WRECE OF THE ELBA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12522, 15 March 1904, Page 6

WRECE OF THE ELBA.

I TOTAL ; LOSS ON OCEAN ISLAND. 'ENCOUNTER WITH DESPERADOES. . THE VESSEL ABANDONED. Sjdn'et papers received by the Zealandia give full accounts of the wreck of the German steamer Elba, at Ocean Island, and the arrival of the captain and crew at Sydney. The Elba, i which is owned in Hamburg, arrived at Ocean Island on New Year's Day in ballast from Moji, Japan, to load about 6000 tons of phosphates for Stettin, Germany, and, as usual, anchored at a buoy in Home Bay, which is little better than an open roadstead. Captain Reimer was assured by the authorities at Ocean Island that the buoy was perfectly safe for vessels of large size, but ho subsequently found to his cost that such was not the case. Loading operations were commenced on the day following the arrival of the Elba, the phosphates being conveyed from the shore tf the anchorage by moans of small boats. Everything "went well at first, and as a result of the day's work 300 tons oi cargo were shipped. It was.on the next Sunday, January that the Elba came to grief. The wind, which had been blowing from the northeast, suddenly veered round at about halfpast two p.m., to the west, and blew hard in ■squalls. It is the custom at Ocean Island for vessels 'to stand off the land during violent weather, and accordingly Captain Reimer gave the order to the engineers to stand-by, with a view, should the Wind increase to the strength of a moderate gale, to slipping the buoy and putting off to sea. With the moderate squalls experienced, however, and the assurance by the shore authorities that vessels of large dimensions could swing in all directions, even on the shore side of the buoy, with perfect safety, no anxiety was felt. According to the narratives of the shipwrecked officers, the Elba did not swing head to wind, as expected, and the buoy was so weak that she carried it away. DRIFTING ON TO THE REEFS. Before those on board had time to realise what had happened, the Elba was drifting rapidly in dangerous proximity to the coral reefs that fringe the foreshores of Ocean Island. Carrying the buoy with her, she was driven broadside on, and. came into collision with another buoy nearer the land, and used for mooring smaller vessels. The Elba struck this buoy with her stern with such force that she removed it, and owing to the straining of the ship the chain attached to it became entangled in the propeller of the Elba, necessitating the stoppage of the engines. , The position now became one of great peril, and the Elba drifted rapidly on to destruction. . She was driven on to the coral reef, at a spot situated between the two jetties in Home Bav. and soon became fast. At the 'time jof the accident the spring tides were flowing, the result being that the steamer was carried much further on to the reef than would have been the case at any other time. ...;'. When it was recognised that the vessel must inevitably go ashore, both anchors were dropped, but they would not hold to the coral bottom and dragged. As the Elba' lay on the reef the afterpart was high and dry, but the whole of the forepart was in deep water, and rested oh the coral bottom. A heavy sea was running at the time, and the ship bumped heavily. The steamer was soon doomed, for great holes were quickly knocked in her bottom. With each succeeding wave the vessel partly lifted, and as it receded the ship thumped the coral bottom with great violence. EFFORTS TO SEIZE THE SHIP. Immense holes were knocked in both No. 1 and No. 2 holds, through which the coral made its way, holding the vessel fast. Large volumes of water soon . rushed into the ship, and the fear was entertained that she would capsize from the ledge of rock on which she was lying and founder in deep water. The master was warned of the danger of staying on board, and after consulting with the shore authorities, he decided to temporarily abandon, the vessel. All hands : then made for shore, and the ship's papers and the personal effects of the officers and men were saved.

That night a daring attempt was made to seize, the Elba. Captain Reimer had taken the precaution to leave a night watch in charge of an officer on the reef, and at about ten p.m. lights were noticed on board. The officer of the watch at once put off to ascertain, what had happened, and was half-way up the rope ladder hanging from the ship's side, when three men, who, without permission, had evidently taken possession of the wreck, appeared over the ship's side, and in order to prevent the officer gaining access to the stranded ship, promptly lowered the ladder, with the unfortunate man clinging to it. He at once acquainted Captain "Reimer of his experience. A small expedition, which included several officers land men and a resident of Ocean Island, was organised, and proceeded to the scene. Captain. Reimer demanded that the men should instantly leave the vessel, but they replied that she had been abandoned, and that they had taken possession, and intended to remain there. They further questioned the right of Captain Reimer or any of his officers to come aboard, and became very quarrelsome. Eventually, when they found superior numbers against them, they reluctantly left the vessel. Captain Reimer thereupon determined, despite the danger of the vessel foundering, to remain on board for the remainder of the night, and he was accompanied by, several volunteers from among the officers and men.

. About an hour later the three desperadoes returned to the scene/ and by means of hammers and cold chisels commenced to work on the ship's side. Their object was not apparent, but it was feared that they might knock further holes in the vessel, and they were ordered to leave. The men at first refused, but upon the production of revolvers by the officers on deck they became more amenable to reason, eventually it became necessary to fire several shots over their heads as a warning of what was to come. This display had a salutary effect, and the three .men, who had but a few hours before prided themselves o? the fact that they had suddenly become shipowners, decamped at a rapid pace in the middle of the night, and were soon lost to sight. It appears from what subsequently transpired that the men in question were labouring under the impression that as soon as a vessel was stranded on a reef- and abandoned they had a right to seize it as a prize. THE FIGHT AGAINST INRUSH. Early on the following morning, January 4, it was resolved to make an attempt to float the Elba. Kedge anchors were run out in all directions, and efforts made to straighten up the ship, which now had a heavy list to starboard, An examination of the holds disclosed ihe fact that there were 10ft of water in No, 1 and about 6ft of water in No. 2 and No. 3 holds. As much of the cargo as possible was thrown overboard to lighten the ship. The Elba got up steam, and the pumps were soon in operation. The steamer, however, was held fast by huge masses of coral, which had pierced the bottom of No. 1 hold, and, like immense hooks, held the vessel down. The engine-room and the stokehole were, fortunately, dry, but the ship continued to bump with great force. The result was that the rivets of the plates started, the ship strained severely, and commenced to leak in all directions. Salvage operations were continued by -the ship's company, and on January 18 the Elba floated off under her own steam. For 15 days the Elba had been on the reef, and there was a general feeling of relief when the vessel was once more afloat in deep water. The ; Elba at first moored at a small buoy off Syd- ■ ney Point, but it was found that the inflow of water was so great that the pumps were unable to keep it in check. THE FIRES EXTINGUISHED. Recourse was then had to the distress ejector driven by the main engines of the | steamer. It was therefore necessary to slip ! the buoy and stand off the land, and the Elba ! steamed round and , round throughout that i day. The hope had been entertained that i the engines would- be able to reduce the

water sufficiently to permit of temporary repairs, in order that the vessel ■; might be brought to Sydney for decking. • ■ The Elba proceeded just outside the hay at six p.m., but at half-past eijsjht it was discovered, to the dismay of all concerned, that she was sinking foot by foot, and had a still heavier list to starboard than before. The inflow was so groat that all the .machinery 'on board was unable to 'intake, an impression, and it was evident that the bottom of the vessel had been literally torn out of her. An hour later the chief engineer reported that the fires had been extinguished. The Elba heeled over to such an extent that it was difficult to walk along the decks, and the possibSitips of capsize were great. It was then resolved, in the interests of •the lives of all hands, to beach the Elba, and she was run on to a selected part of the foreshore, nea» the jetty. She took the ground very gently, and the officers and crew were taken off. by boats, which were despatched from the shore' in response to signals of distress from the Elba. During the course of that night tho Elba canted over until her starboard side was under water, and the forecastle head was submerged. She had during the night also swung round broadside on to the beach. A COMPLETE WRECK. Still further attempts were made to save the vessel. On January 19 pumping operations were resumed. Of the three boilers, however, .mly one, that on the port side, was above water. The engineroom was full of water to tho cylinder covers, and the firemen were compelled to find their way to tho stokehold through the ventilators. Work was continued until noon on January 20, when the fires of the onlv remaining boiler were extinguished. Tho captain and chief engineer of the steamer Windsor, which had just arrived, then surveyed the steamer, and pronounced her a total loss. The wreck was sold on January 25 for the sum of £70, the purchasers being the Pacific Islands Company, Limited. The Elba subsequently slipped from the ledge of the reef, upon which she had been resting, and the fore part of the steamer up*to the funnel was under water. When the castaways left Ocean Island the Elba was standing "on her head, the stern being high up in the air. As the vessel slid she carried away the jetty, reducing it to atoms. DESCRIPTION OF THE VESSEL. The Elba >vas a steel screw steamship of 4036 tons gross and 2634 tons net. She was a comparatively new vessel, having been built as recently as 1901 by Messrs. llopner and Son, of Stockton, to the highest requirements at Lloyd's. Her dimensions were:-— Length, 350 f t; breadth, 49ft; and depth, 19ft lin. The Elba was supplied with engines of the triple-expansion type, built by Messrs. Blair and Co., Limited, of Stockton. The diameters of the cylinders were 25in, 42in, and 68in respectively, with a stroke of 45in. She was owned by Mr. Jebsen, of Hamburg. ______