STEAMER TOTAL WRECK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16748, 1 June 1922, Page 7

STEAMER TOTAL WRECK.

OVERLAND PARTY SENT. TERRIBLE WEATHER DELAYS RESCUE. OVELAND PARTY SENT. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 1. Earlier wireless messages received by the G.P.O. were as follows: 1.38 a.m., from the Wiltshire: — “Very badly on shore. Nos. 1 and 2 holds are full of water, and the vessel is knocking about heavily. Immediate assistance irt required to save life. Very thick weather. The ship is on the southern end of the Great Barrier Island. Several steamers are coming, but are too far off for reply. What are you doing? ” 4.4 a.m., the Wiltshire advised:— “ Nos. 1,2. 3 and 4 holds are now full of water. The other pa-rt of the ship is dry. If the weather moderates we might save the cargo in the after hold.” 5.5 a m.:—"Fear that the ship will now be a total wreck. There is a terrific sea. The only hope of saving | life is for all to remain on board until the weather mode rates, as no lifeboat | could live.” j 7.31 a.m. : —" Arahura advises that she is in position of? the wreck, but there is too much sea to attempt any rescue work.” 6.20 a.m.:-—" Katoa reports that she is in port at Tryphena. and lias sent a party overland.” TWENTY-FIVE MILES LONG. ! SCENE OF PREVIOUS WRECKS. Great Barrier Island is twenty-five miles long and about ten miles wide at its widest part. It lies roughly north and south, fifty-six miles northeast of Auckland. It was named by Captain Cook from its forming a complete breakwater or barrier to the capacious Hauraki Gulf. It consists of high mountains broken into rugged and fantastic peaks resembling the hills of Cook Strait, and the triplepeaked crater stands out conspicuously. ; There are two hot springs on tho I island, which is an Auckland holiday resort, and has good boarding accommodation. at Port .Fitzroy, Tryphena and Okupu. Gum digging, kauri timber felling, sheep farming and a little gold and silver mining are the chief occupations of the residents, who number less than 300. At one time the island was .worked by a Sydney firm for cop tier ore.VESSEL’S DIMENSIONS. CARGO FOR NEW ZEALAND PORTS. The Wiltshire is a steel twin screw five-masted steamer of 12,160 gross tons-, and is 100A1 at Lloyd's. She was | built in 1912 by Messrs J. Brown and ! Co., Ltd., Glasgow. Clydebank, for the Federal Steam Navigation Company. Ltd. Her principal dimensions are: Length, 526 ft; breadth, 61ft; and depth, 33ft. She is fitted with refrigerating machinery, and has: # an electric service throughout. She left Liverpool on April 22. Captain Hayward is in command. He has been master of the ship since she was commissioned in 1917. The Wiltshire has on board the following cargo for New Zealand ports: Tons. Auckland . . . 4000 Wellington . . . 2200 Lyttelton . . 1400 Dunedin . . 1150 I The vessel is well known in Lyt-tel-j toil, having visited that port. She ia a sister ship to the Shropshire and Argyllshire. WAIRARAPA WREC-K. 130 LIVES LOST. 'The Wnirarapa wreck, which occurred at Miner’s Point, on Great Barrier Island, on October 29. 1894, was the greatest disaster that hud occurred off the New Zealand coast up to that time, and resulted in the loss of one hundred and thirty-four lives. The Wairarapa’s voyage commenced auspiciously enough. .The splendid screw steamship of 1786 tons register was m the best of trim and order as she cast off from the wharf at Sydney, said a writer in describing the voyage. In all. she had about 280 souls on board, of whom the crew numbered about sixty At noon on Sunday She was off Spirits Bay, close to the North Cape. Here the fatal fog, in the obscurity of J which the ship ran on to the Great Barrier, come down and hid everything. After Cap© Maria was passed nothing was .seen until the survivors reached land at Great Barrier. The Mokohinau light could not be picked up owing to fog, and to this fact the loss was at t rilni ted. Usually steamers steered

either five miles inside or five miles outside Little* Barrier (which lies between Great Brarier and the mainland), but the Wairarapa overran her course and brought up against the cliffs of Great Barrier, ten or fifteen miles out of her course. She struck the cliffs bow on at full speed. Even' the officers thought they 7 were on the Hen and Chickens, twenty miles from tho actual position. Rebounding from the impact, the steamer hung on a sort of ledge Tho port boats were swung out, but tho starboard boats wore smashed and those in them were thrown into tho raging water. Only two boats reached the shore, but life rafts saved a good many, and tho boats picked up a few. Breaking seas washed many of tho passengers and crew from the vessel, and many more were carried overboard when she suddenly canted to port. When daylight came a shocking scene presented itself. Straight ahead rose a frowning cliff, with scattered rocks at its base. Dead bodies floated among wreckage and deck cargo. A few persons still supported themselves on pieces of wreckage, and these were picked up by boats. Not until later in the day were the survivors aware they had l>een wrecked on Great Barrier.

Captain MHntosh. who was lost, was last seen as he disappeared when the bridge was washed away.