A WRECK FEARED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2455, 3 April 1901, Page 18

A WRECK FEARED.

WRECKAGE AND A DEAD BODY WASHED ASIIOKE. THE FEDERAL'S FATE STILL IK DOUBT. SMALL HOPES OF THE FEDERAL THE HAWAIIAN ISLES IN A STORM. SYDNEY, March 26. A quantity of wreckage, including a piece of wood with " S s. Federal, of Melbourne," written in pencil on it. and the body of a man were picked up eff Gabo Island. The Federal is one of M'llwraith and M" .Lac-hern's fleet. She left Port Kembla on the 20th with a cargo of coal for Albany direct. She passed Gabo the following; afternoon. Apiil 1. The Hawaiian Isles ha" arrived at Newcastle. She encountered a violent hurricane 35 miles west of Wilson Promontory. There were no indications of the approach of the tempest, which wa?. the most violent and sudden ever felt on the Australian coast. The vessel had the whole of her sails blown away. A tidal wave, or waterspout. 50ft high, was observed, but the vessel got clear of its effect"-. MELBOURNE. March 26 The steamer Peregrine, just anived. reports that L-he passed the Federal a few miles north of Gabo. A heavy gale was blowing at the time. There is a possibility that the man found was washed overboard, and that the articles supposed to be wieckage were thrown lo him. Ihe ownei- of the Federal have no information le the vessel. The manager says that, viewing all the circumstance 1 -, he is almost driven to expect the worst. Had the man bsen washed overboard onh , in view of the gale raging he thinks the captain would have signalled the safety of the vessel at the fiist opportunity. The steamer Surrey signalled Gabo a few hours ahead of the Federal She had struck the beginning of what is described as a terrific cyclone when 90 miles beyond Gabo, therefore the Federal might have got the full force of the hinricane. She is. due at Albany on Friday or Saturday. A message from Gabo to-night states that a lifebuoy marked "Federal" and a quantity of wreckage have been washed ashore. The body lecoveicd is that of a middleaged seaman There is still a possibility that the steamer w a<- swept by the gile, and that the man and the wieckage were wa>heil overbou d. but the a'most geveial opinion in shipping circles, including the owner", i^ that the .Federal foundeied She was under the command of Captain Coull, aiul canied a cievi of 29 all told March 27. The late«t news from Gabo states that the wieckage includes five lifebuojj- and a portion of the hatches, cabin nttiiigs, boat chocks, and oai 4 The following is the latent available list ■ of the ciew • — - J. Coull, captain ; A. Henderson, chief officer ; T. Reader, second officer ; third officer not given ; John Hill, chief engineer ; R. Spence, second engineei ; W. I Napier, third engineer ; John Cole, fourth engineer; E. Craw ley, donkeyman ; A. Goetz, R. Burroughs, C. Tankre, P Marsell, J. Hockett. Henry Wiight, A.B.s ; D. N Eckhoff, W Monaghan, H. M'Guire. John Young. C. Po>irj , G. Bibby, firemen ; W M'Fadcley. Wright. Daniel O'Neill. W i Wood. J Coft'ey. coal trimmer ; H Hani*. chief steward ; H. G Robinson, met" room ! stewaid ; E J Strathein. chief cook. Theie may be othei members of the Crew who shipped at intermediate ports ; The owners of the Federal to-day are moie hopeful that , he may have weatheied the blonn. Mr M EacUem iuud tiiat in aoj

case he is firmly convinced that she has not loundered. If lost he is of opinion she cither stiuck the land and went down or collided with another vessel. Mr M'Eachern thinks the discovery of a varnished portion of the tafl'rail suggests the theory that the Federal collided with another vessel. Finding the gale so funovs he thinks the captain may have attempted to run into, a harbour lor refuge, and would, in the fog, have lost his course. Mr M'Eachern would not be surprised to find the steamer ashore somewhere along the coast. A steamer wluch lias arrived from Newcastle reports that on Sunday night a fire was .seen on the beach at Ram Head, some 3'J miles south of Ga-bo. It is suggested that if the Federal has bsen wrecked the crew, oi some of the crew, got as-hore there. However, there aiv some fishing station" in the vicinity. March 28. A des-cnptior. of the body wa.-Led ashore i=i ■said to correspond with that of Captain Coull. of the Federal. Although the list of the crew previously supplied came from flic shipping office, it appears that several of the men had signed off lately. The names of the officers were correctly stated, but the names of the ciew are now given us und n r : — H. Steel, boatswain ; H. Goeiz. F. Guidon, W. Harris, E. Yarmood. C. Frankel, M. M'lntyre, F. Holland. M. Fraser. A.B.s ; S. Harris, chief cook : F. Daniel?, cook; W. Smith, mcisroom steward ; D. Eckhoff, Monaghan, S M'Guire, V Young, E Pairy. S. Belby. F Ptrsico. F. Moian, E. Reynold;, firemen. Fears are al«o entertained for the safety of the schooner Louisa Lamont. Some wreckage found at Gabo is said by those who know to belong to her. The fate of the s * Federal is still unsolved Arriving and departing vesselshave b>en instructed t'> l%tvp v ■sharp lookout A steamer from Sydney to-day reports that she ran clo-e in to Gabo, but saw neither wieckage noi indications of survivors The latest news from Gabo states that «ome wooden ship's beams came ashoie which could not possibly have belorged to the Federal. In some quarters the recovered body is supposed to be that of Henderson, chief officer of the Federal : "in others, the captain of the schooner Hawaiian Is'es. which left Melbourne 10 days ago. This adds a possibility of the lattei s wreck to other uncertainties. Later evidence goes to show that the Louisa Lamont Ava« probably not m the vicinity of Gabo. April 1. Moie wreckage, maiked with the name '" Federal," has been picked up at Mallacoota Hie wife of the cook on board the steurei has identified ;< lifebelt as belonging to her husband A quantity of wieckage strewn on the beach near Caps Liptrap is believed to belong to the Louisa Lamont. The body of a negio was also found on the beach in a box. Among the crew of the Federal i<? a Dunedin young man, Dugald Nppier Eckhoff, son of the late Captain Eckhoff. He was for tome time in the Union S S. Company's emp'oy. and was on the Hauroto before transferring to the Federal,