captain committed was uot lying to until daylight; but it appears he thought he was close to Port Phillip, and wished to get up to Hobson's Bay with daylight on the Monday, and this caused him to run duiing the night with a good look out. It is evident he mistook his position, as he died under the impression that he had been wrecked on the main land. The lat,t words he was heard to say, were, " God grant some one may be saved to tell the tak>." Captain Finlay was of Scotch extraction, but born in Dublin. He has left a wife and two children in Liverpool to regret his loss. The survivors also particularly wish to express their public thanks to Messrs. Fletcher and Cockburn, owners of the Midge, for their promptness in attending to the signal on the island, and themselves incurring risk in waiting to fetch them off. Most of the ship's papers, and the mail, (exceptmgss letters), are lost.

King's Island.— Mr. Fletcher, in his letter to the Melbourne Courier, thus describes the frightful dangers <if the coast of King's Island, where the Cataraqui was wrecked ; it cannot be too widely diffused, in order to warn others of its perils, and to impel the Government to all the proper means to obviate them, by the erection of a light-house, &c: — " The whole of the west coast of King's Island is one i of the wildest and most dangerous that can be imagined, The whole line, from the lat. 39 ° 40' to 40° T is belted by rocks at irregular distances, from the shoie outwards, for about seven or eight miles, and in running from the New Years to the position of the wreck, you find reefs extending nine miles seaward, and at this distance off one or two of the points, a wall of enormous rollers breaking towards shore. We luckily ran down during a heavy gale from the N.E., and by keeping a hand at the mast-he««d, we were barely enabled to reach the wreck in tolerable safety. We were unable to anchor for more than one hour during the three days we were off the coast, and at night had to run out to sea, and alternately fill and lie to till day-light. During abreeze the surf upon the shore is tremendous. Near the position of the wreck of the Cutaraqui, I st jod upon a ledge of rock forty feel above the level of the sea, and found that over this, had been driven by the sea, the whole of the midship part of the vessel, from the after main to the mizen, a mass of about 40 feet by 15. Towards the parts of the coast traversed by the 40th parallel of latitude the reefs draw in shore, and ends about two milts below the position of the wreck, when Ihe shore become rather bold. Opposite to where the Cataraqui struck, rises gradually from shore, a long rugged reef, about 40 feet high, and ai a distance of about 20 fathoms, run lower and parallel belts 'of rock, on the outer-«oost of those reefs the ship struck."