STRANDED AT BIRD ISLAND

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10910, 15 November 1898, Page 6

STRANDED AT BIRD ISLAND

the TUG PORT JACKSON ON THE BOOKS.';

narrow escape OF. the hand, ISLE AND HANNAH NICHOLSON.

an exciting moment. Newcastle, November 7.-BM Island Point, 20 miles south of Newcastle, was the scene of a sensational shipping .incident at lour o'clock this morning. The steam tug Fort Tickson, with the barquentine Handa Isl» and schooner Hannah Nicholson m tow, went fl ,hore there in the fog, and the sailing vessols only narrowly escaped a sumla. fate. The tug is a steel vessel employed Dy Me»«. J and A. Brown, of Newcastle, and commanded by Captain Andrew Larson, while cho Handa Isle is well known in the New Zealand coal and timber trade, and the Hannah Mcho, soil has long bee" employed on this coast, as a collier. The Port Jackson left Sydney at eight o'clock last night with the other two vessels in tow, the weather being fine and the wind light. At about two o clock a heavy oe came on, and in the liaze the _ steamer s course was gradually but unconscious.y set towards the land, until eventually she struck the beach at the point wliioh forms the northern extremity of Bird Island, Catherine- nil ]3av The entrance to Laic® Macquaiio has four miles nearer to Newcastle. A rather deop indentation in the coastline commences at Hun gar Norah, and extends northwards for five miles to Bird Island Point. It was just aftei crossing the bight that the tug stranded, and that fact accounts for,the rather singular circumstance that the three Voxels were able to get into the breakers bofjrc their whereabouts wore made known to those or, board. It was at first thought that the tugboat was not damaged, and would easily come oft at high tide, but subsequently it transpired that the water was flowing in and out of the engine-room, and that her bottom must have been pierced in some way. When llhi stranding took place the tide was at the uret j quarter of the ebb, and at low water the tug's bows were high and dry, but her stern was afloat. Soma of the crow of tho Hannah Nicholson, who boarded her, state that they could feel the hull quiver with every roll of the breakers, as if it were being subjected to a considerable strain. It is usual at sea for vessels in tow to have a long hawser, and when two are attached to the one tug they steer a course some distance apart. On this occasion the Hannah Nicholson was on the port side, several fathoms closer to tho shore than tho Honda Isle. The peril of both vessels when tho Port Jackson got into trouble was extreme, and tho fact that neither shared the fate of tin steamer speaks well for the presence of mind of their masters, and the promptitude with which their orders wore carried out. Till schooner had not only to be saved from going ashore, but also to keep clear of the Handa Isle, lying close on her starboard side. How it was done is best told in the words of Captain Conway, the master of the Hannah Nicholson.

"We left Sydney," ho said, "about eight o'clock last night, and everything was all well until the fog came on at half-past two this morning. I saw a steamboat pass sout'i in shore at three o'clock, and we ought then to have been five or six miles to the eastward of Bungaree Norali. Tho night was calm, there being scarcely .any wind, and the sea calm. At four o'clock I saw breakers closo to leeward, and almost immediately the tug blew her whistle. I could then see that "ho was ashore, and sent the man at the wheel forward to let go our hawser, and called all the hands on deck. All the sail forward was quickly loosened by cutting the gaskets, and the schooner's head was canted to the eastward. We passed within only 100 ft of the tug, and much closer, of course, to the rocks near by her. Tho scliooncr did not aolually touch the bottom, but as she swept round she had only 3ft to come and go on, her draught being 9ft, and the depth of water 12ft. We had not only to escape tho locks, but also to keep dear of the Handa Lie, and consequently could not port our helm abruptly. When the schooner was canted round, tho wind died away, and we let the anchor, and ran out a hedge with 120 fathoms of line. We hauled her out that far, and then made all sail, and hove the anohor. Hie wind died away again, however, and wo dropped the anchor once more, and lay with 20 fathoms of chain. We were quite safe with the weather as it was, but under other circumstances our place would have been at least a tight one. After rendering what assistance wo could until ono o'clock, we were then taken in tow by tho tug Enderby, and brought to Newcastle at five o'clock." 'file Handa Isle reached Newcastle at eleven a.m. in tow of tho tug Levorot, and Captain fllathieson, commander, made the following statement:—"We loft Sydney at eight o'clock ast night, and got along well until about two a.m., when I was called up, and told that a change in the weather had taken place. of", going ™ deck, I saw that great oanks 01 Og had formed, and wo were enveloped 'n a thick haze. There was no wind, and scarcely a sound. I remained 011 deck, and about four 0 clock saw white water on our port side, but thought it was caused by th « iowline ~f the other vessels, as I had no idea we wws closei in shore. Tho tag was 150 fathoi-s i l '™ l ; an f co "ld not bo seen in the fu~. dose to IllT l 1 reald that we «« close to the breakers, and immediately had the hawser cast off, and the helm put hard over to port, and the anchor dropped.'