SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

Western Star, Issue 261, 7 September 1878, Page 2 (Supplement)

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

THE SHIPWRECKS AT TIMARU. Timaru, September 2. —The ‘ Herald ’ this morning’ says :—“ Had anybody, after visiting tlio beach at 8 o’clock yesterday morning, predicted that before the day was spent four of the vessels then lying at the anchorage would he wrecks ashore, he would simply have been laughed at. The weather was beautifully calm and quiet, and up to about nine o’clock the. sea was very little agitated. Shortly after the latter hour, however, a few heavy south-westerly swells came rolling in, and proved to be the forerunners of the heaviest seas that have over boon known in the Timaru roadstead. One after the other the mountainous billows came on, breaking further and further out.

11 Captain Mills, harbor-master, directly hefsaw what was coming signalled to the vessels to hold on all they could, and the five of them then lying at anchor, viz., the barque Melrose, the brigantine Lapwing, and the ketches Glimpse, Fanny, and Palmerston] immediately took the hint and dropped two anchors. “ By 11.30 o’clock the sight from the cliffs, where a few people had assembled, was terribly grand. Sea after sea broke over the doomed vessels, the hulls of which at times were completely hid. The change which had taken place in the course of about two hours was hardly to bo realised. The worst, however, was yet to come. About 11.30 a.m. the barque Melrose signalled ‘ Anchors carried away and Capt. Mills answered : ‘ Do the best you can ; cannot send assistance.’ Immediately afterwards the boom of the gun at the signal-station, bringing the-rocket brigade together was heard, startling the people in church and causing all others to rush on to the beach.' The greater portion of the brigade wore at the station in five minutes’ time from the firing of the gun, and got their apparatus in a cart ready to start away to save life it necessary. Directly the Melrose broke adrift it became evident that nothing could stop her from going 'ashore, there not being a breath of wind to help her. She was lying furthest out of all ■ the vessels, and rapidly drifted towards Woolcombo’s Gully. Soon after breaking adrift she fouled • the ketch Palmerston, breaking the latter’s foretopraast and stunning her captain (Evans). The remaining two men on board the ketch tried to get on board the barque as she drifted away, one of them succeeding in doing so'; but the other poor fellow, although he was seen battling with the waves for some minutes, was unable to reach her, and finally sank from sight. In tha meantime, the rocket brigade, accompanied by some scores of people, hastened to Woolcombe’s Gully, and reached the beach there while the barque was still some distance out. She struck broadside on about fifty yards from the shore, and the sea immediately hid her from sight, there being nothing but a boiling cauldron around her. The rocket lines were fired over her, but they all fouled or were useless to the crow, who did not know what to do with them. Hardly had the ill-fated vessel’s keel touched the ground than she began to break up, and in less than fifteen minutes nothing but her keel and a few ribs were t* be seen. The crew had all to take to the water, trusting to planks or anything else they could got hold of. At this moment itseemed ns if hardly one of them would be saved. Here and there a head would appear for a moment amongst a mass of wreckage, only to disappear again for a time. And now came the time for those on shore to show the stuff they wore made of, and one after another dashed into the fearful surf and seized a struggling form ; the rescuers often being' carried of their legs and washed up apd down. “ The man who performed the most daring feats was Geordy Davis, a boatman, who risked his life time after time. Amongst the others Judge Ward was foremost in battling with the surf, and ho also caused refreshments to be brought down to the beach from his private house, but seemed not to think of personal danger at the time. ■ One after another amidst cheers from the spectators the wrecked crow, all nearly drowned and some much injured from the floating timber and wreckage, were hauled up the beach, the last being brave old Captain Kenny himself, who, despite his sixty y r ears and grey hair, fought hard for dear life . “ On counting the crew over it was found that one poor fellow was missing. Though long search was made for his body' it was not found. Captain Kenny, who has a wife and family at Warnambool, was very much bruised and knocked about; and ho, together with the rest of his crew, were at once taken to the hospital, where they received every attention at the hands of Dr MTntyre, Mr and Mrs Fairburn, and the rest of the staff, and were all doing well by latest accounts. One of the crew named Christian had throe ribs broken. We may mention that Dr MTntyre was on the beach when they were landed, and attended to them there, directing the spectators how. to restore animation, etc., in those who were half dead. • q’he Melrose was a wooden barque of 287 tons register, built at Sunderland in 1858, and owned partly by Captain Kenny and partly by a Sydney firm. She arrived here on August 21 from Newcastle, N.S.M., with a full cargo of coals for Mr Ebenczer Smith, and at the time of her wreck she had still about 230 tons on board, fully ■ insured, wo believe, in the. Union Insurance Company of New Zealand. Wo have not been■ able to ascertain whether the hull of the vessel was insured or not. That she was anything but sound was proved by the rapid manner in which she broke up; indeed, she went to pieces like a wooden match-box. “ At about the time the captain of the Melrose was hauled ashore (1 p.m.) the ketch Fanny was seen to part from her anchors. All sail was at once sot on her, and thcdircczo having freshened at this time she waa steered for the ucishborKood of the Government

anding- service. Soon after breaking adrift she i fouled the ketcli Glimpse, all the crew of which took ■ to her, leaving- their own vessel to hang out as best i she could. By this time the cliffs were lined with some thousands of excited spectators, who anxiously ■ watched the Fanny as she neared the shore. The majority of the rocket brigade with all their apparatus were still round at the scene of the Melrose's wreck, and . were Unable to render any assistance to the second vessel. A few of the brigade, however, together with a number of other persons, rushed on to the beach 1 where the brig Craig Ellachie struck some eight i months ago, and at which spot it became evident the ; Fanny would strike. She was headed bow on, and : grounded within a few yards of the beach Ropes were at once cast on board, and all her crew and those from the Glimpse brought ashore in safety At first it was thought she would not suffer any injury, but as the tide made she drifted on to the rocks further north, and later on became a total wreck. The Fanny was a ketch of 25 tons, and was commanded by Captain Brown. She arrived here from Port Chalmers on Wednesday last, with a cargo of cement. This she had discharged, and had only ballast in her at the time of the wreck. She was ■ owned by Messrs Guthrie and Larnach’s Woodware i Factory Company, and was, we believe, insured. I “ For nearly an hour after the Fanny was wrecked ; the remaining three vessels rode out the fearful sea, and it was hoped that, as the tide was now beginning totnako, they would bo able to hang on till the wind came in sufficiently fresh to take them out to sea. The whole of the rocket brigade on duty had now reassembled at the lighthouse, and, with those others who had labored so hard, were enabled to obtain some dinner. No one, however, thought of going home. ‘ ‘ About 2.30 p. m. one of the anchors of the brigantine Lapwing was seen to part, and sail was got on her. The other anchor was also soon after seen to go, and, as afterwards turned out, it had been cut, the hawsehole having been torn out. For a second or two it was hoped the clipper brigantine would manage to get out, but such was not the case, and it became evident that she also was doomed. She was steered for the railway viaduct, at the mouth of Whale’s Creek, in Caroline Bay, and thither- everybody rushed. The services of the rocket lines were not required oil this,occasion, as the vessel struck lightly bows on witijiujhjllf a stone’s throw of the shore. Ijneswero of her, and all her crew landed without'difficulty. At this time the cliffs and beach were black with people; from whom cheers for the third time went up as the last sailor stood on dry land. As the tide made, the rollers threw the brigantine further up on the beach, and she was at length loft apparently almost uninjured within ten yards of the viaduct. She was made fast by strong hawsers to anchors on shore. Her crew were, together with those of the Fanny and Glimpse, taken up to town and provided with food and lodging, and it is hoped the vessel herself and her cargo will be saved. The Lapwing was a brigantine of 231 tons register, and commanded by Captain Anderson. She arrived here from Newcastle, New South Wales, with a cargo of coals for Mr W. Evans, on tho 17th. At the time of her wreck she had on board about L 1,200 worth of grain, flour, etc., shipped on Messrs John King, W. Evans, G. Dyer, and White for Auckland, for which port she was loading. She was a splendidly built two-year old vessel and considered one of the smartest in the Colonial trade. She belonged to an Auckland firm, and was, we understand, insured. How well she was put together may be judged from the wonderfully little damage she sustained despite the knocking about she received yesterday. While people had boon busy with tho Lapwing, the deserted ketch, Glimpse, had been gradually dragging into Caroline Bay, and at about 5 p.m. she stuck some throe or four hundred yards north of the brigantine. The enormous rollers, which were now breaking up over the cliffs soon carried the ketch high and dry on the bank of shingle at the mouth of the gully, where she came ashore, but it -was evident, she was so fearfully knocked about, that she would never float again. The Glimpse was a ketch of 35 tons, but who owned by we have been unable to learn so far. She arrived here about a week ago with general cargo from Dunedin, and had taken on board 800 cases of preserved meats for Port Chalmers, all of which will probably be saved. She has been running in the coastal trade of the Colony for many years past, and we believe this is not the first time she has been left high and dry., Four out of the five vessels which had been lying so snugly at anchor in the morning wore now ashore, and the only one still out in the roadstead was the ketch Palmerston. As already mentioned, one of her crew had been saved from the Melrose, a second was drowned, while the captain was supposed to be stunned on board. At this time people thought they could sec him walking about on her deck, but there is little hope of such being the case, considering the seas that were continually breaking over her. She was still holding on at dusk ; but it is propable she will be numbered with the past by this morning. She only arrived in port from Dunedin on Saturday afternoon, and had a general cargo on board for Messrs Guthrie and Larnach. She is or was a ketch of 25 tons, and commanded by Captain Evans. The wrecks which took place yesterday are the most serious event which has ever occurred in the history of Timaru, and it is a matter for sincere thankfulness that they did not occur at night, for, instead of three men, all on board the wrecked vessels must have perished. Not the bravest man in existence would have ventured at night into such a surf as was running on tho beach yesterday. It was simply terrific, and many an old sailor whom we spoke to said he had never seen such a thing in any part of the world, even in Algoa Bay or Madras. No one who did not witness the sight presented about" 11.30 a.m. ( could possibly realise it. At high water at 0 p.m. tho seas were clashing high over the cliffs in Caroline Bay, rushing under the viaducts, bursting over the breastwork at the, railway station, flooding the yard, and generally presenting a sight which, though grand, was also very heart-rending. It was simply impossible for an old vessel like the Melrose to hold out, and, had she not parted her anchors, she would inevitably have gone to pieces. Such a catastrophe as occurred yesterday will, in all probability, never do so in Timaru again ; but it is all the more reason why our breakwater should be pushed ahead. Of course we shall expect to bear the usual run of sneers at Timaru from our kind friends in all parts of the Colony; but that wo do not care for, and all we hope that no other port in New Zealand will ever suffer from such a visitation as this did yesterday,” Inquiry to-day shows only two men were drowned, namely, a sailor of tho barque Melrose and the captain of the Palmerston. Tho body of the former has been found. The Palmerston, although deserted, rode out tho night, and was taken charge of this morning. Tlie Lapwing and Glimpse lay uninjured on the beach. The insurances so far as I have hocn able to gather arc :—New- Zealand, 1.3,000 on the Palmerston, Faniy, and Lapwing ; National, L4OO on the Lapwing (hull); Victoria, Ll5O on the Glympsc (hull); South British, L 1,500 on the cargoes, (L 350 hull Melrose); Union, L 250 on the Melrose (cargo.)