A PROBABLE ORTASTROPHE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3745, 20 May 1899, Page 5

A PROBABLE ORTASTROPHE.

THE OHAU MISSING. ElvrliT DAYS OUT FROM WESTPORT. SEARCHING FOR THE VBESSSL. That which is causing a great deal of anxieiyand worry among shipping people and the friends and relatives of those on board is the non-arrival of the steamer Ohau, which left West par. for Dunedin yesterday week, laden with 800 tons of coal. In common with other of (he Liuon Company’s steamers, she encountered the full force of the heavy southerly gale winch raged in Cook Strait on Saturday last, but, from the reports ot different steamers, she apparently, and perhaps imprudently, did not attempt to shelter, as other steamers did. Captain. Nordstrum, of the Haupiri, saw her at noon on that day, when she was making slow progress against winci and sea in the direction of Cape Campbell. She was in sight untn 4 p.m., when, owing to the weather and the dusk of evening coming on, Captain Nordstrom lost sight of her. Tho Corinna. hound in the same direction as the Ohau, was also sighted by Cant "in Nordstrum about the same tunc, but this steamer has long since arrived at Lyttelton. Both vessels appeared to be making very bad weather of it and experiencing an extremely rough passage through tho Strait. On a telegram being received from Dunedin yesterday morning that there was still no sign of the overdue steamer, Mr W. A. Kennedy, tljc local manager of tho Union Company, tit once made arrangements to dispatch a steamer in search of the Ohau, and at noon the Brunner left for Cape Palliscr to see if there wore any traces of the Ohau in that vicinity! The Ohau is commanded by Captain Brower, one of tho oldest and most capable officers in the company, and whose seamanship is very highly spoken of. With him are associated Messrs McPherson (formerly chief officer of tho Wainui) and Warrender, as chief and second offi,dcrs respectively. Mr R. Burns, of Dunedin, is chief engineer; Mr J. Young, of Wellington, second ; and Mr D. G. Stevenson, of Dunedin, third. Tho ship’s company is made up as follows: Captain, first and second officers, first, second and third engineers, six dock hands, a lamp-trimmer, two cooks, four or five firemen, two or throe stewards, and a brass boy. It is feared that the vessel, m facing tho weather she would have to encounter on rounding Cape Campbell, has shioped some big seas, which have broken in her hatchways or decks, and so. caused her to founder. No matter in what trim, the Ohau never bad a reputation for buoyancy, and tbc fact of her being deeply laden would make her still more dead in a sea-way. Tho overdue steamer—a sister-sbip tn the Taupe—is a steel screw steamer of 740 gross and 411 net tons register. She was built in the year 1884 by Messrs W. Denny and Sons, of Dumbarton. Her dimensions arc: Length, 200 ft; breadth of beam, 32ft fin; 'depth °f hold, 15ft 4in; moulded depth, 10ft 4in. She has two cylinders that measure 26Jin and 48in in diameter, v ilh a stroke of S3in, with her engines of 92 R.H.P.

In the ordinary course of things she would have arrived hero to-morrow from the south (in the Herald’s late running). with produce for Wellington, Now Plymouth and Greymouth. A few weeks ago the Ohau, hound from Napier to Westport, put into Wellington, owing to an injury to her rudder-head, sustained during some heavy weather met with off Capo Palliser. A Press Association message from Christchurch states that the signalman at the Cape Campbell lighthouse saw the Ohau on Saturday last, and kept her in sight from 3 p.m. until night closed down. She was having a groat, tussle with the elements at the time, and appeared to be shipping large quantities of water. In response to the anxious inquiries from headquarters. Mr W. A. Kennedy wired to the different reporting stations that would have most likelyseen the steamer. As a result, a similar message to that sent by the Press Association was received from Capo Campbell. The telegraph operator at Ea.ikonra wired back that a vessel was seen on Wednesday a long way out to sea, but this would most probably bo the collier Janet Nicoll, which left Westport for Lyttelton on Monday night. Communication was also obtained with Ocean Bay and Port Underwood, but at neither of these places had anything been seen of the steamer. In order to ascertain whether the steamer seen by the staff of the Capo Campbell lighthouse really was the Ohau Mr Kennedy yesterday sent another telegram. In reply, Lighthousekeeper Dow telegraphed;—“Ohau when seen from Cape Campbell first was about ten miles off, making fair headway. When last seen was about two or three miles 'from lighthouse, heading south.. Blow very hard from dark Saturday night till 10 a.m. Sunday. Confident it was Ohau, not Hesketh. Just before dark could distinguish red funnel. Masthead light seen 5.20 p.m. No sign after that, although looked for her off and on till 10 p.m.” The steamer Brunner returned to port yesterday evening at half-past 8 o’clock. She went right round till the east coast was opened up, keeping will in-shore, hut saw no trace of the Oban. Captain Millman signalled the Cape Palliser lighthouse, asking if the occupants had seen anything of a vessel in distress, but no answer was received. It has been arranged that the Brunner will leave again at 3 o’clock this morning for Capo Campbell, to start a search at daylight as far up as Queen Charlotte Sound. If this quest is fruitless, the Brunner will remain in the Sound for the night, and proceed to Kapiti Island 1 on Sunday, still with the same object in view.