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H.-15.

Return of Wrecks and Casualties to Shipping reported to the Marine Department— continued.

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Date of Casualty. Name of Vessel, also Age and Class. Rig. S g, Number of So S jPassenW H Q | gers. Number of Nature of Number of Lives lost. Place where Casualty occurred. Direction. Wind. d. Force. Decision of Court of Inquiry, &c. Name of Master. Cargo. Casualty. 1903. Dec. 31 Waitemata, 20 years Schooner 1904. Jan. 3 59 Timber logs Stranded; total loss Matapouri Harbour, near Tutukaka Calm Casualty caused through wind failing into a dead calm at a critical moment, when beating out of harbour Casualty caused by heavy seas breaking on board, smashing port lifeboat, damaging saloon skylight, and bursting open bunker hatches Casualty caused through strong current and failure of vessel to answer her helm No evidence showing any remissness of duty on part of master or crew. Capsizing appears to have been purely accidental Vessel stranded through taking a sheer while leaving harbour with a strong flood-tide running in. She came off on top of high water Casualty caused through failure of wind, while leaving harbour Charles Bales, A.B., while employed about the cathead, clearing the sail, the mast of which had carried away, fell overboard and was drowned. Court found that the evidence showed no one was to blame for the accident, and that master and crew did all in their power to save the man's life Fire discovered in after-cabin, where quantity of New Zealand dressed flax was stowed. Slight damage done to ship, and damage to flax by water and fire of about £100 In seeking shelter under D'Urville Island, the weather being thick, and soundings gave no bottom at 25 fathoms, a gust of wind caught the vessel and forced her up against the reef Vessel struck an uncharted rock in Orongorongo Bay Robert Wilson. Kolya, s.s., 16 years Schooner 1168 26 Sawn timber Damage by heavy seas Lat. 39° 39' S.; long., 154° 46' E. On voyage from Bunbury, W.A., to Wellington French Pass N. Heavy gale G. T. Joss. 5 Penguin, s.s., 40 years Oban, 6 years .. Schooner General Stranded; no damage Capsized; slight damage W. H. J. Williams. 517 7 Schooner 39 8 Tasman Bay, 2 miles E. of Forrest Bay, near Astrolabe Roadstead Off Haulashore Island entrance to Nelson Harbour Puffy .. Ambrose Edward Ricketts. . 17 Mapourika, s.s., 6 years Schooner 718 35 112 General Stranded; no damage Calm Charles McArthur. 19 Lutterworth, 36 Barque .. Ballast.. Stranded; no damage Loss of life only Entrance to Nelson Harbour About IJ miles S.W. by S. of Sail Rock, 14 miles from Whangarei N. Henry Lamb Hicks. Frederick John Cox. years Saxon, 28 years 887 20 Calm Feb. 3 Schooner 58 4 Coal .. 1 3 Queen of the South, s.s., 27 years Fire on board ; partial loss Alongside wharf, Foxton Edward Harvey. Schooner 121 12 General Calm Mar. 18 Gertie, s.s., 13 years Schooner 119 13 Ballast .. Stranded; no damage D'Urville Island, near Rangitoto N.N.W. Squally.. George Archibald Simpson. r 24 Duco, s.s., 12 years Cutter .. 26 Stranded; partial loss 1 mile off shore, Orongorongo Creek, near entrance Wellington Harbour W.N.W. Fresh gale William MoGavin Muir. . 24 Northern Chief Barque .. Coal .. Loss of life only 1 Half a gale At 2.30 a.m. William Kassens, while engaged with others in taking-in sail, accidentally fell into the sea from the fore upper topsail yard, and was drowned. The master, officers, and crew did everything that was reasonable and possible to rescue him Vessel stood too close into bar. Casualty caused by sea being very smooth, and outer bank having made since master's last visit Casualty caused by set of tide and change of wind to S.E., driving vessel on to top of broken piles of western training-wall George Kassens. 263 On voyage from Newcastle to Auckland . 27 Balmain, s.s., 21 years Stranded; no damage Outside Wanganui Bar William Troup. Schooner 377 15 Coal .. Calm . 29 Aotea, s.s., IJ years Schooner 90 Ballast.. Stranded; partial loss Retaining - wall, west side of entrance, Patea River S.E. Fresh breeze William Tinney. 11