THE WRECK OF THE GOTHENBURG.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1959, 15 April 1875, Page 2

THE WRECK OF THE GOTHENBURG.

Mr Fitzgerald, one of the survivors, who has arrived in Melbourne, gives the following particulars, amongst other which have been placed at the disposal of the Argus : —" The passengers and crew were most orderly. On hearing low sobs now and a*ain, I could perceive by a flash of lightning that it was from a lady with a child,- while some gentleman condoled with her. Another instanca of distress would be that of a woman, who elapsed her arms around her husband. The only case of loud lamenting I heard was from one man, who had strapped a quantity, of gold round his waist—Simon Lissar. I followed Durand down to his cabin, amidships, where he took from a tin box a parcel containing a considerable amount of money, some of which I know he had received from passengers en; board to whom he had "issued tickets- three days before. I said,., * What's the idea ?' He said, ' I/will stick to the last spar of the ship.' He then took his place near the captain on the bridge. I went forward again. The captain told us to hold on until daylight. Some of us passengers cut up the halyards to lash ourselves to the rigging. M'Creight, ah old friend and former shipmate of mine, took my hand, and said, ' Good-bye, Jim, old fellow ; I know we will part.' I cheered him up, and gave him a piece of lashing, and told him to come alongside of me. We have all seen illustrations of ship-, wrecks, but on the frightful morning of the 25th before daybreak we saw the dreadful reality in all its horrors. The ship was lying over on the port side, awfully listing; a hurricane blowing, rain coming down as it does in the tropics, and unmerciful breakers rushing over the unfortunate ship, seldom without takibg 1 some of us with them. ,Then fierce flashes of lightning wculd illumine the scene as bright as the brightest gas lamps could show it. An instant and we were in pitch darkness. Then crashes of thunder would complete the whole.' At daylight a great crowd collected near the bridge. The captain stayed on the bridge throughout. The ladies were placed in the lifeboat. I -recognised; Cheese, the chief steward, standing near the most forward davit fall. As the ship was alist the waves kept coming over us, gradually, but surely getting worse. Then came an immense sea over us; when it passed I looked aft, and saw that it-had made a clean sweep of every living.soul there, and at that moment the ship slipped off the reef into deep water, and then partly i righted, making the masts more-perpen-dicular. The life* boat was • swamped, and the quarter-boat was bottom upwards. | Around, was one mass of human being! struggling. Never can I forget the sight. Several heavy seas washed' over us on the foremast ratlings. ,I. looked again, and saw the life-body; bottom up,' wiih six or seven men holding on, and one woman, Mrs Qsterman, caught hold of the keel near .the stern, and struggled .bravely) and held on until she was nearly drowned, and, then she let go. .She was, gone, and the few: of us looking on painfully, unable to assist her. ,1 saw uone other of, the ladies after this. I recognised Cartwright, senior, 1 swimming to a box or hencoop. He .got on it but was washed across the reef seaward, with his face towards us. A, sailor, one of the ship's oldest hands, a stout fellow, stripped and swam' over to the lifeboat. This boat soon after-righted, and drifted seaward. Four, or "five men, not more, were in her. I recognised among them, Mackay, formerly of Wallaroo. They had.no oars, and were quite helpless. The boat was partly split, I think, in being lowered. I believe Mr and Mrs Reynolds, Dr and 'Mrs Millner, remained below-in their cabin. Millner's daughters were on deck. There were about 14 of us on the mainmast rattlings, of which five — Krueger, Harris, Andrew, Markes and Cooper—?were near the main yard, and nine, -including Campbell, Radford M'Creight, Whylie, Hogan and myself, were close down tojbhe ship's side. Bob M'Creight sang out to me that Clelland was washed overboard, I looked but could not see him, I said,' Here comes another breaker, hold tight Bob.' It came, and only three out of nine of us were left. Bob went and pould not be seen again. In the backwash Campbell regained the rattlings, and we went aloft and joined the others, making in all nine of us.. Brazil now managed to swim to the mainmast. I recognised Clelland, who swam to the quarter-boat, which was lying bottom up, with its painter and davit-takle foul of and secured to the ship's side. ' He then swam to the mainmast. . Brazil and he flung ropes, and saved three others, Roberts, Cockburn and Thomas. At mid-day on Thursday

Clelland swam to the boat, then some distance from the foremast, to try and .bend on a line to her painter, and cut the painter below, but without success. I swam over to her and got the painter, but could not keep it. Clelland and I tried together to right her, whiclQire were within an ace of doing, but hgfiw> give up the task, not being weighty enough, and the sea with the breakers being tco heavy. Brazil, Clelland, and I afterwards again swam ever, and righted her and to our joy found four oars made fast in her. We moored her close to the mainmast, the'sea not allowing us to attempt" bailing heroutV ~ Clet--'----land and I returned to the foremast for the night. Brazil went into the boat late, in the afternoon, for the purpoie of rthoroughjy securing the oars, ft blew < heavily during the night, the vessel bumping the foremast a good deal out of .line with the main and mizen masts. We believe the vesjel was broken between the tore and main masts. We feared the foremast would not stand during the night. On Friday the 26th, the sea was much abated. Clelland, Cooper, and I swam over to the mainmast, and with Brazil, bailed the boat dry. There being some sailor hands among ' us,' we soon appropriated the ship's sails, and fourteen in number we sailed away for Cape Upstart, at about half-past seven a.m. On account of the heavy current taking ug to leeward, andthesea beinga littletoo rough for the number in the boat, we altered our course. ,We sighted a ■teamship, and { signalled to her, but she bore away. We /. made land at half-past four p.m.—Hoi- - born Islands.