The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1866.

Timaru Herald, Volume VI, Issue 163, 22 December 1866, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1866.

The unfortunate catastrophe, the wreck of the Prince Consort, which we record today, leads us to enquire into the causes of the accident with a view that precautions should m future be taken to guard against <n like disaster. The main cause which led •to the accident was undoubtedly the shifting of the ballast which rendered it quite ; impossible for the vessel to right, when •once thrown on her beam ends. She was jilso imprudently near the shore, but this of itself was of small moment, if the ballast had retained its proper position, for with two anchors down, the vessel was perfectly able to ride out the gale. We como to this conclusion, on the ground that some years since, there was a far heavier gale, and tenfold the amount of sea running than on last Thursday, and a small coaster was lying* m the roadstead the whole time ; and if we remember right, she did not lose a stick, although exposed for something' like eighteen hours to the fury of a gale that happily very seldom • visits our port. Since Timaru has been visited by ship- ' ping, now some ten or eleven, years, this is the first accident that has occurred, and the like need not occur again, if a little precaution was taken m stowing ballast on board small crafts. It has hitherto been the custom to ship for ballast the loose beach shingle which, if stowed, as is often the case, m bulk m the bottom of si vessel, is very likely to shift and thus cause the ship's &: rfestnictibn : and this is as likely to happen on the broad ocean as-wTien lying at anchor. If it is absolutely necessaiy to carry the s&ingl'e ballast, it "surely would not be- a difficult matter , to; retain it m;: its right position, and thus secure a great? ad- ! ditionab safeguard: A warning like- the ( present does good- in the end, for it 'Vill make masters more careful as to the < ballasting of their crafts, and may be- the means of saving life and property, which otherwise might be sacrificed if the present system was gone on with. : We were glad to observe the expeditious manner the Alexandra lifeboat was taken out ef the shed and' put off to the rescue of the shipwrecked crew ; but a little over a quarter of an hour elapsed from the vessel capsizing te. the lifeboat being alongside the wreck. This* time, even-, "would have been shortened by one third, if the lifeboat cohld have been' launched direct from the shed inbo the water,, but the ground i in ifrbttt of :tbe shed is m such, a Lroken J state* that it was impossible- to take the boaVoverit. The piling and filling m of thewhble fore-shore from the old lafiding place to the Goverrimeht :> shed is urgently required; and the Government should lose no time' in causing it to be done. We must not omit to recogaise the hearty.'efSJTtis^mntle-by a number of volun-

teers m assisting- to get the lifeboat into the water, and also of these few men who stepped forward to man the boat; but although their conduct was most manly and praiseworthy, the chief boatman "did right m refusing- their services, and faking- with ,him his own tried crew. If fact, he could not have acted otherwise, as both himself and crew are specially engaged to man the lifeboat when needed. Last, though not least, we must call attention to one gallant lellow, Mr Bertiand, who swam through the surf to the rescue of a fellow-creature. Such an action deserves special ■ mention, for instances of manly courage are not now-a-days, m this quiet part; of the world, of such frequent occurrence as to afford to pass over them unnoticed. A Koyal Humane Society's- medal has been given for actions of less courage and daring than that displayed by Mr Bertrand. Yesterday afternoon a subscription list was opened m the town for the shipwrecked crew, and m the evening it had amounted to seventy guineas.