THE WRECK OF THE ST. VINCENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 244, 23 February 1869, Page 2

THE WRECK OF THE ST. VINCENT.

1 ' The Wellington 1 Independent of Feb. 18 contains the following : — One of the most disastrous wrecks which have occurred for several yearn on the New Zealand coast took place on Sunday evening last, Feb. 14, inPalliser Bay, Cook's Straits, when the fine ship St. Vincent, 834 tons, Captain Barron, owned by Messrs Potter, Wilson and Co., of Glasgow, went ashore in the heavy gale which was then blowing. The St., Vincent, which was one of the finest ships that have ever visited this harbour, arrived here on the Ist January from Cardiff, with coals for the Panama Company, and having discharged her cargo sailed on Saturday last in ballast, for Lyttelton,, to load there with wool. On Sunday, at noon, when off ' Cape Campbell, it came on to blow heavily from the south-east, and the ship was ultimately blown into Palliser Bay, where she struck at 10 o'clock on Sunday night. The wreck occurred a little to the north of Cape Turakarai on the Mokomoko Rocks. The vessel was insured. The chief officer, Mr Stringer, and the sailmaker, a Swede, alone succeeded in reaching the shore. The following is the '-'official statement made by Mr Stringer at the Customs: — I; John Stringer, do hereby solemnly and sincerely declare that I was chief mate of the ship St. Vincent, O N, 50,367, belonging to Glasgow. That the vessel sailed from Wellington oh the 13th day of February, 1869, at 3.30 p.m. " in ballast," bound for Port Lyttelton, to load wool and grain for London. . Passed the Lighthouse, Pencarrow Head, at 4.30 p.m.; the wind was N.W., moderate, the weather hazy and threatening. The breeze lasted till about 7.30 p.m., at which time the ship was seventeen miles from the Lighthouse, when it fell calm, with heavy rain. At 8.30 p.m. the wind came up strong from the southward, with increased rain. The ship was then put on the starboard tack, standing to the eastward, and continued so till 4 a.m. on Sunday, the 14th, the. weather thick and still raining, the wind increased to a strong gale. The ship was wore on the port tack and to the westward (land being at that time out of sight in consequence of the- haziness of the weather) until noon on Sunday, when Cape Campbell was seen, distant four miles. She then wore again., to the eastward, it was then blowing terrifically with a furious sea, the ship under two lower topsails, the fore and maintopmast staysails blew away (the foretopmast staysail

( yal*iaearly flew), and the foresail split in -The -weather still thick. No land was "Seen after losing sight of Cape Campbell until i^p.m^. land was sighted on the lee bow, Toiut could not make out what it was until 6 p.m.,;when it was discovered to be Cape Pallisef, bearing S.E., andTurakarai Head, west, •which placed the vessel in Palliser Bay. She was immediately wore round and stood to the westward (by order of the captain), in hopes of weathering the point and running into Wellington. Reefed foresail (a new one haying been bent immediately when. the other earned away) and mainsail, mizzentopsail, reefed upper topsails .arid- spanker were set, the ship making very bad weather, driving bows under and rapidly drifting to leeward. About 9 p.m." the wind suddenly dropped; immediately shook out all reefs, but the furious sea rolling into the bay prevented the vessel being kept to the wind, and she still kept falling off to leeward. At 10 p.m. breakers were discovered close ■ under the lee bow; the wind light, and the ship not answering her helm, she was thrown all aback,. and. the captain gave orders for both anchqrs to be let go, which I ' immediately did myself; - sixty fathoms of chain ran out. About 10^30 p.ni; : she struck heavily abaft. All hands ' were employed in clearing away the life-' boat, when a heavy sea struck the ship, throwing her. almost on her beam ends, smashing the life"boat to atoms, and carrying away the boatswain (George Harrison), who was not seen again. The cables must have*' parted about this time, and she went broadside on to the rocks, the sea throwing her completely on her beam erids. I ■ called out immediately to all hands to run ; aft to save their lives. Some crawled up into the main chains,., and some . into .the mizzen chains on the port side. We had,, barely time to get there when an enormous sea struck her and gutted her completely out, carrying away masts, decks, and everything but the hull, at one sweep, leaving nothing but the shell of the ship. We hung on in the mizzen chains (those who were in the main chains having joined us by direction of the captain), as the mizzen chains were nearer the shore, and in order to huddle purr selves together for warmth. We hung oh in this manner, as near as I can remember, till three a.m., at which time I was washed away. I remember being in the water for some time/. | I had an indiarubber life-belt on, and soon' after I was .washed off, I got hold of a spar, : bint very: soon let it go, finding it stopped my.!' • progress in the water. I must have been ; in-; ; I sensible when I reached the shore, a& .when.'.; I; recovered •consciousness I found, myself;- jn^; a flax bush. It was then^ I : imagined,' about- ' six in the morning; ' I saw si part of the' hull ? distant about one' hundred yards' frbnr toe 1 " shore. I imagined that all hands except iny-~ sfelf must haye i been' lost, and started -for the lighthouse ; but 911" my >vay came rto a, shepherd'scottage,' which 'prbve'd to longing to Mr Riddiford. - 'There ! I foiind the > sailinaker'(a Swede):had arrived' before, <<p&. I- afterwards, accompanied by Mr M'Kenzie, tfent down to the wreck (the Swede was too much bruised to go ? vriJfljj.Tis.) The first t|iing we saw was a live pig which had belonged to the^vessel, and, was. washed ashore, although very much bruised^ A little further oh, we discovered .the-:body.spf Mr^McKayv (Who came ,ont frqm,. England. iiv, the ;SdCe.lita*>. and was going back to England in the .St, :• Vincent), lying facedown. > Carriecl him , up a| hundred yards' abpye Mgh-w^ter \ n^ark,,.'. I' took from him one watch and key, £12 9s.' I£, a bunch of keys, two knives, and a pocket-book containing papers, airoTwhict I handed overto the 1 tjolice/ ' We *ifcu&h* found." one of the seamen, aead, 1 name not -known; ahd placed his; body .above high r water mark. After searching for several hours, along /the beach until 'diiskj, we' found no' more bodies, but found aripther of the ship's, pigs alive. We then returned to M'Kenzie's cottage for ' the night. • I feel confident that the sail maker" and" myself are the only survivors. ■ ■■•■■:■ ! I left M'Kenzie's on the morning of the 16th February, to bring the news into town, arriving in Wellington between 5 and 6 p.m. There were only a few pounds of tobacco, one case of brandy, and a few sundries! (ship's stores), but only some of the mess beef, washed ashore. .■■■-. .■> ' The same paper of Eeb. 20 contains additional particulars :-^At 6, o'clock on Thurs- ■ day morning, Mr Holmes, of the Harbour Department, went in, the pilot boa^ to; the scene of the late wreck, and from him and Mr Hackworth of the Customs, and Mr Pyle, w|ho shipped the crew of the ill-fated vessel,' we gathered the following additional particulars relative to the late catastrophe. The vessel struck about two miles, on the SouthEast side of the Muka Muka rocks, and only a portion of the hull now remains, the spars having been broken *JLnto pieces and" the rigging dashed into ribbons, Mr McKay's body was found firsthand lay nearest to the wreck, being not more than a quarter of a mile from it. It is supposed by Mr Holmes, from the appearance of the body, that life was not quite extinct when'thepoor fellow reached the beach. Hehadonalife-belt,.and three £1 notes were found in his trousers' pockets.in, addition to the £12 which had, been previously found by the chief officer. Mr Holmes and party buried this body and that of another seaman Avhose name is not known. Thj body of the captain and those of three seaman were found about two miles from the wreck, all except the captain's being much, disfigured. The body of the captain was recognised at once, though the only article he had on him was. a pair of elastic boots;- Out of the nine bodies found in all four only could be recognised by the mate, namely those of Captain Barron ; William Patterson, second ofiiqer ; George Hanson, boatswain ; and Mr M'Kay, passenger. The others were too much' disfigured by the rocks and fish to be recognised. A code of signals and some six coils of i?ope were all the valuables recovered' from the wreck. Dr Wilford held an inquest on the bodies on Thursday afternoon, when a verdict was returned of accidental death by drowning through the wreck of the St. Vin-

cent. All the .bodied: yet found have been decently burried.-- •.;■■■ Mr Holmes (.'desires . us to mention; the extreme trouble and: kiddness shewn .by>Mr Al'Kenzie, the manager at the OrongtM>rongo station, in lending his party assistance^ and in the hospitality they received at his "residence. The wreck of the vessel lies about half a mile frem the wreck of a whaler which occurred in the same bay some twenty years ago, to one of the anchors of which the mate clung on his reaching the shore. An' official inquiry will be held r on Tuesday next, which will be merely formalj as no further particulars can be obtained. ., The MukaMuka rocks are in the very "worst position, in this, terrible bay, and though it was calm, on Thursday, the sea beat up against them to the height of twenty feet ,or more. '.]'"' One of the seamen, name not known to our informant, was until recently part owner bf the cutter Bawn, and only sold out to Capt Henderson a day or two previous to the catastrophe. Doubtless Capt Henderson will be able to give all requisite information relative to the transfer to the Customs authorities. BeCosta, one of the seamen shipped at Wellington, had a brother at Hokitika, of the firm of Isaacs' and DeCosta, auctioneers.