TELEGRAMS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 685, 3 August 1870, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

Wellington. — August 3, 10.50 a.m., Airedale, from Lyttelton. . Pobt Chalmers— August 3, 11.40 a.m., Gothenburg, from Bluff. ■"■ Considerable excitement was caused throughout the town last night from a report that the .brig Zingara had parted her cables and drifted ashore. There was ground for the report; and at about 11 o'clock signal guns were fired, and the members of the /Rocket Brigade mustered in front of thej ■ Government flagstaff, and got all their appliances prepared to render any assistance; fortunately their services were not required. A heavy sea with a strong breeze set in About sundown, and the vessel (which was .loaded and ready for sea) was signalled to stand out. Before the preparations could be made it is supposed that the cable parted, and in trying to work out she missed stays and nearly drifted on to the beach, but she suddenly veered round, and was speedily out of danger. iM. no ther accident (which almost proved fatal to two of the Landing Company's boatmen) occurred the same evening. It appears that on the bad weather coming on, a crew was sent out to bring in the boats. In changing from one boat to another (through some accident to the steering oar) George M'Kenzie and another man —whose name we have not learned— were knocked overboard ; they were no c missed for a minute or two, but were providentially picked up. It was indeed a fearful nighthail, rain, and wind — but fortunately we jnave been spared the task of reporting a •wreck, or any other serious accident. The admirable manner in which the captain of the Zingara managed his vessel in her critical position is beyond praise. — Oamaru Herald, July 28. Mr Elliott, the New Zealand Insurance Company's agent in Dunedin has received the following letter from Captain Brenchley, of the schooner Esther Ann, describing the loss of that vessel at Martin's Bay: — "Martin's Bay, July 12th, 1870.— Sir,— I have taken the opportunity of a person going to Queenstown to acquaint you of the total loss of the schooner Esther Ann, which happened on Sunday, 10th July, at Martin's Bay. On the morning of the 10th we started from Milford Sound, at which we had been lying wind-bound, waiting for an opportunity to get to Martin's Bay. We arrived off the bar at 9 a.m., wind off the land and flood-tide, when suddenly it fell calm for about one hour, when it came on from W.S.W. It , blowing a gale, we could not carry canvas to work the vessel off shore, so I deemed. i£ prudent to run for the entrance to save life and property. Everything went well until we got off the point of the sandspit, when the vessel touched the saridspit, and a heavy sea striking her on the port quarter, slewed the vessel broadside on, and toe fresh caught her on the starboard bow, and sent the vessel inside the inner rock. It was done so quickly that we had not time to take sail off the vessel. There was a heavy sea on, so that the vessel did not stand long. We were unable to save a great deal. The principal part of our sails was washed away amorfg the rocks, but what little we could save we did. Since Captain Thomson's report of the place the sand-spit has made over towards the rock — so the boatmen on the river tell us. It would make a good entrance if Captain Thomson's plan were adopted.— I remain &c, Thomas Brenchley, late master of the schooner Esther Ann. P.S.— I called

a sale this afternoon of the anchors and chains and some other things that were strewed about the heach. The lowest offer I had was ss, and the highest £2 15s. The lot was knocked down to the latter bidder, whose name was H. Jacobs." The Archer, a handsome American clipper ship of orer 900 tons, arrived at the Heads from Boston, with an assorted cargo of American notions, yesterday forenoon. The wind being contrary to entering the harbour, she signalled for a tug, and the Geelong responded to the invite, and brought the vessel up to a discharging berth on the afternoon flood. The ship has made a good passage of 99 days, notwithstanding the disaster which she met with between here and the Cape of Good Hope, which is appended below, from the Captain's own report, as furnished to our shipping reporter. From her log., we cull the following: — The ship left Boston on the 23rd April, and had fine weather to the N.E. Trades, which were found good, and lost in lat. 3. N. Adverse light variable weather then set in. The Equator was crossed on the 17th of May, in long. 28. W. No S.E. Trades were experienced, and on reaching lat. 25. S. westerly gales were encountered. The Meridian of Greenwich was crossed on the 11th of June. Her easting, for the most part, was run down on the parallel of lat. 46 S., and was characterised by westerly gales and heavy seas. The Snares were sighted on Tuesday, the 26th ult. On the two following days she encountered a severe N.E. gale, during which she lost her jibboom. Moderate baffling weather was then experienced to arrival. The following is the captain's narrative of the disaster which befel her: — From the lat. 25 S. and long. 30 W. to lat. 46 S. and long. 60 E., experienced continuous westerly gales and bad weather. On the evening of the 29th of June, being in the latitude and longitude last named above, the ship scudding before a very heavy gale, under foresail and fore and main lower topsails, a tremendous sea struck the ship on the port quarter, smashing in the side from amidships to mizzen rigging, breaking stanchions, rails, and bulwarks, and covering boards, leaving all the timberheads bare for the water to pour into the ship ; stove in the poop\ deck and broadside of the cabin, filling the cabin with water, and carrying away 'all the ship's stores that were stowed each side in the lazarette ; broke down the skids on which the boats were stowed and carried away some of the lee bulwarks ; the interior of the cabin being completely demolished, and cabin so shattered as to be dangerous. The captain, second mate, and steward being in the cabin at the time, were buried in rubbish and water, and narrowly escaped with their lives, the second mate being badly cut. and bruised about the head and face, and the captain internally injured by two barrels of stores. and a large extension table passing over his body while under water. After freeing himself from the rubbish, which was going with tremendous force across the decks, he went on deck and proceeded to heave the ship to on the port tack, which took full one hour, the water continually pouring into the hold of the ship ; meanwhile all braces being tangled in the wreck and shipping such heavy bodies of water as to endanger the lives of all on deck, the ship wa3 finally got to lie up to the wind by cutting away the foresail and foretopsail, expecting the foremast to go before the cutting away could be accomplished. After the ship was brought to the wind all hands were sent to the pumps. Could not get a correct sound, as there was so much water on the decks, but knew by appearances there was a great quantity of water in the hold. Pumped four hours before knowing the quantity of water in the ship whether increasing or decreasing, supposed her to be sinking. Finally got a sound, and at 6 a.m. pump sucked, after pumping eight hours, and ship as tight in the bottom as usual, all the water in the ship coming in the broken side before the ship was hove-to. Immediately went to work to construct temporary bulwarks by ramming old carpets in the holes, and covered all by battening over canvas on water-ways, and using long spars, boards, and sails for bulwarks. Although the captain was hurt in his breast and back, and suffering much fever from the effects of his injuries, he managed, although with terrible pain, to direct the repairs, having braced his body by winding heavy canvas tight round him, which j,Bomewhat relieved his pain. On the afternoon of the 30th, after doing • all he could possibly do to strengthen the temporary bulwarks, squared away for Otago— a long and dreary road, about four thousand miles, in a crippled ship, winter time, and the prospect of encountering numerous gales. The conduct of most of the crew was commendable for their strict attention to duty, night and day, being a continual gale all through, and carrying oat designs in constructing repairs. And in forty-two hours from the time of the disaster, the ship was kept away on her course under short sail. Nearly all of the captain's and officers' effects were ruined or lost, and all nautical instruments, books, charts, and ship's records lost, excepting mate's quadrant, a chart, and a few leaves of ah Epitome, picked out of the rubbish, which were cleaned and dried as much as possible. And these are all they had to navigate the ship into port, with an unreliable chronometer, being badly injured.- The captain says : — " There is no doubt in my mind but that many a ship has foundered in gales, and never been heard of, which might be avoided by covering between tho staunchiona with copper, or filling solid before putting on the covering boards. This is the second time in my experience. It has happened once before in the barque Ellen Parsons in 1852, from Boston bound to Panama, of which I was an officer ; as in this case the ship was in great peril ; and if shipowners and underwriters would give this a consideration, it would not only diminish the risk, but be the means of saving the lives of many mariners." — Otago Daily Times, Aug. 1.