NARROW ESCAPE OT THE P.S. BRUCE.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 277, 20 June 1868, Page 3

NARROW ESCAPE OT THE P.S. BRUCE.

The Eruce has had a very narrow escape from destruction, which is thus narrated in the West Coast Times of Saturday. Jt appears that she arrived off the Grey bar, and the tug, Despatch, with the Florence in tow, safely crossed it. Our contemporary says Bruce followed, passed the break with much ease, and was on the point of slueing into the river, when a heavy roller struck her on the port quarter, and at the same moment one of the Grey Gorge squalls came full on to her starboard side, and being unable to resist such a combination of force, the Bruce spun round like a tee to turn, and in an instant was broadside on to the surf, head northward, with her heel in close proximity to the South Spit. To keep her clear of the ground the anchor was let go, but as it was evident she could not maintain such a position, and equally evident that she would either have to take a round turn in or re-cross the surf ere she could hope to recover steerage way, the anchor was got aboard, and an attempt made to fetch the roadstead. Then commenced a struggle that lasted between two and three hours, for whilst striving to work through the outer break, the Bruce was set nearly two miles south by the current, and being utterly powerless to stem the walls of water of the outer break, she was driven astern, staggering and reeling from the awful shocks of the seas that struck her, and more than once appeared as if they would engulph her bodily. Everything moveable on deck was of course washed away, paddle-box houses, tank, and a few light articles that happened to be about. Her port-quarter boat was also smashed up. Fortunately she had no deck cargo, excepting two heavy cases of books, and these were thrown overboard to lighten her forwards. For nearly an hour the Bruce kept head to sea, at times so smothered in surf that scarce anything but her funnel was visible. Splendidly did she behave, not once was there the slightest deficiency in steiun, neither

were the fires threatened with extinction as related by the Grey Argus. She was also kept perfectly under command, a slight accident that happened her rudder having no effect whatever upon her steering properties. Seeing there was no possibility of getting her through the surf, Captain Kerley next tried to work northwards again through the narrow strip of comparatively smooth water that divided the inner from the outer break. This " smooth" in the midst of such dire commotion was remarkable enough, and had never before been remembered by Captain Kerley on any other part of the coast. He, however, was not s'ow to seize whatever advantage it afforded, and being ably seconded by Mr Campbell, the engineer, and the firomen, who stuck to their posts with a dogged determination to, if possible, save the good steamer that had so long been a homo to them, he succeeded, after two hours' perilous work, in again placing the -Bruce off the entrance to the G-rey Biver, and being favored by a most seasonable lull both in wind and sea, the Bruce got fairly round the spit and end on with the stream, and five minutes later safely moored at the wharf, amidst the ringing cheers of the hundreds of people, who in spite of the drenching rain, had watched her progress with feelings of the most painful anxiety."