WAKATU ASHORE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19271, 8 September 1924, Page 8

WAKATU ASHORE

■ RUNS AGROUND IN A FOG. VESSEL HIGH AND DRY. CARGO UNLOADED ON BEACH. (Pee United Press Association.) BLENHEIM, September 6. / At an early hour this morning the small (Steamer Wakatu, bound from Wellington Kaikoura and Lyttelton, went ashore In thick fog on Waipapa Point, at the mouth of the Clarence River. The first news of the occurrence was received by , the police at Blenheim from the postmaster /at Clarence. Workmen employed by the ' Public Works Department at the bridge /early this morning heard explosions, ana / BttW distress signals in the form of rockets being sent up by some vessel close to shore, ft'hey communicated, with the postmaster, who advised the police. At that stage nothing definite was known as to the /‘identity of the vessel in trouble, or as to the nature of her plight. After daybreak, however, the heavy fog apparently lifted, and it became known that the ''Steamer was the Wakatu. She had gone aground in the vicinity of Waipapa Point, ■'approximately at the spot where the Taiaroa /inet her fate in April, 1886, when many lives were lost. ; v / 'Lator messages stated that the crew had o bden able to reach the shore in safety, /and were being cared for by the settlers ‘.‘and the Public Works Department’s employees. _ Nothing definite is known of the ’ state of the sea, but it would appear that if the vessel encountered thick fog there "would be an almost total absence of wind, 1 and presumably the sea would be calm. ' A message from Clarence intimated that ,'a light southerly wind was blowing. How"‘ever, information was gained in shipping “birclSs in Blenheim this morning that the /Wakatu intended to cut out her call at /Kaikoura, on account of the heavy sea running, and would have proceeded direct /to Lyttelton. If the were so, the stranded 'steamer might bo bumping badly. Senior-sergeant Clarkson, who is conversant with the Marlborough east coast in the vincity of Clarence, states that the ■ Wakatu is likely to be on the shingly : bottom of Waipapa Point, and, providing ”the weather is not tempestuous, is hardly ‘likely to come to harm, and may be successfully floated off on a tavourable tide. ' A telegraphic message received from Kaikoura is to the effect that the Wakatu went ashore at the mouth of the Claranco , River at an early hour this morning. She ‘ is half stern-on, and passengers and crew are safe. A heavy sea is running, and heavy rain is . falling. A later message states that the Wakatu. 'went ashore at 5 o’clock this morning, and is now high and dry. The crew walked ashbrb without wotting their feet. Every"body is safe, and very little damage has been done. There is one passenger aboard, whose name is not ascertainable. Further details, given by the Marlborough Express representative, state that the Wakatu is ashore on the Blenheim side ’ of Waipapa Point, within 60 yards of the bones of the old Taiaroa. She is high and dry, and there is no difficulty in getting aboard with a ladder. Most of the cargo baa been unloaded on the beach, and a /gang of men from the Clarence bridge / works is busy shovelling the shingle from 'round the ship. The vessel has a hole in her stem, and her stern plates are badly buckled; otherwise, provided the weather remains calm, there is no reason why she ' should not be refloated. The removal of the cargo is being done in order to enable the captain thoroughly to ascertain the ‘extent of the damage. Captain Robortosn and the rest of the crew have returned to the vessel. The captain said he was stand- ; ing on his ordinary course, which should have cleared. Waipapa bv two and a-half miles. There was a heavy fog, and he heard no sound of surf, and no warning of /dMlster till the vessel struck. The only way to account for the affair, the captain reckons, is that she must have been caught by an abnormal tide rip. CAUSE OF THE MISHAP. THE CAPTAIN'S THEORY. HOPES OF REFLOATING THE VESSEL. (Per United Press Association.) /■; / CHRISTCHURCH, September 6. ~ , A message from Clarence Bridge this /afternoon states that the nearest station/.holder to the scene of the Wakatu mishap ’is Mr A. J. Murray, of “ Woodbank,'’ Clarence Bridge. Mr Murray, who went but to inspect the vessel in company with the captain and crew, stated that there was a fairly big sea running yesterday. Last night could not be described as a bad one? though there was drizzling rain, and it was hard to see any great distance. The ivessed struck at 4.30 a.m. within 200 yards >oL where the Taiaroa was wrecked on ' April 11, 1886. The beach at this spot is 3 composed of small shingle, and is very r steep. The captain and the crew were ■‘‘able to walk ashore without difficulty imf mediately after the vessel struck. -; The first communication of the mishap fivau made from the post office at. Clarence '-.Bridge, . to which place the captain walked ■ 'from; the shore. Mr Murray states that the captain in“formed him that he had no idea how the oame to strike. He was on the bridge ■himself at the time, and, according (o his should have been two and a-half 'miles out to sea. The only theory ho has /is that there was a very strong current, ,~whifch must have carried the vessel shorewards. , , A horse wagon was able to draw up the Wakatu on the beach this Aborning, and all the goods for Kaikoura, •/consisting of four or five wagon loads, ;/werg' taken °ff the vessel. //‘ An . inspection of the Wakatu shows a jjpiall .hole near the engine room under the ..prospects of repairing this hole this afternoon when the tide wifi be out. It will be low tide at 6 o’clock this evening, and the ■Captain is hopeful that, by shovelling awav ■Jth© shingle and jacking the vessel im, it (will be quite possible to tow her off at high tide. tr' Mr Murray thinks the vessel will g e t off ■r**H right if the seas does not become toi ihigh. A jreat deal depends on the weather and sea. 'R. It is a queer scene, the Wakatu being (thigh and dry, with green pastures all -around and sheep and cattle grazing in the -pastures. VESSEL’S PRECARIOUS POSITION. SEVERELY POUNDED AT HIGH TIDE. / EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE. •/ (Per United Press Association.) BLENHEIM, September 7. ~ The Wakatu is high and dry at low .water, but is suffering a severe pounding At every high tide Providing the weatljer remains calm there is a good prospect pf the ship being refloated, but even a ■ few days’ rough weather would see her , pounded to pieces as she is in a very exposed position. On Saturday morning’ carts and drays were backed alongside the distressed steamer, and the whole cargo was removed quite undamaged. The ship herself has suffered fairly extensive damage, hole about 10 inches in diameter being '■frislßle under the starboard ouarter, while many ,of the vessel’s plates were buckled and cracked. The rudder was also Bair.aged. From inside the hold it can /be seen that the ship’s bottom is badly get up, a stanchion inside the vessel being crumpled. It will be necessary to undertake repairs to the ship’s bottom before to refloat her. In the meantime risk of disaster at every high tide ■is so great that the crew will not be asked ■to spend the night on the vessel, but will •b&>- found accommodation at Mr A. J. Murray’s “Woodbank” station. The vessel is owned by Levin and Co., and was built in Nelson in 1879. The Wakatu is an iron steamer of 157 tons gross, and 95 tons net tonnage. She is 119.5 ft long, 18ft in beam. _ and B,4ft in tieptb. She has been trading for manv {mars' between Lyttelton, Kaikoura, and Wellington, and, though small, is a comfortable passenger steamer. It is underwood, that she is not , insured in the ISedtnary way. There were no oassengers (aboard at the time of the week. ' Captain Robertson, who has commanded 1m Wakatu for about three years, state*

that on Friday night she left Wellington at 8 o!ciook. The night was a very dirty one, with a thick mist blowing from the land and blinding squalls of rain coming up on a stiff south-easter. Ho was on the bridge at the time the vessel struck, but had no warning of the fact that she was close to the shore. He believed that ha was on the usual course, which would have cleared Waipapa by two and a-half miles. Ho did not notice the boom of the surf, which might have warned him of disaster. The first indication of trouble was a slight jar. He rang for full speed astern, but the' vessel had now grounded heavily, and was bumping badly and making water in the engine .room. Ho sent up distress signals, and ordered the boats to bo prepared, but the coming dawn showed that the vessel was practically high and dry, and the crew scrambled ashore. They rejoined the ship when the tide went down, and with the assistance of the Public Wciks Department’s staff from Clarence bridge work and of Mr Murray, of “Woodbank,” all the cargo was salved. 'the captain has communicated with the owners, but is awaiting instructions with regard to salving the ship.