TRAGEDIES OF THE SEA.

NZ Truth, Issue 12, 16 November 1907, Page 7

TRAGEDIES OF THE SEA.

THE CATHERINE ADAMSON,

Entering the Harbor from London,

DASHES AGAINST THE NORTH HEAD

And Drowns Passengers and Crew— A Southerly Buster Fiity Years Ago.

OS'or them no more the blazing hearth shall- burn, No busy housewife ply her evening care. _Sfp children run to lisp their sire's. return, . Or climb his knee, the envied kiss to share. ; —Gray. The Catherine Adamson was an Aberdeen clipper of 886 tons, not a bad lump of a ship for half a century ago, and was reckoned the queen ship of Anglo-Australian vessels, because she had beaten all other sailing vessels on the run from Australia to Britain. She had left Sydney ' on March 26, 1857, and landed her mail on the 68th day. Not many sailers since that day have beaten that record. Seven months from the day she left Sydney she .was again heading into Port Jackson, then being put on her third voy- j age, and commanded by. Captain Stu- 1 art, who had been m charge of her ] <J since her launch. Stuart lost by her Bii^d earnings of a busy. AND INDUSTRIOUS LIFE. The Catherine Adamson was m charge of a pilot named Hawkes when she was blown .ashore on the rocky, • North Head, and battered to pieces at midnight, or early on Saturday morning, October 24, 1857. Pilot Hawkes, 15 of the crew, and five passengers were lost. Fortunately she carried on the fatal voyage but half-a-dozen cabin passengers. She sailed from the Downs on July 20 and everything Connected with the ship and passage went on well till she entered Sydney Heads on October 23. The ship bad sighted land at 7 o'clock m the. riiorning ; at 3 o'clock off Botany she met with squalls, and the wind blew hard. When she reached the Heads at 9 o'clock it was a fine riioonlight night, with a calm sea and a breeze blowing down the harbor. At 9 o'clock the vessel was beneath the Heads, and signalled for a pilot, and m a little while Pilot Hawkes clambered aboard. Hawkes was an experienced sailor, and had arrived m the country as chief mate of the ship Lady Fitzherbert, m September, 1838. Afterwards he commanded several English and Colonial vessels, but for the five years preceding his tragic drowning he was a pilot. He left a widow and four children. Hawkes determined to take the vessel up the harbor. The wind was . averse, but counting on the flood tides he expected to beat up within | an hour or two. But it was quite | clear that the ship did not answer J the expectation of the pilot. The men j,re said to .have worked well, but their efforts were defeated by some

defects m the vessel or gear , or by hesitation One of the seamen, Thomas Beaton, at the subsequent inquiry, said : "The ropes gave way and disabled thc ship from Working properly ; the ship worked very badly, her blocks were stiff and worn; and there 'were no blocks to replace those that did not work well. - The working blocks for the briaces were out -.of order -and we had no others than those ih use. And I can compare it to nothing better than dragging a rope over a nail." Thc Catherine Adamson made several tacks across the harbor. She was sailing close to the wind, and the helmsman found it impossible to keep her sails full. Her progress was consequently slow, there being little way on. She Was then struck by a heavy squall ; and, ih attempting to tack, she missed stays, and was drifting bodily on to the rocks, when the pilot, seeing there was noother course open, let go both anchors. The ship seemed "to lay safe if the weather had remained moderate, as all sails were shortly clew--ed and furled. But the Catherine Adamson had dropped anchor for THE LAST TIME. Captain Stuart wrote a statement for the Coroner's jury, but it was not required, they considering that the evidence of others was sufficient. It read as follows :— ) October 23 ; 185,7— Between 6 and 7 p.m. double-reefed the topsails, then about 25 miles south Of Sydney Heads ; wind about W.S.W., • strong breeze. Several days previously chains were bent, anchors got out, all the warps on deck but the large hawser, which was all clear m the ower forecastle. In fact the ship was made all ready for dodging at sea for the night or coming into harbor, not being certain of fretting a that night, as I have not been m the habit of getting , a pilot so far off before. After passing the l^ht, foresail and mainsail »T°re hauled up, ready to recei^s the pilot, for whom I had been making signals with blueilights and a rocket. Stood under easy sail towards the heads, say double-reefed topsails, jib, spanker, and main-topmast-staysail. During the day had singled main braces and sheets to work smartly up the harbor. About 9 p,m. received pilot Hawkes on board, who took charge of the vessel, and asked me if she would work UNDER THE CANVAS . then set. I said I thought she would but that we could soon make what sail .be reqtiired. He ordered the foresail and mainsail to be set, which was at once done. Stood towards the ' North Head, and when pretty close to it tacked to the southward.

The" ship stayed, but having been kept rather close to the wind the yards did not come round well, owing to the mainyard being rather too long m being hauled, and she was long m stays, and made stern way. In conversing with the pilot, I explained to him that with my ship it would be necessary, when he wished to stay, to keep her clean full, and haul the mainyard round as soon as she was head to the wind. He gave me to understand that he had had so many of these ships now that he knew how to handle her well enough. The wind being nearly right out of the harbor, I suggested to him whether it would not be better to take the ship outside for the night ; I made the suggestion twice at least ; he said if we went outside we might be at sea for a week, and having a flood tide, if we worked the ship smartly, and made two or three good tacks, we would get m, and to a good anchorage. .The ship Was hove about on the . south side, a good deal to the eastward of the South Reef, and she came round pretty well. She then looked, to make about Inner North Head. When pretty close, she was tacked to the south, again coming round moderately well. We stood across, and fetched close to the eastward of the South Reef. The ship was put about again, but was LONO- STAYS, and made much stern way, owing to having been kept too close 'to the wind, giving her too little way, and the mainmast not being hauled soon enough. Just after being put about, she was struck by a heavy squall from the S.W:. The mainsail and foresail were hauled up by the pilot's orders, and she stood towards North Harbor. The wind moderating a little, he found it necessary again to have more way on the ship and ordered the foresail to be set, which was done, but shortly afterwards the foresheet carried away. All this time the ship was kept very close to the wind by the pilot's orders. •As the ship was drawing over to the north side, I several times went to leeward to see how she was going, and fearing that she would not clear, 'told him more than once that she was going bodily to leeward and would not clear the land. Heajs ofteri said she would clear, and go into Spring Cove, where he intended to bring her up, he repeatedly calling to the man at the wheel to "keep his lufl." * It soon became evident that the ship would not clear, and two attempts were "made to stay her without success, owing to her having too little way. The pilot, about 11.30, ordered both anchors to be let go, which was instantly done, with 60 fathoms chain on the small bower, and 45 on the best -bower. Clewed up and furled all sails, which occupied about an hour and a quarter, and the vessel seemed to lie safe if if the weather had remained good, as she seemed to -be more than her own length FROM THE ROCKS and lying nearly parallel with them. The pilot and myself having agreed to send for the Washington to tow the ship up, and his own boat having left the ship some time .before, we burnt blue lights and sent up rockets to bring her or another boat to send for the steamer. I suggested sending one of the ship's boats, but both of us thought it would be daylight before any of them reached Sydney with the wind there was. The Williams steamer, coming m firom thc Hunter, came down and offered assistance/ The first time we were hailed from her we did not hear what was said, but the pilot hailed them to go to Sydney and send the Washington down, to which we could hear nb reply. She made another turn and came closer. The pilot again hailed to know what steamer it was, and they said, "The Williams from the Hunter." He again hailed to go to Sydney and send the Washington, and they answered, "We' can tow you if you send us a warp." The pilot hailed several times that they could not tow the ship, but I suggested that it would be proper to keep the steamer and try it at any rate, although he repeatedly said she could not tow the ship. We hailed the Williams to come ag close as possible, and we would throw a line fast to the warp, and I at once went forward and gave orders for thc large warp to be taken up, as I did not consider it prudent to trust to the ordinary towing lines, as we must have slipped our anchors when he got a STRAIN ON THE WARP. I should have stated that after the sails were furled I had advised the pilot to heave m 20 or 30 fathoms on the small lower chain to bring her further off. He agreed with me, and I ordered the mate to be ready to do so, and the jiggers were put on both chains and the necessary preparations made. The steamer coming alongside, however, occupied attention, and the chain was not hove m, all our efforts being devoted to getting a line on board her. When I went forward and ordered the warp to 'be got up, the doing which occupied about 20 minutes, we made one or two attempts to heave a line to the steamer without success, and the ship's gig was put out to carry a line to the steamer. While doing so a pilot boat came alongside and took the line to the steamer. While hauling on it^ the line parted, and it was again sent, and I believe the warp was got on board the steamer, but from the steamer lying broadside to the wind, stern on to the ship's port side, and by this time astern of the ship, she was unable to slew head to wind with tbe warp, and was obliged to slip it. There was upwards of 80 fathoms of warp out when it was slipped ; at this time it was about 3 a.m. The warp was all hauled oh hoard the ship again, the pilot and T being !on the forecastle head at the time. lit is proper to mention here that from the time the steamer came near us, when each attempt was made to throw the line on board, and also to haul m tbe warp when carried ion board the pilot boat, a good deal i of delay was unavoidably caused. j When hauling m the last of the ! warp, the ship began to feel uneasy, I and ! ROT J, A TTTTLE. Seping that tbe se-.i was roming coni trary to the wind, I asked the pilot '■

where that sea was coming from or i what was the cause of it, hut he gave me no answer, I did not observe any I change m the ".yind. As soon as the warp was all hauled m,, I ran aft to j the poop as fast as I could, as I saw the ship was swinging stern m to the rocks. | I looked over the stern and saw she was close to the rocks, but . had not struck. I then called out for all hands to lie aft, and get the boats out, when the mate and some of the men came aft and got the gig into the water, which ,only took a few minutes. But by the,, time it was done the ship had , struck aft once or twice. I saw the gig into the water, and the chief officer superintending . then went to the other side to superintend and assist m getting out the lifeboat, which took about 15 minutes, but might have been done much quicker had more hands come to assist. Many ofthe crew seemed frightened and panic-stricken, and kept on the forecastle- head calling ' out to the steamer, apparently "regardless of the boats as a means of safety. I had hold of the line holding the stern of the lifeboat, and in* shoving her off the poop to launch her forward, I was thrown into, her on mv hack and slightly hurt. I got out of her again, and as she was on the rail, before being lowered into the water, I ran to the cabin door and called out whether anyone Was there, but got no answer. I then went to the waist, got on the rail, and saw the lifeboat lowered.. I called to some TO JUMP IN and keep her clear of the side. Some did so, and the boat was hauled forward to the forechains by the men on the forecastle without any orders from me. I followed her and say/ her filled with people and away, having then no intention of goin^ ; by that boat, ancl having previously given orders to the second mate to get out the pinnace, which would j have held the rest of us. All this time the ship was bumping heavily. When I went forward to see the boat off I called out to the chief mate to come as quickly as he j could with the boat, but' with the uoise and confusion I believe he could not hear me. The lifeboat lay alongside long enough to allow more people to get iritb her if they chose. She was not cast off hy my orders, but after she was adrift from the ship a thought struck me that I had better go and try to get the steamer to come closer to the ship and enable me to get back to her m the lifeboat, having an idea that I could do more for that purpose than anyone else, and that if I did I would got on board the ship again, ard besides saving all the lives might save the ship's papers. All this t-imc the sea had been, rising . rapidly and was very high. I thought then the ship would ' be lost, but not that any life would be. I jumped from the forechains into the stern of the lifeboat when she was well clear of -thf 1 ship. Only one man, Sillis, got into the boat with me, and I hauled him out of the water. I called FOR AN OAR to steer with and one was handed aft. Four or five oars were manned, each by two or tliree men, and the boat was pulled alongside the steamer m about 15 minutes. The steamer was rolling heavily, and difficulty was experienced m getting out. of the boat. Being anxious to communicate with the master quickly, I got out of the boat as fast as I could, being hauled over the | steamer's rail by some of the crew. I ran to the bridge and urged the captain to get as close to the CathI erine Adamson as he could with the lifeboat. He replied that he would jdp anything I' wished, . provided his ! vessel was not put m. danger. We both looked over .and saw the I lifeboat. He ordered her to* be passed | astern, and my second steward and one of the steamer's,, men got into, her, made her fast, and she was passed astern. The men got out of her then. It became necessary for the steamer to back - her engines a little, and the lifeboat got foul, filled, and went adrift. I asked the master if he had a boat he could give us. He said he had one, but she . was small and unfit to go m such a sea and that his men . had previously refused to go m her. The steamer went as close as she could with safety, hut without other boats found she could RENDER NO ASSISTANCE. The master and I then agreed that it was tftest tb proceed to* Watson's Bay for lifeboats or other means to try to save the people left on board the ship. The pilots Gf-ibaon and' Jenkins came with their crews, but before the steamer returned the Catherine Adamson was all broken' up and was m pieces. When t left the ship I had nothing on but a: shirt and trousers, without watch, money, ship's papers or any article belonging to the ship or myself.'— George Stuart, master ship Catherine Adamson! The jury, after three-quarters of an hour's deliberation, returned a verdict :— "That the "deaths of the persons named m thik inquiry were caused by an error m judgment displayed by the late Pilot I-iawkes m attempting to bring the ship Catherine Adamson into harbor during the unfavorable state of the weather at the time, and that through that error the lives were lost." In the old cemetery at Camperdown there is a tombstone with th". following inscription :— Within this tomb were deposited by direction of the Government of . New South Wales such remains as could be discovered of the passengers and crews who perished m tlu: shins Dunbar and Catherine Adamson, the forfner of which was driven ashore and foundered when approaching the entrance to Port Jackson on the night of the 20th August ; the Intl pi* after out-Tin *• M.is port on _l*p ".-ving of the 2H !t October, A.D. 1857.