A GALLANT SAILOR.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2802, 28 June 1890, Page 5 (Supplement)

A GALLANT SAILOR.

Fut.L details of the loss of Her Majesty's gun vessel Lily have reached Plymouth from an officer who is amongst the survivors. He says that on the morning of September 16th the ship was put to sea with the intention of running for mails to Fortepan, a distance of twenty-five miles. It was blowing rather hard, and the engines were stopped. Shortly afterwards the vessel got into a dense fog, and sails were being furled when the ship ran with a crash on some rocks. The shore could be seen, though the rain was pouring in torrents, and the weather was as thick as it could be. . Three boats wore launched and filled with lines, liut they were all knocked over like matchboxes. Boat after boat met with the same fate, but when it became evident that no craft of this sort could reach the land, an able seaman named Birl.-e-, volunteered to swim ashore with a line, and endeavour to get help an 1 save some lives. Barber stripped and jumped overboard with the line tied round his waist, and, being a powerful swimmer, he succeeded iu getting ashore. A hawser was soon made f;)i-:t between tho vessel and the tihurc, and then the captain gave orders for thu marines to leave the ship first mid aret, along the line. At times it dipped into the breakers and disappeared. Man von board did not care to attempt to eso-ipp, being afraid of tho surf. Four unfortunate fellows, in fact, were overpowered by the waves and drowned. About this time the whole of tho ship filled with water, and no one could go below. Thorn was only one boat left, and those who could not swim got into her with difficulty. Twenty-three, including the sick, entored her, and tho sea being so high, and tho weather so thick, the occupants of the boat had not tho slightest idea in what direction they were going. The prospect was a terrible mio, as they had no light, and, it being theu half-past five, in another half hour it w.n quite dark. There was no food or water in the boat, which had neither sails nor rudder. They first pulled ahead of ih« ship, and then round the root, ami after a time they heard a fog-horn which they fancied belonged to some light houso, They pulled towards thu point from which tho sound was ilimitrht to come, but found they were. going further away, and at last they lost it altogether. After about two hours loug.-r they again heard it, when it appeared n> bo a long way oft'. About 2.30 or o'Vt,.in. a strong gale suddenly sprang up from the east, accompanied by snow and hail, so that the survivors sufferod terribly from cold. Tho easterly wind caused the fog to lift, and they observed ahead a light which they took for a lighthou.* , , but the wind was ao high that, it was utterly impossible to pull against it Seas were also breaking over the boat, and she had to bo constantly baled to keep her afloat. After some hours day dawned, but the wind and sea continued to increase in force, the men still endeavouring to reach what they thought wan the lighthouse. They eventually got to a small landing-place, having never ce.ised pulling from tho time they started. Nothing whatever was saved from the ship, which became a total wreck.