STORM IN NEW SOUTH WALES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1367, 12 May 1898, Page 32

STORM IN NEW SOUTH WALES

GREAT DAMAGE TO SHIPPING.

SERIOUS LOSS OF LIFE

Sydney, May 6. It was a tempestuous night, and torrents of rain fell.

The gale is still raging, and the shipping is sheltering. The harbour traffic was interrupted by the gale. Several small vessels have broken from their moorings. So far, however, nothing serious is reported. The ship Hereward, bound from London to Newcastle, has gone ashore at Maronbra. The crew was rescued. The schooners Halley Bayley and Albatross are ashore at Botany. The crews are safe. ANOTHER VESSEL ASHORE. Sydney, May 6. Up to this morning over six inches of rain have fallen in Sydney. Excepting a portion of the Riverina district and the far west heavy rain has been general. There is a mountainous sea all along the coast. Arriving vessels report having a rough time. The Here ward was in ballast. She lies close inshore on a sandy bottom,. If the weather mends she 'will probably be got off. The Halley Bayley and Albatross are in no present danger. The schooner Isabel was driven ashore in Crowdy Bay. The crew was saved. ANOTHER CASUALTY. A PASSENGER STEAMER ASHORE. NO NEWS OF HER PASSENGERS. Sydney, May 6. A steamer, supposed to.be the Newcastle and Hunter River Company's Maitland, is ashore at North Barranjoey. She is in a bad position, and the seas are breaking over her. Details of the disaster are not procurable to-night, owing to telegraphic interruption. The Maitland left Sydney for Newcastle last night with 36 passengers on board. '.'.". Sydney, May 6.

The gale raged throughout the day, and at one time the wind rate was 57 miles an hour. The gale lulled a little to-night The weather has been showery to-day, and it is raining steadily to-night. Telegraphic communication is seriously interrupted. The Newcastle and Hunter River Company's steamer Sydney has been driven into Broken Bay through stress of weather. She landed her passengers. Sydney, May 7. The gale is abating, but it is still raining. A few small craft foundered last night in Sydney harbour, including the tug Victor. There is no further news" concerning the Maitland, The scene of the disaster is a few miles north of Sydney. Assistance was despatched this morning. The Maitland had 26 passengers and a orew of 33 on board, and fears for their safety are entertained, as the coast is rocky and inhospitable. Several other vessel are missing, but in

the absence of telegraphic information it is hoped that they are sheltering along the coast.

The storm was especially severe at Newcastle. A number of houses were unroofed and the hospital partially so. The patients in some of the wards had to be removed.

Great damage was clone to the colliery railway s in the same district through washaways, and large areas in the lowlying parts of the district are submerged.

At Mereweather the chimney of the house of a family named Henwood crashed through the roof and killed an infant in a cradle, also severely injuring a girl.

The captain of the Hereward supposed the vessel to be 70 miles off the coast when she struck.

Before putting into Bcokm Bxy the steamer Sydney had a rough time. H3r bulwarks were smashed and her cabins flooded, and there was great difficulty in landing the passengers; The Monowai had a lively time on her passage from Wellington. She met the full force of the gale, but escaped with slight damage to her fittings. At Newcastle several vessels dragged their anchors, but were secured. WRECK OF THE MAITLAND. FIFTEEN LIVES LOST. THE RESCUED GET ASHORE ON A J LINE. TRAGIC END OF THE STEWARDESS. Sydney, May 8. The Maitland struck on a rock off Cape Throe Points, her engines having broken down off Barranjoey. About 30 of the passengers and crew were saved. j After the engines broke down she quickly i drifted on to the rocks, breaking in half j almost immediately. Although there is great confusion in several of the statements made, it seems j almost certain that most of the steerage i passengers and a number of the crew j perished. j After several unsuccessful attempts, in i which the cook and steward were drowned, ', a line was got ashore, and by this means : most of the passengers and crew were J saved. As the stewardess (Miss Fitton) was coming along the line it broke, and she was drowned. Six persons, chiefly women, were left on board, but later in the day a second line was got out, and these were saved. The following are believed to be drowned : —Chief officer (Mr Thompson), four sailors, two firemen, cook, steward, stewardess, and five steerage lady passengers. HOW THE LINE WAS GOT ASHORE. THE COOK AND STEWARD DROWNED. Sydney, May 8. When the forepart of the Maitland broke away the stern hung on to the rocks. One seaman unsuccessfully tried to get a j line ashore and another also tried, but both had to swim for their lives, being nearly drowned. Then a saloon passenger essayed the feat, the cook and steward agreeing to assist him. Daring the lull they succeeded, but in trying to clear the line the cook and steward were drowned. A fireman slid down the line with the aid of two men ashore and a passenger, and got the line made fast. FOUNDERING OF THE MERKSWORTH. A MYSTERIOUS DISASTER. NO SIGN OF THE PASSENGERS AND CREW. Sydney, May 8. The lifeboat has returned to Newcastle, and reported the loss of the Merksworth. The disaster is a mysterious one. When the tug and lifeboat reached the vessel she was drifting toward Stockton, but no sign of anyone could be seen aboard. The rescuing vessel got within 250 yards of her.

From appearances the starboard boat had either been lowered or got adrift. The port boat still hung from the davits.

A tremendous sea struck the vessel; followed by a second, when she foundered suddenly, stem first-, in 10 fathoms of water. If the crew took to the boat there would be little hope for them in such frightful weather. ANOTHER STEAMER MISSING. THE WORST FEARED. THE WEATHER MODERATING. Sydney, May 8. The steam collier Duckenfield is now 70 hours out from Newcastle. Portion of her wheel, with her name scratched on it, has been found on the Mereweather beach, and it is feared that the steamer has foundered. It is the consensus of opinion that it is the worst storm ever experienced in this colony. A terrible sea is still running off the coast. The weather is moderating, though it is squally. SEVEN VESSELS ASHORE NEAR NEWCASTLE. TWEN T TY-FIVE PERSONS MISSING FROM THE MAITLAND. Sydney, May 8. Newcastle news reports that five ketches and the steamer Ethel are ashore in Nelson's Bay, but no lives have been lost. The Ethel and the ketch Coral are total wrecks. A large unknown steamer is also reported ashore northward of Newcastle. The steamer Duckenfield has been sighted south-east of Port Stephens, all well. A boat has just effected a landing 12 miles north of Newcastle, and is supposed to contain the Merksworth's crew.

The captain of the Maitland says that one tremendous sea came aboard, flooding the stokehole and putting the fires out. Then the vessel drifted hopelessly through the inky black night, and just before dawn came she went on the rocks. There was some confusion among the women for a few minutes, but on the whole the passengers behaved commendably. Amongst those landed safely was an infant in arms, a sailor carrying it on his back. From a roll-call of the survivors fulJy 25 are missing. The bodies of those drowned are now coming ashore. EXPERIENCE OF THE MAITLAND. CAUGHT IN A TREMENDOUS SEA. Sydney,- May 8. The captain of the Maitland reports that the vessel had a terrible following sea after leaving Sydney. So tremendous were the rollers that he made up his mind to put the ship's head to the wind, but before he could carry this out a great wave rolled over the after starboard quarter, smashing the sponson house, flooding the stokehole and putting out th 9 lee fires. The engineers tried to keep the windward fires going by burning material intended for butter boxes, but the water continued to pour in until all the fires were out. When the ship struck the fore part broke off and fell into deep water. When the captain found steam could not be kept up, all hands were called on deck and supplied with life-belts. The captain stayed by the people who were left after the first rope broke, cheering them up through the long night, and he was the last to leave the ship. NAMES OF THE DROWNED. ABANDONMENT OF THE MERKSWORTH. ONLY THREE OF THE CREW SAVED. Sydney, May 8. The sailing vessels ashore at Nelson's Bay are the ketches Coral, Merlin,'Lena, Lilian, and the schooner Mabel White.

Six bodies have been washed ashore from the Maitland.

The following is the latest list of the drowned and missing :—Thompson, chief officer; Kate Fitton, stewardess; Alex Cargill, cook ; G-ergeson, assistant cook; Dotchim, Stewart, Donterwitz and Purlong, seamen ; Pearce, Ritchie and Donohoe, firemen. Passengers—Mrs McNeill and two daughters, Miss Cartwright, Manuel Olivers, Albert Kapolo, H. Winsor, Sydney Baxter, E. Carley, J. Owens, Petersen, Richardson, and a woman whose name is unknown.

The boat which landed to the north of Newcastle proved to be the Merksworth's, and contained three out of the crew of 12. The details of the disaster to hand are sftjanfc The ctfew abttadtined th& Marks-

worth at 1 o'clock pa Saturday morning and took to the boats. A tremendous sea was running, and they were several times capsized until the occupants were reduced to three; who landed, and the mate, Mclndoe, who was washed off just before reaching shore. When last seen Mclndoe was swimming landwards, and is believed to have been saved. The names of the drowned are:—J. Dyball, master; Mitchell, first engineer; C. Anderson, second engineer; Dempsey and Campbell, firemen ; A. Anderson, seaman ; Brinstead, winchman; Stainer, cook. Tie report that a large unknown steamer is ashore north of Newcastle is believed to be unfounded.

The Maitland was a screw steamship of SCO tons burden, commanded by Captain Thompson.