THE COLONIST WRECK.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 296, 5 September 1888, Page 5

THE COLONIST WRECK.

Welling m, August 31. Tiirc Colonist struck the rocks about 11 o'clock this moi'ning, bub a couple of hours before this Captain Sinclair, of the steamer Tarawera, from Lybtelton, when nearing Wellington Heads, noticed signals of distress flying from the schooner, and he made a praiseworthy effort to ronder assistance bo the disabled vessel, but owing to her close proximity bo the shore nothing could be done, and the Tarawera came on to Wellington and l-eported the wreck. Those on board the Colonist were Charles Bailey (mate), Charles Burns, A.8., a nian known as " Mike," and another man whose name is nob known, who was working his passage. This lasb-menbioned person had been working as a pobber in Dunedin, where he had lived for some years past with his wife and family. Captain Bailey when the ves&el struck had made a determined effort to swim to the shore, bub missed the line thrown bo him by the fishermen on bhe beach, and was dashed against the rocks. He breathed for a few minutes after being washed ashore. The body has been brought to town. The survivor jumped overboard before the vessel struck, and after swimming about 100 yards he _ climbed on to the rocks, from which he was rescued by means of a line passed out to him by people on shore. The man Avas considerably knocked about when he was brought to shore, and there was a great cub on his temple, but he had not lost consciousness, although somewhat dazed. The other people on board did nob care to follow his example by jumping overboard, obherwise bhey might have saved themselves.

Nkw Plymouth, September ]. Captain Bailey, half-owner of the wrecked Colonist/, was about 45 to 50 yeers of age. He leaves a. wife and family of four children, who arc at Waitara, the eldest child being a boy of 15 years. So far as can be learned, the vessel was uninsured. The Colonist, wrecked at Wellington, is said to have been the schooner which took the refugees from Poverty Bay to Auckland after the Te Kooti massacre.