THE LIZZIE GUY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9213, 16 November 1888, Page 5

THE LIZZIE GUY.

PARTICULARS OF THE WRECK.

NARRATIVE OF SURVIVORS.

BATTLING FOR LIFE AMONG THE

BREAKERS. &BY TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

Wellington, Thursday. The survivors of the crew of the briganbine Lizzie Guv have reached town. Their names are : James Thomson (mate) Frank Salmberg, Louis Deurndb, and F. L. Nainby (seamen). The other members of the ship's company, who were drowned at the wreck, were the master (James Stevens) and the cook (Mortimer Jones), who had joined the Lizzie Guy immediately before her departure from Oamaru, having run away from the barque Primero, then in harbour. During the mate's watch on deck, on Friday night, at, 11.30, Mr. Thomson, in a momentary lifting of the haze, sighted land on the lee-bow, and reported the tact to the captain, keeping the ship well to the northeast in the meantime. Captain Stevens went on deck, bub by the time he got there the haze had again fallen and obscured the land. While he was on deck, however, another short break in the mist occurred, and the captain pronouncing the land to be quite 15 miles distant directed that the vessel should be kept on her course, and again went below. On the Captain relieving him from the charge of the deck, Thomson expressed the opinion that they were nearer land than the skipper had supposed, and indicated on the chart what he believed to be their position. The Captain held, however, that they were giving Cape Palliser a sufficiently wide berth, and on the strength of this opinion kept a north-easterly course. The wind was at this time S.S.E., and veering from that point to S.E., with very heavy rain squalls and thick weather. At about 12.55 a.m. Mr. Thomson, who was lying in his bunk, heard the steersman call out to his mate, Louis Deurendt, that there were breakers ahead. All hands rushed on deck, and found broken water dangerously close to the vessol, so much so that all their efforts to avoid the catastrophe were in vain. At about 1 o'clock the ship struck the reef near White Rock. Nothing could then be seen but angry-looking rocks and white waters.

At 4.45 the boat was launched and Thomson, Salmberg, and Deurcndt got. into it for the purpose of running a line ashore. They had some difficulty in getting away from the side of the vessel, and the line was unluckily drawn ' under her bottom and got foul of the rocks. As they approached the shore the boat swamped and quickly smashed up, so that the three men narrowly escaped with their own lives. Ot the unfortunate trio lett on the vessel, Captain Stevens elected to stand by his craft, deeming that to be the safest course. Soon after daybreak the vessel began to break up, and by half-past seven she was in pieces. When last seen the captain was amongst the wreckage, swimming towards the shore. Three heavy seas coming in succession seemed to overpower him, and he then threw up one hand and sank. His body had not been recovered when the survivors left the neighbourhood. The cook was washed off the vessel at an early stage, and was not seen again until his body was found on the beach. Nainby swam ashore, and was much exhausted and bruised by contact with the rocks when he reached his surviving comrades. The survivors were kindly treated at Barton's White Rock Station.