RESCUE OF CASTAWAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2076, 7 December 1893, Page 35

RESCUE OF CASTAWAYS.

WRECK OF THE BARQUE SPIRIT OF THE DAWN. THE CAPTAIN AND FOUR OF THE CREW DROWNED. THE SURVIVORS RESCUED BY THE HINEMOA. EIGHTY-SEVEN DAYS ON ANTIPODES. The Colonial Government steamer Hinemoa, from one of her periodical visits to the outlying islands in the South Seas, arrived at Dunedin wharf on Monday with the chief and second and third officers, and eight of the crew of the Spirit of the Dawn, rescued from the Antipodes Island, Captain Fairchild, with his ueual courtesy, supplied all information concerning his trip, and gave every facility to our representative to interview the castaways. Mr Gordon, Inspector of Mines for the colony, also very thoughtfully supplied us with the following particulars : — The periodical visit of the s.s. Hinemoa to the Antipodes Island on the 30th of November last proved a great source of joy to some castaways who had been living on the kland for nearly three months. On getting near the inland Captain Fairchild observed a flagstaff erected on a high knob on the south-western end, and on getting nearer a flag was hoisted, which indicated plainly that someone was there. On getting to the north-east end of the island, where the Government depot is erected containing provisions for shipwrecked" seamen, Captain Fairchild expected to find someone there, but after blowing the whistle no one made their appearance. As soon as the vessel was anchored he went ashore and found that no one had visited the depot since his previous visit in May last. He at once despatched the second officer to the end of the island, about two miles distant, where the flagstaff was erected, to learn who was there. After having done this he lifted anchor and commenced to Bfcxam round the island to see if any wreckage could be discovered. On gefctiDg round to the south side of the island a flagstaff was observed on a low terrace a little way back from the Bhore, and some men could be observed walking about on the rocks. A boat was lowered and cent ashore and there A Pitiful Sight was beheld . Eleven men, some of whom had very little clothing, were found standing on the rocks — some with pieces of rawpenguin flesh ia their hands, which they had been eating. The first salutation from them when the boat landed wag " God bless you ! We have been here 88 days." The whole of that time they had been living on the raw flesh of mutton, birds, penguins, penguins' eggs, the roots of a' plant J' (probably Ligisticum antipodorum, or perhaps stilbocarpa), and of a small creeping plant resembling celery in both appearance and taste. They proved to be the survivors of the iron barque Spirit of the Dawn, belonging to Johnston, Bell, and Co., of Liverpool. The ill-fated vessel left Rangoon on the 18th of June last, loaded with rice, bound to Talcuhano, on the west coast of South America, and struck on a reef of rocks on the south-western side of the Antipodes on the 4th September last, about 4 30 a.m., going down in about 15 minutes after she struck, the captain and four of the crew being drowned The Chief Officer states that he relieved the second officer at 4- a.m., the weather being very thick at the time, with drizzling rain. The fog was so dense that they could not see the length of the chip ahead. About 4- 30 a.m. T. Ballard, able seaman, being on the look-out, reported that he thought there were breakers ahead. The chief officer at once went forward to ascertain if such was the cage, but the fog being co dense he could not distinguish them. At the same time he called the captain and all hands. The captain immediately came on deck and ordered the helm hard up, but the ship being on small canvas at the time would not pay off, and almost at the same time Bhe struck. The captain then ordered lifebelts to be served out to all hands and to clear away the starboard lifeboat, but the vessel settled down so quickly that there was no time to get the boat into the davits. The captain seeing this, ordered all hands to take to the mizzen rigging. The chief and pecond officers being on the main deck at the time struggling to get the lifeboat clear, went on to the bridge, where the boat was resting, and got into her with the anticipation that she would float off the skids, which she did. On gettingthe boat clear of the skids the men in the mizzen rigging jumped, some iato the boat and some into the water. The latter were all pulled into the boat. The captain, still clinging to the mizzen rigging, ordered the boat to pull clear of the wreck, and almost instantaneously The Vessel Disappeared. The fog becoming thicker every minute, the men in the boat could see nothing, but pulled round apparently abaut the place where the vcsstl sank, to see whether they could pick up auy mcra of the crew, but did not succeed in finding anyone, nor could they discern any portion of the wreck. The wind and tide being easterly they drifted out to sea, when about 11 a m. the fog commenced to life and they then saw the inland, which they succeeded in reaching about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The place where the vessel was wrecked was on a reef of rocks which extends about half a-mile seawards on the Eouth side of the island. The Eleven Suavivous had nothing but what they stood in, some of them having scarcely anything on but their underclothing. The place whtra they landed was about three miles from where the Government depot containing provisions is erected, but none of them had thoroughly searched the island, or even went on to the top of Mount Galloway, which is the highest point (1320 ft), and from which the depot can be seen. They state that they were so exhausted that they could not walk about, and having no matches or means of lighfciug a fire they had to subsiat on the raw fl°sh of mutton birds ar.d the roots of the plants mentioned above for the first month, after which the penguins commenced to come to the island, and aq soon as they got their eggs they recruited their strength quickly. The greatest hardship they had to endure was beicg

Without a Fitie and no place to sleep in which was rain-proof. They first built a small hub with tussocks on the top of the low terrace, where they erected a flagpole, with a piece of canvas at the top as a flag; but subsequent ly thoy built two huts by

placing walls of tussocks up against an overhanging cliff, which they found a much better mode of protecting themselves against the inclemency of the weather. There is nothing but bluff rocks at the place where they landed, and no way of pulling up a boat. After taking out the oars, mast, and sail they made her fast, but a heavy swell came in and bhey found nexb morning that she had got adrift and gone out to sea, thereby depriving them of the means of exploring the shores of the island. During the time they were on the Antipodes they saw

Four Vessels Pass to the southward and eastward, but none of them could have seen their flag, or if so they must have been taken for a party of sealers. About 16 days before they were picked up they lashed a piece of timber to a life buoy, after having cut out the latitude and longitude and the words "Shipwrecked crew," and set it adrift, with the view of it being picked up by any vessel at sea. A few days afterwards they removed the boat's mast from where it was first erected and planted it on the top of a high knob on the island, having in the meantime made a flag out of some canvas, a red shirt, and some bunting, and one of them kept a steady watch at this point. Had the flagstaff not been planted at the top of this hill, in all probability they would not yet have been discovered.

The whole of the survivors when picked up were in excellent health, with the exception of a half-caste Indian boy, who was shipped at Rangoon as an ordinary seaman. Owing to the cold he experienced in landing and staying on the island, his feet got in the same condition as though they wore frost bitten, some of his toes having dropped off from the first joint. With this exception he seemed cheerful and otherwise in good health. It may be stated that had they discovered

The Depot, which can be seen from the most prominent points of the island, they would have found ample provisions for the whole of their stay ; also a stcck of clothes, blankets, matches, a rifle with ammunition, as well as fishing lines. There are also a number of goats, sheep, and cattle on the island. During the stay of the Hinemoa nine sheep and three cattle were seen, but, sbrange bo say, none of these were seen by the castaways, although the whole area of the island is only aboub 30C0 acres, without a particle of bush. On the survivors getting aboard the Hinemoa, Captain Fairchild managed to find clothes from amongst the crew and passengers for the whole of them, and treated them with that characteristic kindness which distinguishes aud endears him to all those who have ever travelled in the Government steamer. The survivors speak in the highest terms of the kindness they have experienced at his hands.