WRECK OF THE KETCH CREST.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 162, 18 November 1868, Page 2

WRECK OF THE KETCH CREST.

An official enquiry into the cause of the loss of the above unfortunate vessel was held at the Court House, Akaroa, on Monday the 16th inst., before J. Watson, Esq., R.M., and Messrs E. C. Latter and R. Townsend, with Mr W. Townsend, officer of Customs. The first witness examined was Edward Cunningham, who deposed to having been a seaman on board the Crest, that they left' Akaroa on the morning of Oct. 27th, with a light southerly, wind, bound to Flaxbourn, with a cargo of telegraph poles, the crew j consisting of William Ellis, master ; J. Barker and witness, seamen ; whilst Mr W. Belcher was on board as passenger. All went well until about five a.m., when they were clear of Akaroa heads about half-a--mile, the wind still continuing southerly, being a fair wind for them. Ellis then took the helm, and desired witness and Barker to go below, which they did, Mr Belcher being below. They went to sleep, and witness was aroused either by the rolling and tumbling of the vessel or else by the cries of Ellis, which, he could not say. On coming on deck he saw the cliffs above them, and Ellis forward with a long sweep endeavouring to push the vessel off ; he called to witness and Barker to assist him, but they did not, as they considered the position of the vessel to be hopeless j the vessel at tiiis time bad not struck, nor did she strike until witness had been twice and had gone the third time into the cabin for different articles. Witness assisted Barker to launch the dingy and put the paddles into her, when Barker immediately jumped into her and sculled away, Mr Belcher remarking, " STed, is that fellow going away to leave us like this ?" and witness answered "It appears so." Witness considered it would have. been impossible for Barker to have stopped to have allowed them to get into the boat, but when hfe was outside the breakers the sea was perfectly smooth, and witness could with ease have swam with a rope to the dingy, by whicli means no doubt the other men could have been saved. Barker first pulled towards Akaroa heads, and then turned back and went to Flea Bay, they on board cooeying and hallooing, but he took no notice of them. Witness remained ou the wreck about an hour after Barker left, when he shook hands with the other two, and told them he was about to try and swim to a point at some distance, which he fortunately reached, and from whence he was rescued by James Rhodes and George Noonan in the Crest's dingy ; he was naked, with the exception of a singlet. They then went as close to' the vessel as possible, and saw Mr Belcher inside the mouth of the cave and Ellis upon the wreck, but they could not get near them. When witness left the wreck, although her decks and spars were whole and standing, yet he believed her bottom was knocked out and her taf rail was right iuto the cave that Belcher] and Ellis must have perished in. He could give no account as to the cause of the wreck, but surmised that Ellis must have either had a fit or gone to sleep, although the latter seemed to him rather improbable, as he never sailed with a man who could do with less sleep than Ellis. He (witness) was a teetotaller, and would swear tliat every one on board was sober. ■ The next witness examined was John Barker, who deposed that he was a seaman, and owned one third of the ketch Crest, the " other two-thirds being the property of the Master, William Ellis ; he confirmed' Cunningham's evidence as to their leaving Akaroa, and being aroused by the wreck. Cunningham assisted witness to launch the dingy, when witness got a bucket and bailed heT out, and returned on board to clear the painter which had fouled, he requested Cunningham more than once to get into the boat, but did not ask the others. Ellis was forward all the time. When witness left, he was bailing the boat the second time, and although he tried, he could not get back to tlie wreck; lie then thought he had better go for assistance, and started 'towards Akaroa, but thinking that too far he turned and went to Flea Bay ; he heard the cooeying before he reached the bay head. He considered what he had done was for the best, as if he had not acted so he felt assured that he would have been with the others, and doubtless they would all have been lost ; he himself was unable to swim ; when be reached Flea Bay he was supplied with clothing and boots, and started for Akaroa, and in ten minutes after his arrival there was on his way to the wreck with a whaleboat fully manned, although unfortunately all their efforts were unavailing. James Rhodes and George Noonan gave evidence as to the arrival of Barker at Flea Bay, and also as to the rescue of Cunning 7 ham, Rhodes stating that it was half-an-hour -after Barker arrived before he started for

Akaroa ; and they botb agreed that had Rhodes not started for Akaroa, assistance wouldhave reached the wreck earlier,but to this : Barker, although at first agreeing, afterwards said he would not return to the wreck, but wonld go to Akaroa, and they pointed him out the track. Barker told them both it was useless going to the wreck, as the other three men must be drowned, the sea when he left breaking half-mast high over her. The witnesses confirmed Cunningham's statement, as to seeing the two men and their inability to reach them, and also stated that when they left with Cunningham, the wreck was breaking up, one of the masts was broken. Barker stated to them that he supposed Ellis must have been sleeping to have caused the accident. Mello Schenkel was examined, and stated he was a master mariner ; he went on the 27th Oct. last, with others, in a whale boat to endeavour to rescue William Ellis and Mr Belcher from the wreck of the Crest; in this they were unsuccessful, himself and Mr Hoist having been capsized and narrowly escaping Vthey tried every means they could to reach tlie shipwrecked men, but without avail ; having lost all their lines they returned to Akaroa for fresh appliances, and started again about 1 a.m. on the 28th, reaching the scene of the wreck before daylight ; they found *the men had rigged slings from the roof of the cave into which they got, but even when there it was seen that the wave 3 knocked them about, and after a subsidence thfe water was seen to run from their bodies and legs. On this day they managed to get a rope to the men, and Mr Belcher got hold of it but it became foul and the men appeared so prostrate that they were incapable of doing anything towards their own rescue. They tried to shoot a ramrod into them with a small line attached, and also tried to get a dog into them with a line, but every endeavour was futifeTj and they had again to return to Akaroa for fresh appliances and gear. He cauld give no opinion as to the cause of the wreck, but could only surmise, from what he had heard, that Ellis must have gone to sleep or something must have happened to him, otherwise the vessel would have never been where he saw her. Cyprian W. Bridge was examined, and stated he was one of tke party that was in the boats on Oct. 28, and he again went down to the scene of the wreck on the morning of the 29th, arriving there before daylight. At daylight they discovered there were no signs of the men or of the wreck, and he believed the two men must have been washed out of the cave at high water during the night. The Resident Magistrate stated that the magistrates were unanimously of the opinion expressed by Mr Schenkel, that the wreck must have been caused either through Mr Ellis going to sleep, or his being seized with sudden indisposition.