LOSS OF THE BARQUE LAWRENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 1167, 28 September 1865, Page 4

LOSS OF THE BARQUE LAWRENCE.

A telfgram was received in town on :Wednesday afternoon, subsequently to our going to {Vress, armnnncinj? tho arrival at Tatnar Iliads of a Straits boat with the crew of the hurquu Liwrcnce, which had been wrecked on f lv: ia»t of Flinders Island. The hoftt arrived at Scott's Cret-k shortly before three o'clock ye-tc-rday afternoon, and Captain Buriiesou' has supplied us with a full account oi tho circumstances of the loss of his vetsel. The Lawrence was a barque of 309 tons register, owned by Mr E. M. Sayersl, of Sydney, and was bound from Newcestle to 'Adi-liiiiJe with ncdrgo of coal. She had a-crew of ten men, exclusive of tlie captain. The fallowing is they statement ■* furnished to us by Captain Barneson:—

" Siilcdfrom Newcastle on the 22nd August, with wind at N.W. At 5 p.m. passe i Sydney, with wind at W. veering to S.W. Fivm thence to Capo Dromedary had strong,S.W. winda. On Friday, the 25th, wind N.E., lig'it. On Saturday, the 26th, at 4 a.m., parsed Cupe Howe with light N.lO. winds, which continued until noon on Sunday, the 27th, when a heavy ■pile; suddenly came on from the westward. Brought shin nndcr closerccfcd topsails. 'Monday, 28th: Blowing.very hard, with a heavy sea running; ship lurching very heavily, and shipping a deal of water. At 4 p ni. sighted Bibel Island, hearing about S.W.; thick linzy wea'her ; wore ship to northward. 'I'uesdiiy, the 29th, ut 1 a.m. finding the gale increasing and ship laboring heavily, wort round to the S.W., and stood back und'ir Flinders Island. At 8 a.m. set the reefed topsail, arid brought the ship up under the island. At 2 p.m. tacked ship to the southward iindtr Babel Island, with cross-reefed topsail and foresail. At 4 p.m., while wearing ship, loui.d she touched ground abaft ; took in the maiutofißnii, but found a strong current setting to S.W., sending the ship on to a sand bank not laid down on the chart. I had been consulting the chart fill along, and seeing twentyone fo twenty-live fathoms laid down, had no thought of any danger in that locality. Wht-n the vessel grounded first, had the extreme cud of Cape Barren bearing S. by E. hall 10., and south-east end of Flinders Island bulling S.W. by S., about six or seven miles distant. Immefii.itely lowered the boat, and sounded round the vessel ne far as we ; could proceed with the boat safely, and iound the batik to extend to seaward, with only about thirteen feet. Finding tho deepest water inehore, got the longboat,' and laid out (he small lower anchor with , fortyfive fathoms .cable. Hove tight and commenced throwing cargo overtonrd, to try nnd save the ship. Wednesday, the 30th : At 3 n.m., got over towards the anchor, but not :;fl >rst.; Hove cargo over until about 2 p.m. Fin ling tho vessel floating, made sail ; as the vessel began to float, shipped the chain, hut the current bei; g so strong drove lur back on the bank again. Kan out a hawser to the chain, and hove tight. Commenced heaving cargo overboard ag;un. Thursday : Weather more moderate. Hove over about 100 tons of co;\I. Got hove up to tho end of the clMin, and made nil sail, when the vessel began to move ahead, ami, although, nearly fill afloat, the current hove her round again, and b;ckover the anchor on to the 'ground. It being then high water, let go the otli r anchor, to prevent her going further on the bank-,' intending to lighten her more ; but, as sho had been making water increasingly all the time, went to sound the pumpsi previous to pumping her out. Found five feet water, ie being theu above the coals in the main hatchway ; wea'her looking bad to the eastward, witlr a heavy, swell rolling in. Saw no hope then of saving th° vessel, so thought it best to try to save ourselves hy getting to some place of landing. Got some few stores in the boats, and at 8 p.m., lef r, the ship, and pulling in shore through the surf, got landed about 11 o'clock.. Then put off again to see if we could save anything from the ves:el ; but found a heavy swell alongside, and could get little or nothing more. Had to leave and pull for the shore again ; reached it on Friday morning. The wind then being N.E, a heavy surf got up. We then went in search of some water, and to see if there were many people near. Found some settlers, who kindly offered any assistance they could render. We then, moved up to a place whr.ra there was some fresh water. Saturday, 2nd September: Got one of the squatter's boats under sail, and tried to go eff to the vessel. We found thu sea too heavy, and had to put back, seeing the vessel wns then under water, sunk down in the sand. Sunday, 3rd September :" Weather more moderate.- Put off with tho ship's boat to the ship ; found her almost under water, her decks burst off and fast breaking up. Took all the gear we could get at with safety land returned to the shore. Monday, 4fh September: Weather moderate. Went (iff jto ship again with two boats. Got some few pieces of running gear and two sails ; but as the ship was breaking up fast, the Straitsmen would not stay alongside with the boats ; and seeing no hope of saving^ any more from the vessel, we returned to the shore, and male arrangements for getting over to Launceston, the only shipping port we could gt-t to." It will be remembered by seafaring men that on the arrival at Adelaide, a week or two si:.ce, of the Koh-i-noor, from Tome, Captain Creer, of" that vessel, reported the existence, on the east const of Flinders Island, of a reet not laid down in his chart; and the "S. A. Register" published the following "notice to mariners" ou the subject, in its issue ; of the 14ih ultimo :— ,

" Captain Creer reports the existence of a reef on the east coast of Flinders Island which is not laid down in his chart, and he therefore desires to draw the attention.of shipmasters to its' position, from which Cape Barren hears S. i E., distant from sixteen to eighteeh mile*. T befbroken -water,!-a;si it appeared f^ormtne topsail-yard, extended rt»"ortli and south about three miles in length, and inside it there was an expanse of water about six or eight miles

acrosß toithe mainlands. Seliiifcnds repbitinp the matter to the Marine Board, when lie v ill notice more particularly the bearings and distance.?' .. : "" ": ' :■' ■ T: ;.

Captain Barnesoh saw the aboveiparagraph for the first time yesterday, at this office, and states that the ," reef"; referred to, must have been the sandbank on which he unfortuuatt-ly lost his'vesseL He only wishes, aa no doubt allrotir readiirs' Will, that he had seen the warning earlier, as he would not then have fallen into the snare he did. Capt Barneson -end hist men kaye for Melbourne by the Black Sivnii (3.) this afttunioou. Captain Barneson speaks' well of the kindness he received at the hands of Mr Du'nbar and others on Flinders Ibiand.—'• Launceston Times," Sept. 8.