STEAMER WRECKED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22475, 20 July 1936, Page 8

STEAMER WRECKED

THE ABEL TASMAN SWEPT FROM GREYMOUTH WHARF CREW LAND IN HEAVY SEA [BT TELZGEAFH OWN COBEESPOXDEXT] GBETMOUTH. Sunday The well-known intercolonial cargo steamer Abel Tasman. of 204 7 tons, belonging to H. C. Sleigh Coasters Proprietary, Limited. Melbourne, was wrecked yesterday at the Grey River bar under extraordinary circumstances. The vessel was torn from her moorings at a coal berth at Greymouth by a strong current, swept down the ri%'er and over the bar. She was then thrown up by the seas on the North Beach and is a total wreck. The Abel Tasman's moorings parted with startling suddenness and she became unmanageable immediately. As she travelled toward the river mouth she fouled the wreckage of the steamer Kaponga, but broke free in a few minutes and was soon over the bar only to be caught in a north-westerly set and forced up on the beach. Of the total crew of 29 there were 19 men on board at the time, including Captain Vv iiiiam Archibald, who jumped on to his vessel from the wharf as soon as the moorings parted. He was inspecting the moorings with one of his officers at the time. The crew were in considerable danger as heavy seas were pounding the vessel. I"hey were all got ashore safely, however, by means of lines, the first man landing at 6.20 p.m. and the last at 7.25 p.m.

RESCUE OF CREW

I; was soon apparent that the Abel Taxman was badly holed. Sue was swinging about freely with each successive heavy sea. being gradually forced | further inshore with the rising tide. ; After some time she set;led down somej what at an angle of 4-5 degrees, her ! stern pointing seaward in line with til** ! North Tip. ; At first it was thought that the res- ' sel had safely made the open sea. but : it was soon realised that the breakwaters had c-Laimed another victim. The Greymouth Harbour Board's recentlypurchased rocket life-saving apparatus was rushed to the scene, but was not utilised as the first rocket fired from the reise! herself carried a line to the breakwater, where it was made fast. Then began the arduous and thrilling task of removing all on board by means of a breeches buoy. With high seas sweeping to the vessel's deck and throwing clouds of spray right over the buoy this was not as easy task in the darkness, but it was safely accomplished. A thrilling incident was provided when the secondary line pulling the buoy carried away and a man half-wav on his perilous journey had to go back to the ship, working his way along the lifeline hand over hand. Volunteer's Fine Work There was then no means of setting the other men ashore unless another rocket was despatched and preparations were being made for its reception on shore when it 'srss noticed that one of the crew who volunteered was making his way across on the main line hand over hand. It was a plucky act and during its accomplishment the seas increased and the line was swinging about dangerously. When about two-thirds of the way across he was thrown a rope and. after failing to catch it on several occasions, finally secured him- j self and was drawn ashcre. He was Edward T. Win by. a seaman. An improvement in the line was now» effected and it was secured to the boat davits on the poop deck. With the aid of several torches the remaining men on the vessel could be seen close together on the boat deck, aii attired I in lifebelts. It wss a specific instruction from the captain that the men from then onward was made in the f rescue work, which was completed by j Timber Strewn on Beach When the vessel broke sway the crew were either preparing for the evening meal, or were resting, and when they came off the wrecked steamer in a drenched condition they were in most cases scantily clad. They were quickly transported to Greymouth and provided with a change of c-iothing. Owing to the rain on Saturday afternoon the waterside workers did not work the vessel, but had it been fine there vculd have been approximately 40 men working in the holds wheu the vessel broke away. The hatches had been securely fastened and covered but the buffeting of the heavy .seas soon smashed them open and this morning . timber was strewn freely along the North Beach, while several deck pro rerties were also washed ashore. The captain, when interviewed, had - no comment to make other thai? to pav a tribute to the members of the crew, stating that they had all behaved in a most exemplary manner. Crew Lose Their Money An attempt to salvage the persona! effects of the members of the crew and the ship's papers and instruments was made this afternoon, but the efforts of the boatswain. C. Paulsen, by climbing along "tie breeches buoy, were . of no avail. If the weather moderates a further attempt will he made to board the vessel to-morrow. Included among the personal effect* of the crew are large individual sums of money, the amounts varying from 1 £6O down. The crew speak highly of the coolness and resourcefulness of Captain Archibald and his splendid handling of a desperate situation. At the time when the Abel Tasman broke adrift the captain and first mate . were inspecting the mooring lines < The Anchor Company's steamer Titok« was in the roadstead awaiting a moder- • at ion of tbe bar to enter port. Shf* stood by, but could render no assist- < a nee. Holding of Inquiry Tbe Abel Tasman bad been trading to west coast ports from Australia . for the past two years. She arrived • from New Plymouth on July 10. I .ate to-night the vessel had a de- f ckfcd cant seawards. Heavy rain was | S continuing, but the seas were sense- i what more moderate. A preliminary inquiry will be opened to-morrow morning by the collector of j customs, after which a nautical in- : quiry will most likely be held in Well- f ingtoa.

DRAMATIC INCIDENT SEAMAN'S BRAVE ACT VESSEL'S WILD DRIFT AT MERCY OF THE WAVES [by TELEGRAPH —OWN COERESPOXDEyr] GREYMOUTH. Sunday Breaking adrift from her moorings at tne Greymouth wnan at 5 p.m. on Saturday the intercolonial cargo steamer Abel Tasman was swept down the Grey River by a swifr current of eight knots and cast up on the north beach, a total wreck. Following heavy rains throughout the West Coast on Friday night and Saturday there was a strong run in the river, and this fact, combined with an abnormally swift ebb tide, so severely tested the mooring lines that they gave way under the straim The Abel Tasman was at No. 4 coal berth at the time, being berthed at the lower end of the bottleneck of the wtiarf for the purpose of bunkering coal. The vessel had been loading a cargo of 1.000.000 superficial feet of timber lor Melbourne and Sydnev, About above her was the steamer Storm, while about 200 ft. lower down the wharf was the steamer Kaimai Greymouth Harbour Board's dredge Mawhera. These four vessels were the Captain Jumps on Board

The position of the Abel Tasman. at the lower end of the bottleneck, was a most precarious one. but no actual : danger was anticipated However, with- } cut warning, one of the heavy rr.oori ing chains, the starboard chain, snapped suddenly near the ship's bow and, with the extra strain placed on the other chain and hemp ropes, she broke clean adrift, careering down the whsn. Captain William D. Archibald was ; standing on the wharf near by and he showed remarkable asuitv in jurr.tving on board. At one stage it looked only grazed the Kaima- with her stern A Kesoundiag Crash Of the total crew of 2!? there were only V? on board. These included but one nreman and one engineer. In spite of this overwhelming handicap steamer into the Blake town Lagoon side the north breakwater, but withward the river mouth. As ssie ap-ti-reckaas of the steamet Kaponga. on the point of the North Tip. with a . bar mouth, narrowly misiicg the South Tip head. Ship Bumps on Bar The steamer then drifted well she had a clearance of barely a foot of ttatvr on '.be bar her clearance w ouid ViOnn&il? fc&ve .«*'<• isntcr cTw<s»ri£. the direction of the North Tip. each succeeding wave loreing her into the apron on the north side of the North Tip head *ith her stern facing south. Heavy seas were now breaking over tne ocomea crsSt and the crew, who called up on the bridge while the lifeboats had also &e«?a manned in preparation for th*» worst. Carried on to the Seeks Continuing her northerly drift the vessel pivoted round the fringe of the north breakwater and was earned by a particularly heavy .. .1 en to the rocks on the north beach close in to the breakwater about 50 yards from the tip head, where she u now drmly embedded.