WRECK OF THE NAMBUCCA.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1717, 25 January 1905, Page 66

WRECK OF THE NAMBUCCA.

SUNK NEAR SINCLAIR HEAD. NO LIVES LOST. As the steamer Duco tossed in the turbulent ‘“white horses” off Sinclair Head on the 17th, a little group of shipping men on deck, dodging as best they might the drenching spray, gazed across the misty sea at a couple of masts and a funnel showing above the waters against the background of the high cliffs opposite. This was the last of the well-known coastal steamer Namhucca, which struck a reef inside Tom’s Rock, a mile or two to the westward of Sinclair Head, on Monday night, the 16th inst., about 10 o’clock, in a heavy fog, while on the way from Port Underwood to Wellington, with a cargo of wool, chaff, and general produce.

The Namhucca, having taken on hoard a general cargo at Blenheim, called at Port Underwood for wool, and left Robin Hood Bay for Wellington at 6.15 p.m. on the 16th instant. The steamer was under the command of Captain North, and had on board as passengers Mrs North (the captain’s wife) and five-vear-old-boy, Mrs Wiggin, Miss Montgomery, and Mr Radd. On account or the fog which settled down as the vessel crossed the Straits, it was impossible to see Pencarrow’ light cr any sign of land. Captain North, who is very familiar with the coast, took his boat close in shore, as tiro sea was quite calm, and he did not expect danger. He only realised, when lie saw the coastline, that he was too close in, and at once put the vessel’s head to sea again, but a moment or two afterwards she struck the rock. She was travelling at a good speed at the time, and ran up on to the reef, while the after-part of the vessel began at once to fill with water and settle down. Accordingly, it was doomed prudent to take to the boats and pull for the shore, s : nee there was no hope of getting the steamer off. The ship’s lifeboat and dinghy were lowered at once ; the three lady passengers, who rushed up from their berths when the accident occurred, Were transferred to the lifeboat with the other passengers, and the two boats, with their freight of fifteen persons, set out for Island Bay—a long pull round Sinclair Head. It was fortunate that the sea was calm, as otherwise the passengers and crew would not have been able to take to the boats so 'easily. The ladies behaved admirably ; one was alarmed, but the others were quite calm. During the long pull to Island Bay, Mrs North kept up the spirits of her fellow-passengers, and actively assisted the crew by baling out the boat. Island Bay was reached about 1 o'clock in the morning. The proprietor of the hotel was roused, and gave the party accommodation for the night, and in the morning they came into town..

Passengers and crew lost everything. No luggage was saved, and the crew have only the clothes they were wearing at the time of the accident. It was hoped that the luggage, the mails, and the ship’s papers, if not some of the cargo, would have been saved; but when the Duco arrived at the scene of the wreck on the 17th the Namhucca had gone down. She was actually seen to slip off the rook where she had been pinned, and settle down in the water, as the Duco neared Sinclair Head. “You won’t get anything off that boat,” was the comment of one of the little group who stood surveying the spectacle, the submerged masts and funnel looking like those of a toy boat at the base of the high cliffs. The wreck was heading south, the position into which the steamer had been turned just before she struck. Some bags of chaff were floating about in the neighbourhood, and as there was no deck cargo on board this indicates that tho hatches have hurst open.

The Namhucca was a well-known trader, engaged in the Wellington-Blen-heim service for over two years. She was a wooden, screw vessel of 130 tons gross and 74 tons net; built in 1898 by Mr D. Drake, of Balmain, New South Wales, and was purchased in May, 1902, by her present owners, the Marlborough Steam Ship Company, Limited. for the trade in which she has since been employed. Her principal dimensions were—Lengthy 101 ft; beam, 24ft 4in ; depth, 7ft 4in. The engines were manufactured by Cran and 00., of Leith. The Nambuoca was extensively overhauled last year, and her passenger accommodation was considerably improved and enlarged. She was to

have been placed on the patent slip at Wellington at the end of the week for re-coppering. Captain Fisk had command of the Namhucca when she first entered the Blenheim trade, and was succeeded by Captain North, who has remained in charge up till the time of the mishap. Captain North has had along experience in the navigation of Cook Strait, and has been master also of the Waihi, Kanieri, Duco, and Opawa.

The Namhucca was ir: ’ in the Australian Alliance w . for £2OOO, and the following are i.ho j-e----i insurances:—South British, £400; New Zealand, £400; United, £400; Victoria, £2OO ; and .Alliance, £2OO. Messrs Johnston and Uo., Ltd., the local agents, advise that the steamer Ngunguru has been engaged to take the place cf the Namhucca in the Wel--1 ington-Blonheim service. Sinclair Head is a high, bold cliff, five miles south-west from Palmer Head, a small promontory on the south-east extremity of Lyall Bay. Sinclair Hoad has foul, rocky ground extending nearly half a mile out to sea. From Sinclair Head the court runs in a northwesterly direction towards Cape TVru- . liiti, which is six and a half miles distant. ” Between those two headlands, two miles and a half westward of Sinclair Head, is Tongue Point, which is low and projecting. Karori Rock is ten feet hisrh, and beat's half a mile southwest. of Tongue Point, but is not connected with it. although a reef runs off Tongue Point for a considerable distance. Tom’s Rock is only just awash at low springs. It lies one mile southeast and a half-point east cf Karori Rock, and a quarter of a. mile from a line drawn from that rock to the extreme end of the reef off Sinclair Head, being one mile from the shore, and immediately off Karori stream. A Press Association telegram from Blenheim states that the cargo on the Namhucca. was as follows: —23 bales of wool, shipped at Port Underwood by Mr Stace, of Robin Hood Bay ; 225 sacks chaff, of which 125 sacks were shipped at Blenheim by Messrs Clouston and Co., and 100 sacks by tho Fresh Food and T-ce Company; 20 sacks peas, and 64 trusses of straw, shipped by Mr W. B. Parker ; 6 sacks of potatoes, shipped by Clouston and Co.

Only the wool is protected by insurance.

Tho mail, which was only a small parcel contained information collected by the Wairau Road Board from sheopowners, and forwarded to Mr Shortt, Government Commissioner, for the purposes of the Clarence Bridge Commission.

Mr Robert Priddle, one of tho owners of til© Namhucca, estimates the loss at £6OOO.