Wreck of the Alexander Newton.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7012, 26 June 1894, Page 4

Wreck of the Alexander Newton.

♦ . Early on Friday morning the Poherua arrived at Auckland from Lyttelton, briuging the mate and five of the crew of the Sydney barque Alexander Newton, wrecked at Portland Island on Monday last, the captain and two of the crew be* ing drowned. The Alexander Newton sailed from Port Stephens on May 31st with a cargo of piles for Napier. On Thursday, 14th inst., at midnight, she rounded Gape Palliser, the wind being from the north-east. On Saturday evening the wind shifted to south-south-east. Early on Sunday Bare Island was northwest ten miles. The weather then came on thick, and the wind freshened to a , violent gale, and a heavy sea got up. The /■ captain, not caring to run into Napier, I' kept as much as possible to sea. At 11.30 't' a.m. on Monday, when the fog lifted, | those on board found they were close m f on a lee shore and the vessel sagging ': down on the rocks, and a tremendously '*t heavy sea breaking on them. A few minutes aftex wards she struck, and im- ; mediately afterwards begau to break up. ' All were supplied with lifebelts, and all ; but three succeeded m reaching the forerpart of the vessel and dropped from the jibbooru into the sea and were washed up on the rocks. VVhen the survivors were counted, it was found that the captain, cook, and an able seaman had not reached the shore. Three of those saved walked to the lighthouse at the other end of the island. The others made their way to a deserted Maori wbare on the beach, and waited until they got some clothing. The keeper took them to the lighthouse, and did everything possible to make them Comfortable. When visiting the scene of the wreck an hour after, not a vestige remained excepting the windlass and cables. At 9 a.m. on Wednesday the Poherua was signalled aud was told of the disaster. She steamed round to the west side of the island and lowered a boat, which brought the survivors on board, and Bhe lett again at 2 p.m. The second mate was badly cut and bruised by the rooks when he was coming ashore. Those drowned were John Harwood, master ; Baker, cook ; and Charles Hendrik, A.B. The survivors are : —Thomas Potts, mate ; Francis Edwards, second mate; William Hodgson. Charles M'Donald, Charles Suckstorff, and Alexander Olsen, A.B.'s. It appears from the account given by the survivors that the vessel was leaking freely before she struck. The men were exhausted with their work at the pumps. The wonder is that more lives were not lost. The vessel struck on a rocky reef 200 yards, from the beach of the island, and was reduced to matchwood m a very short time. Captain Harwood met a sad <w death. He was at the wheel when the : 7Swssel struck. The/sea lifted him, and >. .^^e wheel dashejLJiim against the deckhouse. Another sea caught him and hurled him back dn the companion way. He was seen to bs bleeding. The waves then washed him overboard. When the survivors left the inland none of the of tb^uJtflAflLjmm had been

highly of the kindness shown them by the lighthouse-keepers during their stay on the island. The Alexander Newton was T a wooden barque of the following dimens sions :— Length 151 ft lin, breadth 25ft b siu, depth 12ft, tonnage 309. She was a built at Manning River, New South - Wales, m 1876, her port of registry being 1 Sydney, and the owner William Johnson. t The lighthouse • keepers at Portland 9 Island reported that the same morning as the Poherua was . there the after part of the bottom of a small vessel came ashore t close to the lighthouse, but they had not had time to get down the cliff and examine the wreckage. It looked like part of the hull of a schooner. p ____________ _