THE STRATHCONA WRECK

Southland Times, Issue 17484, 27 July 1915, Page 6

THE STRATHCONA WRECK

FURTHER PARTIC U LARS. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND. July 26. Further particulars of the -wreck of the Strathcona. the Cable Board’s schooner, came by mail from Suva today. Before the marine enquiry in Suva tlie captain of the Strathcona stated that the weather for a day or two after leaving Auckland was had, but he' did not ascribe his mishap to that but to his compasses. At 7.20 on the evening of June 10 he had just worked but his position as 29 miles from Minerva reef when the mate gave a sudden alarm and the vessel struck on what afterwards proved to be Minerva reef. They remained aboard the ship on top of the reef that night, ami next morning dragged the. boats a considerable distance over the reef into the lagoon. Afterwards they built a large raft, on which they placed a stove and erected a tent, and eight men took up their quarters there while the captain and four men undertook a perilous voyage of some hundreds of miles to Ono in the launch. They were picked up by the search steamer, as already described, when returning from Ono with a cutter. The eight other men spent an unenviable time on the reef, where they plenty of supplies and fish. When the search steamer left the Strathcona was lying on her side on a reef and is likely to become a total wreck.