THE ALGOA BAY WRECKS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10819, 9 December 1902, Page 4

THE ALGOA BAY WRECKS.

Tlic Capo Times of October 1 gives the following particulars of the wrecks in Port Elizabeth, Algoa Bif, in September last: — Mr' Bell, resident magistrate, an-i civil commissioner, is conducting the Government inquiry into* the cause of the wreeljf and the loss .of life during the recent gale. The acting harbourmaster, Captain Clift. deposed that everything" was dona that' was- possible 'to save life, but lh». movements of the Rocket Brigade were hampered, by the crowd, many of whom wero drunk from liquor that had been washed ashore. It was quite impossible to launch the lifeboat owing to the trempndous sifrf and heavr blinding wind beating* on the rliotp. The i Rocket Briga-'o worked efficiently, but in"nio<3t cases'. when they threw lnics over the ships the crews did not know what to do, ov were too «xlnnpt-ed to do ' anvlhin<j. Four ' vessels dn^ctvl r<»hore>on the .top of one another. Msimv lives we.re 'lost, as -the vessels broke up. and the two ships dicirtppTvefl nlmoit as pooh as tliey stm^V. Thn .Rorlcet Brigade , y>n'\ v]r>-"'-v of t?"kl(\ bnt Another apparatus would b'U'e be.en of advantage. C"\r>-t-un Clift did not see thai' nnvone wt<! to blame. There were, he paid", hundreds of volunteers buqy trying to hplp. but, nnfortuhaMy, thov only hindered Hip Bri1 p-ule. The cantnin of the wrecked barque LvmaTi said that 'bis vfsel struck, on an outer bar, and within three minutes was

v swept away. The .wind and, sea clear< ' all the crew off. He and tVo of the mat were picked up by other veEsels, or swa ashore. The rest of the crow, eight i number were- drowned; Tha Kockot Bt gadc could not . Jiayo assisted theui, as tl v vessel went to' pieces "afc once. " j . The Monoirai leaver Wellington foi* Ale 'bpurno, via thp South and Hobarl, 0 Thursday. ' ' ' . TII9 Mararoa leave's Sydney, via E,u r Coast .And Auckland, on- Thursday.' . * The Moeraki leave's Wellington for Syi J iiey on Friday. .' -The Miowera t ldfi Sydney fbr ; Vrtncouyt On Saturday. tp '.v. v ' '.' ' ' ■....• The- Waikare arrived at. ..Sydney troi Auckland dii' Satm'duy. • ' ' Thtv •barque- Helen,' from Kaipara,- "Ki .^ved -"rft Launc'estoft on Saliirday. , ', ; The 'Soutli'ern* Cross arrived at NorfoT Island, from the Islandn,' on Saturday. The ship Vildeholen, which sailed fi'or Tampa,' Florida, on 2nd March- for Ade laide, is very much overdue, and has beei posted at Lloyd's as missing. ,- ••_ .* ; „ The steamer Balmoral. 39.10 tons,- ha been chartered to liring a s^enerftl cargi frqni New York to New Zealand and Aus tralia. i >'■ ,i 'The steamer Sealtla. of the British Indi; "line, sailed ori tha 27th Noyeuiber; f 1-911 Calcutta, for Auckland, via Singapore. ' Messrs. "W. aud ,G. Tnmbull a«id Co.'i new Patea tra<lea' Aht?a. y en routoifor Wei lington-, sailed onFri'dayfrom Cooktowi for Sydney. • " At the annual meeting of .the New Zealand Shipping Company's, colonial- shareholders if was stated that the company's steamer Telcoa hud boon' sold during the year for <£27.00f). anil tho Otaramn had since been sold for" .£2i,i)qO. 'Ttie latter vessel was tod small to be profitably omnloycd in Ih'e colonial .trade. The.WaiIcalo is th6la"3t of the "small typo of steam? ers owned by the", Company, and it isjiop,ed,to dispose' o.f lier somi^ The company lias.ndw J)een in; existence thirty years, and -tlie.,\vhole fiopt 1 hns practically hopn "enewe_d twicr, the credit of the reorganisation fceinff dve 1 " to Sip Edward Daw-en. . iiairHinn of- tlio^Loijdnn Bnnrd.- Tlio anmral .report sl^ife'd\that tlie, outlook for the year ,was not ,' encouraqring. Wool fraights had beftn xedueeflrby 3-8 dby steamer and 3-lod by sailing 1 ' vessel. There was also at present a shor^ngo in thexcxnort of '£ rozen' meat' whi'^li" had caused 'the laying up for ' several niu'nrh'a of^a number of steamers, thereby increasinw the voyage expenses without a corresponding increase Sf ; earninafs.' J 'Tlie Cape Time« of October Jo states: — There twere.' in- i9Ol on the Cape station 14 men-of-war, mountin^in all 10*' s;uns, tnd showinp a combined tonnage "of 39,555. The' QKpenditure •on this squadron was tbout \£209,'000-per annum."- ■• "- ■ ASvicea fron* .Capc^Town "state that 'the Freijch ship Duchesso de JJerry", which suf--feifed 'coSißidc*rable .damage from a -heavy Tale in September last while on- a voyage From-, Penarth to Hobart, - and in - conseineifco had to put into Table' Bay for repairs, with a-strons list through the car•»o having shifted, landed 550 tons of cool fo enable, a survey to' be inadtn The-cost-o£ 'discliariTing^ . and xeshippinfir amounted \o £G^G, while Wie repairs' to tlie ship cost Vh additional ,£2.000. ' > The P. and , O. Company are having 1 Miree new cargo vesels 'el' over 30.000 tons built/ These steamsliips, the largest of 'he kind so. for contemplated by the Comiany, are intended for its Enstm-n trade. r wo of the vessels' are buiidinp 1 by Melssra VVorkmau, Clurk and Co», of Belfast, and he third, by Messrs Barclay, Curlei aud Co.. of White. lnch. This represents a departure .from the traditional noljcv .of the P. aud O. CompairV; which lias hitherto Seen contend to .rely j entirely upon the Clvdc for, atffptionß. to its fleet. ■ „ -liloyd' 1 ? Shippinsr Gnzette published in October a - statpmeufc that the P. and Oi "bmpany .would at no distant date defin- : telf "abandon London, as the Ijomc nort 'or 'their vessels, the .necessity arising from '■he 1 .fact tjiat four of their new 'vessels in s course of construction woiild be unable to' tlie Royal Albert Dock. Southanvpi ion. docks, used by the company up to 1881 vere able to accommodate the««p vessels. Hie deepening; ,6^ the Suez Cvnal had led 0 the new P. and O. Company steamers iein^ made with' 3- br 4 ' feet incensed Ira'nsflit, and London had i™iTored • this 'dvahce. Recently, Qiowover,' dredging ope•atidus" in thp- Pool of the- Thames have )ee.u commencp'd. ■" The barque Wanlock. qhnrtered by Mr reorsre'Tl. Scales, of Wellington,' sqile'd "or, London Ol > Sunday, .the of November, She is tlie first wool ship df-'the seaion, and havinK been cleaned' and painted \t the slip. Wellington, i'a,'- expected ■to uake' 4 a ?ood Tjassage Home, arriving there n time for. llia March sales.; She parries he following", on rgo> — 2673 hales of wool, 1 bale of rabbit pkins, 23 bales of * tow, jtnd 100 cases and t)fi Tjarka^es of, grum.. l"'Tatli9r. unusual iricident- in co"np' I tion vith her deijaThirp- is fliat, ins) fad of 'the ni^ ,boat towing the barque; the uosHina ;vas revprsed, aa the ,tusr -boat," the Dhco, Voing 12 knots ari 'hour., was nnible to teep un witih.the Wanlock, which vessel tvas,,crom£r 13 knots, an hour.. . .'•