HAUPIRI STRIKES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1444, 20 May 1912, Page 5

HAUPIRI STRIKES.

ON BARRETT REEF. BEACHED IN SINKING STATE AT EVANS BAY, CLOSE CALL ON WILD NIGHT. Serious enough was Uio maritime mishap which tooV place at tlio Reads a few minutes befq.vo midnight on l r riday wlren tho Union Company's steamer . • Uwipiri struck on Barrett's Reef at tho entrance to Wellington Harbour, and sustained considerable damage to her hull. Her imsstor (Captain Morrison) managed to' bring his vessel round to Evans Bay in a sinking condition, and after a considerable amoiyit of trouble was able to beach her alongside tho Evans Bay Wharf. STEAM<NG WITH ALL LIGHTS LOST. The Uawpiri was cast off from the QueeaOs Wharf at 10.10 p.m. on Friday and passed down, tho harbour <m routs riebm, East Coast bays, and . Auckland. Sho had on board about <0 tons of general cargo and some live stock. The Weather at tho time was very thick ami ' rain was coming down in torrents. At times tho night was-so black aiid dirty that it was impossible to see the shores of tho harbour, and occasionally even Somes'lsland light was obscured altogether.

The Haupiri, however, kept on , her course, as hundreds of vessels placed in similar circumstances have done,' and plugged on down'channel for'tlio Heads. All went well until the captain opened Pencnrrow .light, but just then tho rair. teemed down more heavily than ever, even affecting the strong beam from the lighthouse. Sometimes the high level light was blotted out, «md only • tho low level light was discernible. Then the liigli level light, would reappear, and a bank of blackness would obliterate tho other. Thero were times when neither light could bo seen and tho steamer groped . her . way

south in an Egyptian darkness. ' A stiff southerly was piping and a fairly ugly sen was tossing at the Heads. THE CRASH. It was, on the whole, as°dis<pqftrtfns'4, night as any master mariner could wish for to get out to sea. for, besides the rain, wind, and the gloom which intermittently obscured tho lights, long heavy "combers" were rolling in through tho Heads..

Into nil this the Haupiri thrust her nose and began the heavy {tag-out to sesi, Pencarrow light, which should liuvs been visible on the port hand, bad gone and Somes Island light was lion est also. Tite Haupiri, lifting every minute to the seas groped along towards tho open Strait, and all seemed to be going woll when, , without tins slightest warning those on board felt the steamer rise on tho back of a big swell. Next instant sh« camo down crash cn tho rocks,

At once a straining, grating sound was audible, and immediately the order was given, "Full speed astern." Assisted by the southerly and the sea, the' wounded Haupiri slipped back off the jagged pinnacles of rock into deep.water. Souiid* ings were taken, and it was found that water was making freely in No. 1 and No. 2 holds. Presently it was observed that the vessel was going down, by .'ho head, and besides that site was also beginning to take a somewhat.alarming list to port. I "SWING OUT THE BOATS." In such a situation, fraught with risk, orders were given to swing out the boat?, but, on closer examination, it was found that there was no urgent necessity for this action, and only olio boat was put out over the rail in readiness for eventualities.

Meantime the Haupiri's head had been turned towards port again, and now Captain Morrison and his officers and men were obliged to bring their whole seamanship to bear to save the ship. Although the pumps were kept going at high pressure they wero not able to cope with the flow of water, but they had the effect of lengthening tho period of tho disabled steamer's buoyancy. Steadily, however, her boweoiitinued to dip down deeper and deeper, and navigation was extremely difficult, as tho night was now blacker than ever. However, "dogged did it," and an hourand a half after eho had 6truck tho Haupiri was moored alongside the Patent Slip jetty in Evans Bay. Subsequeatly it was. decided to shift her alongside tho Evans Bay Wharf, a short distanco away. This was on account of there being sandy bottom in tho vicinity.

IN THE NICK OF TIME. In? this ..manoeuvre some very difficult work wuis accomplished by Captain Morrison. Tb.e wind had risen to hurricane force, and was sweeping down tho Bay from the south, and as the ship now had a very heavy list, steering .had become" a very difficult matter. At times "it was thought that she would turn turtle, so far did tho wind heel her over. Tho wharf was reached in safety, and, just as everything was made fast, tho Haupiri's l;ow finally settled down on the bottom. It was a lucky save, and Captain Morrison and' his officers and men'luuloubtediv deserve credit for having brought the vessel' through the orderil ,at ail. . .She might have gone down at any moment, but all hands worked with . a'wili—the' whola ship's company, in fact, stack at it. TERAWHITI TAKES A HAND.

About. 4 a.iu. on > Saturday lbs Union Company's tug Terawhjti arrived on the scene, but it was found • that the engineers oil board the Hatijiiri had rigged up a, contrifugal pump, . to .serve. No". 1 hold, and (his was doing good work. Subsequently, however, this machine became detective, and the big suction pipes from the tug were- placed in position, and connected up with her powerful pumps. Shortly after 0 a.m.' a start was made to pump the Ilaupiri out, and,. about 2 p.m. tho water, which had been up:,to the 'tweon d?cks, was practically all out, and the liaupiri was ojjain afloat.

ON THE SLIP AT LAST, Preparations had bec-n made io tr.ke her upon tho slip at once, and, lining bci" own steam, and assisted by the TeraVhiti, sb® was moved awav from ths wharf. Line.', were got out, and placed' on the various dolphins in the vicinity, but great 'difficulty was experienced in Retting the vk> scl into position on thp' cradle. Sho. again showed a morKoa Tendency .to go down by the head, whilo the list to port was also once more breaming- cridonU After one or hvo vain attempts, however.; tho steamer was placed fairly and «qnnvely on tliii slip, and 'ho order was given to "haul up." Watched by nbrmt. onn hundred speetolors. wlw had ooliecterl in spite of the rain and the boisterous, weather, tho liaupiri slowly mounted the clip. THE DAMAGH, A$ 6b# mounted, water was observed to be Bowing out, of tho vessel's hull on both sides, and when the Hanpiri was high and dry, it was found that the blow"had'' dented the plates on the port fufc. i n about fifteen inches for a. distance of fifteou to twenty-feet. Some eight or ten. frames bad gono on this sido also. A small leak was discovered here, but, i";i the whole, it was rather wonderful hov,\" th® bottom had stood the impact, and had not been stove open, On the starboard side, a few feet for--ward of the foremast, and just en tho round c.f the vessel,- is.where most of tho water found it-s WAV inside the hull. .-{■!:• this plaoo two plates, hare heeii iei-ned-together, and the rooks • ha*e 'Stripped'the" rivets and tho joint hfls opened ud. ■ For--

1 ward of this again several smaller dents ; aro in evidence. . After having seen the damaged hull it Is quite evident that the Haupiri came ■ down in a deft between two rocks, the i larger one being on the port side. ; L It .is . estimated that repairs will take ten days or a fortnight to complete. CAPTAIN RETICENT. When asked if he had anything to say concerning the mishap, Captain Morrison , replied in- the negative. 'Several quesj tions as to the lights were asked ly- a reporter, but at present the captain prefers .to remain silent about the whole thing. The officers-are also.very reticent. THE INQUIfTY. ; 7 On inquiry at tlio Marine Department °n Saturday, it was ascertained that arrangements will bo made for holding of an inquiry into tho circumstances of the mishap. ; BARRETT REEF. Barrett Reef is really, a number of ■ .'rocks situated, about half-way between , ' Inoonsistant Point cm the Pencarrow Head side, aud Palmer Head on this side j of tho liarbour entrance. Theso rocks j • and the land on Pencarrow side form | . ■ tho main entrance to Port Nicholson, and . .1 vessel in coming in keeps the white j- . teetor. of Somes Island light in lim> ahead j \nd thus negotiates tho Chanel. A rea i Ight' from Somes light shows over Bar--Jett Beef at night, and in dayilight the | , iinnacles' of rock can bo plainly s?en. - ■ ißetween Palmer Head/and Barrett Reef , 'Is a passage called Chaffers Passage, j There is deep water all round these rocks, varying from 4} fathoms to 7 fathoms. [* PREVIOUS MISHAPS ON THE REEF. j It was in ISIB that the first wreck oc- ■ enrred on Barrett Reef. On that occasion the ship Sobraon, whilst leaving Wellington with a number of ixissengere ; struck these rocks, and became a total wreck. Otlier mishaps tlierb have been as follow:— Ladybird, steamer, struck the reef October 21, 1871.' " " .Earl of South Esk, barque, became a total less, Slay -28; 1874. : Hunter, schooner, total loss, Septem-ber-8, 1876. . . Shepherdess, schoonet, struck July 10, . 1876. ■.■.■ Malay, barque, struck July 25, 1880. ' Napier,' steamer, struck December 8, 1882. "• '"" ' ' ; Cabarfeidh, barque, struck November 8, 1553..; Coronilla, barque; struck: September 10, 1885. Clansman, schooner, stranded inside outer rock,: November 6, 1897. ; HAUPIRI'S HISTORY. The Haupiri is a steel screw steamer of : 715 tons gross, and 152 tons net register. She was built in 1885 by Gourlay Bros., of Dundee, and prior to being purchased by tho 'Union Company from Messrs. Donald and'E.dinborougli, in 1897; was named , the Richmond. Her. '-dimensions areLength;''Jl7Bft;.; breadth, 27.7 ft.; depth, • 17.5 ft. _ The Haupiri broke her crank shaft oh May. 4,,*.1890, and put into Tonga for re- 1 pairs. On .Tune 4, 1911, a fire was dis- ; coverei.in No';" 2. hold, just as the 1 vessel ■was leaving for' Gisborne, Napier, and Wellington. The outbreak was suppressed ! by the City Fire Brigade. ] WAKATU'S EXPERIENCE. ■ i ■ I "ONE .OF THE VERY WORST." < Captain Wills, of the small coastal J steamer" Wakatii, describes -Friday night as one; of the worst he, has experienced outsido Wellington Heads. His vessel ■was approaching from Kaikoura, and lie ; states that at times he could not pick up ! ■ any lights at all. On several occasions , lie vvas; compelled to stop his ship and j take soundings when tho heavy rain ol> ' 6cured Pencarrow light. His experience , was' ;some\vhat similar to Captain MorriEon's. .At one time he could see the low level light, and then he would lost it and only-the top light would be visible. Then 1 both would bo swallowed up. Under these conditions tho Wakatu managed to crawl 1 Somes Island light was hardly i seen; once i during the. run up the liar- f tour: , i