HEAVY GALE.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XXIX, Issue 9296, 11 March 1899, Page 2

HEAVY GALE.

SEVERAL SCHOONERS LOST. MANY VESSELS MISSING. CONSIDERABLE LOSS OF LIFE., FURTHER PARTICULARS; Association -Elect ic Telegraph -Copyright —* ' ■BRISBANE, March. 10. The Warrego also passed the schoo- : ner Crest of Wave totally dismasted,. and apparently abandoned, drifting v out to sea. , •- Further southward it was noticed that the Channel Rock lightship had disappeared, A little later a number of bodieß, apparently those of white men, were seen floating in the water. Great anxiety is felt at Cooktown as to the safety of the Tawara pearling , fleet. ■' ' Of the 150 luggers forming the fleet only twelve have been seen afloat since the gale. ' Several schooners are also missing, The Warrego has been despatched from Cooktown to continue the search and render assistance. . The pearling fleet suffered severely in a gale which was experienced in Northern Queensland, , but. it is hoped most of the missing vessels-have been driven out to sea and will turn up safely. ■ - ! Later details of the hurricane on the northern coast show that it caused great destruction to. shipping and ' considerable loss of life.. The steamer Warrego, which ar- . rived at Cooktown from the Gulf ports, reports that the hurricane commenced on Saturday and lasted twelve hours. - . ' The schooner Meg Merrilees was totally wrecked off Pelican shoal, and •the Tawara drifted ashore. The crews were laved. Eleven pearling luggers are known • to be lost, and, so far as has been ae- . oertained, eleven : men have been drowned.