Accidents & Offences

New Zealand Mail, Issue 850, 15 June 1888, Page 19

Accidents & Offences

WRECK OF THE UNION CO.’S S.S. HA WE A.

NO LIVES LOST.

THE STEAMER A TOTAL LOSS.

A wide-spread sensation was caused in town j esterday morning by receipt of the Btartlirig news that the Union Company’s fine steamer Hawea had struck on a rock near New Plymouth while entering that port, that she had filled with water, and was in fact almost a total wreck. The news was first received by Mr Wheeler, the manager of the Union Company, in a telegram datod New Plymouth, 9.30 a.m., and which gave very meagre information, only stating that the mishap occurred at au early hour yesterday morning, and that the passengers and crew had been, safely landed. The following are tjie particulars forwarded by the Press As. sociation. New Plymouth, June 12.

The s.s. Hawea, ou her trip from the Manukau to the breakwaker, became a wreok on Tuesday morning at 7.30 o’clock, in a most pecaliai manner. She is now under the water, the seas washing over her. She left Manukau at 10.30 a.m. on Monday, and came to anchor about 11.30 o’clock tho same evening, about half a mile from the breakwater, where she remained till about G o’clock on Tuesday' morning. Captain Hansby was anxious to jget alongside the wharf in order to catch the through train for Wellington, leaving New Plymouth at 7 a.m., and he weighed anchor shortly before i 6 a.m. He took his vessel a round turn and then steamed toward the wharf under slow steam, taking the usual route, the tide being quarter flood. It was dark at the time, and a northerly gale was blowing, the wind and tide making a strong Bet in shore. The beacons were lighted and everything went on smoothly tilt the vessel was in a line with the sandbank, though well clear of it. Captain Hansby nofcwA tllftt

loch was ahead close to or alongside the berth which the gHawea usually takes up. Captain Hansby then reversed the engines and threw out an anchor in order to briDg the vessel round and clear the Gairloch, and in going astern to make the chain taut, the vessel bumped against a hard substance. The bump was not a severe one, and most of the passengers took but little notice of it. However, with the heavy swell on, several,other bumps were felt. The captain immediately ordered the carpenter to sound the pumps, and also gave instructions to heave the load, to ascertain the depth of the water. The carpenter reported that the fore compartment was nerfeotly dry, but the after hold was fimng rapidly. In a few minutes the after hold was half full, and the cases were floating about in all directions. The vessel soon began to settle down by the stern, although the fore hold was still dry, and the bows were well out of the water. The Captain, seeing that it was a hopeless case, gave orders to lower the boats and take the passengers 'ashore. The No. 4 boat was lowered, and came alongside to take the passengers oS. Meanwhile Captain Hansby had got lines out to the end of the wharf to keep the vessel from going on her beam ends. The work of lowering the passengers being completed, the first boat got away .and landed at the wharf. The second boat was being loaded with luggage when.the steamer lurched over nearly on her beam ends, throwing the captain off thebridge. He caught Hold of the stanchions, and was in a position of danger for some moments, when he recovered himself. Shortly afterward a heavy sea broke on board, and took the chief officer, Mr Waller, overboard and right under the whaleboat, which was lying alongside. On coming to the surface Mr Waller made toward the whaleboat, and was taken on board safely. Nothing daunted, he resumed his duty, and he and Captain Hansby worked energetically in carrying out all that was necessary to be done. There were two racehorses on bbard, Mr Keith’s Allegro and Mr George’s Armourer, both having been performing at the Auckland (Winter meeting. Tho horses were lowered into the surf, one of them falling out of the sling on being lowered, and careered madly round for some time, and then struck out for the shore, reaching it safely after a great struggle. The mare Allegi-o was lowered into the water, - and the halter was held on board the whaleboat in -order to guide her to the shore. The poor animal, however, became almost unmanageable, and was with difficulty towed some distance toward the land. Then with a sudden jerk she snapped her halter aud turning round made out for sea. The whaleboat went in pursuit, but the chase wa3 fruitless, and the mare was subsequently dcowned, her body being washed ashore. The discharging of the passengers’ luggage and horses had taken a considerable time, during which the tide was rising rapidly until it reached almost level with the decks aft. The fore compartment bulkheads now commenced to yield to the increased pressure of the water in the afterhold, and the vessel was rapidly settling down by the head. The crew were then ordered to leave the vessel in the whaleboat. The water was rapidly filling up forward, and the men’s-quarters were ankle'deep in water. It became a matter of difficulty to save their luggage, and as a matter of fact nearly all the seamen and officers lost more or less of their personal effects} The crew at last scrambled into the whaleboat, which had got partly stove in by bumping against the side of the vessel, and she commenced to leak badly. On reaching abreast the Harbor Board’s dredger the whaleboat had made so much water that it was intended at one time to make for the dredger, and get the crew on board of her, as it was feared the whaleboat would sink before she reached the wharf. The crew struggled on, however, and gained the wharf in safety, but the water iu the boat was almost level with the thwarts. The oaptain and ohief mate remained on board for a considerable time after the crew had left. The vessel,which had been lying almost on her beam ends, gradually righted 1 as the water filled the fore compartment, and she took the ground on an even keel. Before the captain and chief mate left the sea was washing clean over the vessel. They were taken off in one of the Harbor Board’s boats. The Hpot whore the Hawea struck was about 600 ft from the wharf in a southeasterly direction. According to the chart the sounding at the spot where the Hawea struck indicates -12 ft at low-water spring tides, and at the time of the accident the actual depth of water must have been between 10ft and 17ft. The Hawea was drawing 12£ft, so that there was presumably ample water to permit of her being taken to the wharf. The Harbormaster cannot account for the accident, aa it was not known that any rock was in the vicinity. Tho harbor has been surveyed several times, and no rock was met in that locality.. It was suggested at one time that the vessel had by some means got foul of her anchor, but that idea is not feasible, the general opinion being that a rock has remained undiscovered whioh made a large hole in the vessel’s bottom. Tho passengers consisted of six saloon and five steerage, their names being as follow : —- For New Plymouth therowere Messrs Keith,

Russell, Hall, George, Monaghan, Cunningham and Abraham, and three steerage ; for the South—Miss Kennedy and Messrs Scarfe and Reid. The Collector of Customs was to have held an inquiry to-day, but it was postponed on account of Captain Hansby being unable to attend. It will be held tomorrow at 10 a.m. Captain Hansby declines to give any information as to the cause of the accident, or to make any statement at all on the subject till the inquiry is held.

Later, 8.30 p.m. The steamer still remains in an upright condition, and in comparatively calm water, although it is blowing a heavy gale outside. She is not bumping, and at low water her hull was Bor 9ft out of water. Apparently she has sustained no more damage. It is just possible after all that she may be i)lugg6d up and tbe water pumped her, but it is mere conjecture, as the opinion of the harbormaster is that her bottom has been completely stove in. Air Stevens, one of the passengers, states:—“l was conversing with Captain Hansby last night for upwards of two hours, during which time he frequently expressed a wish to get alongside the wharf that night, and she would have done so had there been lights at the end of the breakwater. In the morning I got up about 6 o’clock and had breakfast, and was in readiness to leave the steamer immediately she was moored, as I was anxious to catch the through train. I was on deck when the steamer struck. It was a shock as if she had struck a rock. In 15 minutes afterward the hold was full of water. The captain was cool and collected, and acted manfully throughout.” Dunedin, June 12.

The following are the insurances on the Hawea’s hull :—Colonial office and National, £SOO ; South British, £SOO ; Standard, £250; United, £250; Victoria, £700; New Zealand, £250 ; Colonial, £250 ; North Queensland, £250 ; in Home offices, £2OOO ; the Company are underwriters for £BOOO. Total, £13,000.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRE3PONDEST.) Wanganui, June 12. The news of the loss of Allegro was received here with great exoitementby sporting men. Mr Keath purchased her (she vtas by Opawa—Jenny Lind) after the Palmerston meeting, and has had a very successful season. After winning the Great Northern Steeplechase last Saturday, she was greatly fancied for the Napier meeting. I cannot ascertain the prico paid for her by Mr Keath, but believe it was between £BO and £IOO.

The Hawea was not a comparatively new vessel, she having been built by Messrs Denny Bros., Dumbarton, to the order of tbe Union Company, in 1875. She was an iron screw-steamer, of 721 tons gross and 402 tons net register. Her dimensions were —Length, 215 ft 7in; breadth, 27ft 3in ; and depth of hold, 14ft lin. Her engines were 160 h.p. compound engines, and her ordinary tpeed was about 12 knots. The Hawea was brought to the Colony by Captain Wheeler in 1875. She was a sister ship to the s.s. Taupo, which also arrived in the same year. On their arrival both vessels were put on to run between Onehunga and the Southern ports. The wrecked vessel was valued at £20,000, but she was written down in the Company’s books at £I3OO. Captain Hansby has/been master of the Hawea for some years, and has always been looked upon as a careful and capable captain. The passengers by the Hawea will be brought on from New Plymouth overland. The Hawea was insured for £SOOO, £3OOO in colonial offices, and £2OOO in English offices. The remaining amount of £BOOO was held by the Company.

THE INQUIRY. (PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.) New Plymouth, June 13. The Hawea shows no signs of having moved. She is upright, and has not bumped in the least. Opinions are that she can be easily floated, as she is in no way strained. The inquiry is now going on. _ Captain Hansby says he anchored off the Breakwater about 11 o’clock on Monday night. The weather was squally, with a chopping sea. At 5.30 on Tuesday morning he prepared to go into harbor, and hove in about fifteen fathoms of cable. The s.s. Gairloch was close by, and just before entering he stopped the vessel and reversed her engines to let the Gairloch go in first. . He then oama in with the leading lights a little open to the westward. When he saw the breakers on the bank off the end of the Breakwater ho starboarded the helm, and when ahreastof the bank put the helm hard to port, to haul up t<» the wharf, and put tho engines at half speed. Ho saw she was not answering her helm on account of the fresh breeze on her broadside. He then stopped the engines and let go the starboard anchor, and went ahead slow, with the helm hard a-port, thinking the anohor would cheek her bow to windward. .She came round a couple of points, when he felt the vessel touch* in her heel lightly aft. He went on at half speed, as be thought she had touched the hank. Immediately after he felt her strike heavily a second time, and then he saw that her way

had been stopped. He sounded the wei found that she was not making water. Ab.

8.30 the cable of the starboard anchor parte<_. and the vessel drifted to where she now is, and got aground. At high water the forebold was tilled with water. Got the passengers and crew ashore. He and the chief mate were the last to leave the vessel. She cost £35,000 when built in 1575. He had come in before at the same state of the tide, which was two quarters flood. The vessel’s usual draught was from 12ft Gin to 13ft. There was 14ffc under the bow when the cable parted, with 18. fathoms of cable out. The vessel drifted into the 12-fathom line, where she now is submerged. He did not overrun his anchor. The chief mate’s evidence was similar to the captain’s. The other witnesses examined were James Molvor Wilkinson and the Harbormaster. The preliminary inquiry then closed. Some of the crew went off to the vessel this morning, but could get nothing belonging to them. The cabins and engine-rooms are full of water.

Some persons think that serious injury has been done to the vessel’s bottom by the way she has Bunk since she was stranded.

The officers and crew will be paid off here, aud most of them will leave for the South in the s.s. Wanaka on Saturday.