WRECKS AT TIMARU.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 11 June 1924, Page 7

WRECKS AT TIMARU.

HORRORS AND HEROISM. GALLANT DEEDS BY GALLANT MEN. When the next “big sea” is running, with log billows breaking half a mile or more from the shore, people whose memories cannot carry them back to pre-harbour days may be able to understand how Timaru in the Seventies and Eighties had a bad name among skippe s and at Lloyd's as an unsafe port. Imagine a sailing vessel, large or small, anchored within the range of these big curling billows, and it will be easy to understand how between shirty and forty vessels were wrecked or stranded in ' less than, twenty years before a sheltering arbour was made. No ordinary ship’s tackle could hold a vessel against the propulsive force of such huge waves. Sometimes these exceptional seas arrive during calm weather here—-ripples from a distant storm at sea; sometimes they are accompanied by a gale. In either case a sailer had little chance-, of being able to obey the Harbourmaster’s liag-staff signal—“ Stand out to sea.” Unable to obey, the common consequence of disobedience was a snapping of cables or a dragging of anchors, smaller vessels thrown high up on the beach (in niany cases to be refloated on the return of fine weather), larger vessels to be pounded to pieces by the breakers. The risk to life was obvious. A large self-righting life-boat’had been presented to the New Zealand Association by Baroness Burdett-Coutts. It was first taken to a North Island port, and not being reeded there it was sent to Timaru tbout 1870. It was christened “Alexandra,” after the then young and popular Consort of the Prince of Wales. The Alexandra was not often used as a lifesaver—it is said that she was only thrice manned for such duty, but she did good service on one memorable occasion in 1882. since when she has only left her shed to take part in spectacular street processions. Much more frequent were the calls for the services of the Timaru Rocnel Brigade, a volunteer, well equipped organisation, established about 1867, when a supply of rockets arrived; from England. .There are some still amongst us, who, as members of the brigade, responded to the calls of the Harbourmaster, and the rope being made fast to ship and shore—-on the shore with suitable standards and anchor : belonging to the Brigade—a “breeches buoy” was dragged to and fro, bringing the crew one at a time safely ashore. On at least two oe : casions the Brigade made long journews. A vessel named the Hudson was reported to be in difficulties near Opihi mouth, and the Rocket Brigade went thither- On another occasion they journeyed to St. Andrews, to assist if necessary a schooner named John Watson, which touched Patiti reef in going out southwards, sprang a leak and sank four miles from land off St. Andrews. The crew took their boat and rowed ■ to Timaru.

The two most disastrous wrecks, as far as loss of life is concerned, happened under circumstances that'prevented the Rocket Brigade playing their useful part in either of them. The first of these was the wreck in June, 1879, of the brigantine Akbar, Just arrived with a load of coal. The Akbar went ashore in the middle of a dark night, unknown to the people on shore until' daylight neixt morning, when the vessel was missed from the anchorage and seen as a brown hummock oh the Washdyke spit. All on board were washed overboard when the vessel got into the breakers, and the captain, his wife, and three seamen were drowned. The rest of the crew made tlieir way in rain, gale and darkness along the spit to the first house they saw Judge Ward’s, on Belfield Hill. The second of the great loss-of-life disasters occurred on May 14 1882. On land it was/a beautiful May day, sunny and bright, and even warm, with a light ncr’-vvest a-ir, hill the heaviest sea ever known here was running. The 100 0 ton iron ship' Benvenue and City of Perth were anchored in working range. The former began to drift slowly about 11 a.m. At 1 p.m. the Rocket Brigade who had been standing-by since day light, so dangerous was the sea, took their gear to Benvenue Cliff (as it i now known) as the ship was drifting in that direction. Their service' were not howeyer, required, as befor the ship reached the shore (to he come a total wreck, some fragment: of which may still he seen at lov, ■tide) the crew left her, and went aboard the ship City of Perth. A Crowd of people stood on the cliff and watched the fine ship Benvenue come to the beach and turn broadside on to the sea, all spars stand ing. By, the time the Benvenue had reached the land, tho City of Perth had begun to drift, and at 2 p.m. the two crews left her, in four -boats. the captain of the City < f Perth unwell. Though the City of Perth drifted to the beach she merely hacked in" - ) the side of the Benvenue, and lay there quietly till towel off soire weeks later. ’

Two of the three* boats had reached or nearly reached the shelter cf the breakwater when n his curling wave Ewampe.d the third hunt which had lagged behind. The two boats turned hack to rescue the nu n in the water —had nearly reached them —when they shared the same fate, and nineteen men were struggling in the water. Half the townspeople occupied points of vantage to watch the dangerous exploit of the boatmen and were horrified at the triple catastrophe. A crowd rushed for the lifeboat, dragged the Alexandra on her carriage to the water, and a crew of seven was soon pulling for the scene of the disaster. It was a task demanding great skill, but the men were reached, and most of them were picked up when over went the lifeboat. Again, and a third time, the Alexandra was rolled over by huge curling waves. The crew stuck to their work however, and when all had been picked up that were to he seen the Alexandra made for the breakwater and reached it without further mishap. While the lifeboat was being got ready some courageous spirits started to the relief of the men In the water in an Iron surf boat, but they could not make head against the big seas in tne clumsy craft, and therefore anchored, and three men wete saved bv swimming to her. The lifeboat with a fresh crew wont off to fetch the men from the surf boat, and had not got all on board when sho was once more capsized, and one life was lost on this occasion. She roturned when refloated, and another crew fetched off the remaining men from the surf boat, which sank before morning. The horrors an 3 the h irolsnm of that fatal afternoon are commemorated by the Wreck Monument near the Post Office, on which are recorded the names of nine men who lost their lives In that tremendous sen, and of forty-throe who heroically jeopardised their lives In t.ho work of rescue, among the latter being several members of the Kockot Brigade, who formed part of the second and third lifeboat crows. The graceful monument and the scraps of relics of the Benvenuo beneath the cliff recall to those who witnessed it the most distressing accident that has happened in the history of Timgru op a port.. ~ "