WRECK ON THE NINETY-MILE BEACH.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 266, 4 February 1879, Page 2

WRECK ON THE NINETY-MILE BEACH.

On Saturday intelligence reached Akaroa that a vessel called the Clyde was ashore near Taumutu, on the Ninety-mile Beach. As there were no signs of any of the crew, and the boat was missing, the worst was feared with regard to the safety of those on hoard, and the police received instructions <* to proceed to the scenCof the wreck, and make all necessary enquiries as to the fate of the missing men. Sergeant Ramsay accordingly started for Taumutu on Sunday, but on his way met with a passenger by the wrecked vessel who * had reached Little River, from whom he learned that the fears entertained for those on hoard the vessel were happily groundless. The following are the particulars of the * disaster as furnished by the passenger referred to. We may premise that the latter is a Mr John, Bennett, clerk to a shipping agent at Oamaru, who was proceeding in the schooner on a trip to Auck- #' land for the benefit of his health.

The Clyde is a fine schooner of about 130 tons, owned by Mr Frank Guy, of Freemantle, Western Australia. She was built in Freemantle five years ago expressly for the conveyance of jarrah timber. Sue is constructed of ironbark and red gum, and is described as being very strong. She left Oamaru at 7 a.m. on Friday last, bound for Auckland; with a full cargo of Oamaru stone and grain. It was blowing hard from the south-east at the time. Our inforaient, Mr Bennett, being unwell, went below. At 1.30 a.m. on Saturday- morning he was called by the captain to come, on deck. He found the surf breaking over the vessel, which was drifting stern first on to the beach. The crew were engagedan lowering the boat. AH hands then got into the boatj viz., the captain, five seamen, the cook, and passenger, eight souls in all. The boat was eighteen feet long on the keel, and pulled four oars. They took half a bag of biscuits and a keg of water with them. The boat behaved splendidly as soon as they got her" head to the sea,

rising to the waves like a duck. They left the schooner.at 2 p.m. and shaped a coursa for Akaroa. When they made the Peninsula,„ the captain was afraid to attempt reaching Akaroa Heads in case of a contrary wind preventing their getting in, and accordingly put into the first bay they reached, which was Long Bay, between Island Bay and Peraki. They landed here at noon on Saturday, having been ten hours in the boat in a heavy sea. The place being uninhabited, they started in two parties over the ranges to look for some settlement. Four of the seamen reached Mr Buchanan's place at Lake Forsyth at 6 p.m., whence they reached Olphert's Hotel between 8 and 9. The captain and the remainder, including the passenger, were not so fortunate, as they loßt themselves on the ranges and had to camp out all night. They, however, succeeded in getting down to Mr Buchanan's about 11 o'clock on the following morning (Sunday). The captain and crew left the same day for the wreck. Mr Bennett remained at Olphert's. For an invalid in search of health he has had a rough time of it so far. A rough sea to start with, then ten hours in an open boat, and succeeding that a night on the hills without any defence from the weather are certainly not the most genial experiences for a man in delicate health. However, we may be thankful that the first tears as to the fate of those on board were not realized, and that we have no worse catastrophe to record.

The Lizzie Guy, a sister ship to the Clyde, was lately cast away on the West Coast near Hokitika.