THE WRECK OF THE LY-EEMOON.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 745, 11 June 1886, Page 31

THE WRECK OF THE LY-EE-MOON.

(Per 8.8. Te Anau at the Bluff). (UNITED PBESS ASSOCIATION.) Melbourne, June 1. Early yesterday morning news was received that the passenger steamer Ly-ee-Moon had been wrecked at Green Cape on Sunday evening, while on her way between Melbourne and Sydney, and 70 lives lost. Later news confirming the story left much cause for wonder why the catastrophe should have happened, the weather being clear, and the captain one of the most trusted in the Company’s service. The vessel was off Gabo Island at a quarter to 8, when Captain Webber is reported to have given a course which should have taken her clear of Green Cape. He then left the deck after giving instructions ‘to be called when the steamer neared the Cape. Returning to the bridge at a few minutes to 9, he found the vessel heading straight for the reef. The engines were immediately reversed, but the vessel dashed on a rock with such force as to part her in two. Most of the passengers appear to have been" below at. the time. "Within ten minutes of striking, the forepart of the vessel broke rigbt away, and drifted towards the shore, turning over, and eventually lying broadside on to the rooks. All the passengers and crew on this part of the vessel clung to the rigging and bulwarks, the heavy seas washing continually over the deck. Shortly after the vessel being in this position the foremast weDt overboard the -end just touching the rocks, and three seamen made their way ashore on the mast but shortly afterwards the topmast broke, and this means of escape was no longer available. The lighthouse keeper, with a staff of seamen, tried a long time without avail to throw a line aboard. At last the boatswain succeeded m throwing a brass lock, with a Tfishing line attached, over the vessel, which caught, and a rope attached to the line was pulled aboard and made fast. A bowline was then attached to the rope, and all the remaining passengers that were saved were -then palled ashore by means of the bowline. The after part of the ship remained on the reef, a hundred yards from the shore, and it was impossible to render those aboard any assistance, as no boats could live in the terrific sea. Unfortunately there were no rockets or life-saving apparatus available, except the ropes of the lighthouse. All the engineers, and the greater part of the crew and steerage passengers were lost. Among the incidents of the wreck, it may be mentioned that there was . only one lady on deck in the forepart of -the vessel. The third officer, Mr Fotheringham, made a gallant attempt to take her ashore, and nearly succeeded when she was struck by some floating debris, and instantly killed. In addition to this lady two other passengers died, not form drowning, but from exposure. The exposure endured, and the dangers experienced by the survivors may be gathered from the fact that although the vessel struck at 9 p.m., those rescued were not all landed until half-past 3 a.m. All these are doing well, though some are much knocked about. One steamer passed the cape, bound north, after the steamer Lv-ee-moon struck. She stopped temporarily, but was unable from the position of the ship to render any assistance. During the whole time the behaviour of the passengers and crew was exceedingly calm and brave. The third officer, Mr Fotberingham, was in charge at the time. How the vessel got on to the reef close under the lighthouse— so short a distance from the shore—is a mystery. The pilot steamer Captain Cook was despatched from Sydney to the scene of the disaster to take off the survivors and convey them to Sydney. She is expected to make Green Cape early to-day. Among the passengers who lost their lives was a Mr McGregor, son of a Mr McGregor, of the British Hotel, Dunedin, who has been employed in the New Zealand Insurance Company’s office, and Mr O. G. Bradley, a son of Mr J. G. Bradley, merchant, of San Francisco, who was on his way to start business in Sydney. The Ly-ee-Moon was not insured, as the Company adopt the principle of doing their own underwriting.

A SURVIVOR’S ACCOUNT. Dunedin, June 7. The Melbourne Age received the following message from the Rev Mr Poole, who was a saloon . passenger :—“ The vessel left Melbourne on Saturday, all went well till Sunday evening. She passed Gabo Island at a quarter to 8 p.m. when Captain Webber gave a course that would have kept her clear of Green Cape, and left instructions to be called on nearing the Cape- A few minutes before 9 p.m. the captain came on deck, and then found the vessel heading straight for the reef off the Cape, on which she struck shortly afterwards. The engines were immediately reversed, but the ship was too firmly fixed to be removed. Within ten minutes from the time of striking, the forepart of the vessel in which was the saloon broke right away and drifted towards the shore. Then turning round and reversing its position it eventually lay broadside on to the rocks on shore. By this time the steamer had canted over with her deck almost perpendicular and facing the shore. All the passengers and crew on board of the vessel clung to the rigging some of them outside the vessel and some standing on the portholes. Heavy seas wecontinually washing over the “wreck, and the wonder is that all the passengere were not washed away. Shortly afterwards, the vessel still being in this position, the foremast went overboard, the end just touching the' rocks.. The boatswain and three seamen made their way ashore on the mast, but shortly afterwards the topmast broke, and that means of escape was no longer available. The lighthouse keeper, with his staff, and the seamen, tried for a lon°' time but without effect to throw a line on board. At last the boatswain succeeded iu throwing a brass hook, with a fish line attached, over the vessel, and this line was immediately caught by several on board A. rope having been attached to the line, it was pulled on board and made fast. One gentleman made bis way to the shore hand over hand, but, finding that he dipped into the sea and was with difficulty rescued, a bowline was attached to the rope, and a few thus got on shore. One of the seamen then took a rope from the ship and made a guy to the bowline. All the remaining passengers that were saved were then pulled ashore on the

bowline. Of those saved, five were passengers, nine were of the crew, and one was the steward. Eighteen adults and three infants remained in the saloon after she struck. On account of the staves breaking away, and the water rushing into the cabin, and from the position of the ship, it was impossible to save them. The after part of the ship, containing the engines and the steerage, remained fixed on the reef about 100 yards from the shore, but it was impossible to render those on this part of the vessel any assistance. No boats could have possibly lived in the sea that was breaking on the shore, and unfortunately there were were no rockets or lifesaving apparatus on board. All the engineers and the greater part of the crew and steerage passengers were lost. AmoDg these was Mr Morrison, the chief officer. The waves were so strong, that before morning nothing but the masts of the after-part were visible. Among the incidents of the wreck it'may be mentioned that only one lady was on deck in the forepart of the vessel at the time she struck. The third officer (Mr Fotheringham) made a gallant attempt to take her on shore, and had nearly succeeded, when she was struck by some floating debris and instantly killed. Her name has not been ascertained. Mr Fotheringham managed to regain the ship by catching hold of the leg of a gentleman who had just succeeded in regaining the vessel himself after, trying to get ashore by the mast. This was before the rope from the shore was made fast i to the vessel, and the attempt to gain the shore by these two was so hopeful from the nearness of the ship to land that it justified the undertaking.” The A.S.N. Co. have a bad practice of continually changing their captains, and no one of them has a proper opportunity to get used to his work, for in scarcely any two ships will the action of the compasses be found to correspond. There are nearly always deviations on each which a captain must watch and allow for in steering. Any small deviation of this kind by the compasses of the Lye-ee-Moon, if unnoticed by the captain while hugging the shore northwards from the Howe, might mean destruction, and this is probably what has partly caused the calamity, as there are no rocks marked on the coast within many miles of Green Cape, This was Captain Webber’s first voyage in the Ly-ee-Moon. He had a very experienced mate on the coast, having made several trips between Melbourne and Sydney in command of various vessels. His last trip previous to the wreck was in the steamer Berksgat, belonging to the same Company, and he was transhipped from her in order to allow for her receiving her monthly overhauling. Captain Webber formerly commanded the s.s. Zealandiain the San Francisco mail service, and this is his first accident fo twenty years. Eighty-one persons are known to have been on board, and only sixteen were saved. The following is a full list of the vessel’s passengers and crew belonging to Melbourne :—Saloon—-Mrs Jenninga, Mrs Campbell and infant, Mrs McKillop, Mrs Hamilton and two Misses Hamilton, Mrs Giles, Mrs Gardner, Mrs Mclntyre, Mrs Cogill, Mrs H. Adams and Master Adams, Messrs O. G. Bradley, A. Graham, W. Johnston, E. C. Holmes, A. McGregor ; steerage— Mr and Mrs Shottell, Messrs A. Spire, Rogers, Warren, J. Foote, Salenberg, J. Williams, J. Lumsden, J. Wilson, J. Carroll, J. Mcßurney, Morrison, J. J. Thompson. Belonging to Sydney—Messrs A. Smith, D. C. Harris, R. Cox, H. Lumsden. Belonging to Brisbane Rev W. Poole. Ship’s company —A. Webber, master ; J. R. Morrison, chief officer ; T. Hudson, chief engineer ; J. HutchinsoD, second officer; R. McCue, second engineer; Jas. Fotheringham, third officer ; J. Marshall, third engineer ; W. Thompson, chief steward ; D. A. Robinson, carpenter ; J. Thorpe, boatswain ; J. W. Kelly, bedroom steward ; W. Gardiner, saloon waiter; C. Cooper, fore-cabin steward ;E. Bailey, second fore-cabin Bteward ; J. M. Milliad, messroom steward ; Sarah Jeffreys, stewardess ; A. Petzodine, first cook ; R. McGuffin, second cook ; J. McPherson, third cook ; R. Jones, pantryman ; T. Wing, donkey-engine man. The following were A.B.’s —A. B. Johnson, C. P. Halynea, C. Nally, A. Markoff, A. Bergland, J. labister, J. Davies, M. Ayerll ; firemen—R. Gill, H. R. Hudson, R. Seaton, R. Henderson, P. Monk, F. Ciller ; lamp-trimmers—L. Christian, G. Harvey,.P. Johns, J. Walker. The following is a list of the saved, so far as at present reported :—Passengers : Rev W. Poole, D. C. Harris, H. Lumsden, A. Smith, Master Adams. Ship’s company : Captain Webber ; J. Hutchison, second officer ;J. Fotheringham, third officer; W. Thompson, chief steward ; Hope, boat wain ; D. Robinson, carpenter; Francis McNally, seaman ; W. Johnston, seaman ; Andrew Bergland, seaman ; Michael Tyrrel, seaman, The Rev W. Poole was several years ago pastor of the Baptist Church at Emerald Hill. . . The Ly-ee-moon was built of iron in 1859, at Blackwall, and had a most eventful history. She was built as a blockade runner, and experienced some service off Charleston in the American war. In her early career she had paddle wheels, and could steam 18 miles an hour. Her American experience was a short one, after which she was engaged in the Chinese opium trade. In 1872, at Hongkong, the vessel foundered, and was, after being raised, taken to England by Mr Stevens, who purchased her. She was there altered into a screw steamer, and after making two or three passages to Australia, Singapore, and Torres Strait, was purchased by Captain Tromton on behalf of her present owners. This was in 1878, and shortly after her arrival in Sydney she was completely gutted by fire. Some alterations were then effected to her in the shape of improved passenger accommodation. After this she proved herself most serviceable up to the time of her wreck. The vessel struck about 1 p.m. on Sunday, and those rescued were not all landed until 8.30 a.m. on Monday. All are doing well, although same are very badly knocked about. The passengers and crew were exceedingly calm and brave.

Three of fonr prisoners charged with the robbery of £3OOO from the house of Mr S&mnel Bind, at Stapeley, near Nantwich, England, pleaded guilty to the charge at the Cheshire Quarter Sessions. The prisoner, William Hesketh, in company with another man now in America, got on a bay window in front or prosecutor’s house, and thus bad access to the bedroom window above. He got into the room where the prosecutor kept a hoard of between three and four thousand pounds. Over £3OOO was taken away, and some of the money was diviied between Charles Hesketh and John Astles. William Hesketh was afterwards arrested with £6OO in cold in his possession. He was now sentenced to 12 months’ hard labor, Char'es Hesketh and Astles to 6 months’ each, and Thomas Hesketh, father of two of the prisoners, was acquitted.