Shipping.

Evening Star, Issue 3436, 25 February 1874, Page 2

Shipping.

HIGH WATER. To-mobbow. Heads I Pobt Chalmebs I Dunedin 11,33 p.m. I 0.80 n.m. | 0.53 p.m. PORT CHALMERS. ARRIVED. February 24. —Phoebe, s.s., 416 tons, Worsp, from the North. Passengers—Mr and Mrs Benjamin, Mrs White, Miss Hoggar, Messrs Hudson, Blundell, Broderick, Schwarts, Jacobs, Mcndelshon, Sargeant, and 14 in the steerage. February 25th.—Isabella, 50 tons, Cowan, from Gatlin’s River. SAILED. February 25.—Elizabeth Graham, 598 tons, Mordue, for London. Zealandia, ship, 1,116 tons, Curry, for London. Passengers—Saloon: Mr and Airs Glassford and faimily, Mr, and Mrs Whybrow and family, Airs Coe and family, Misses Grant, Calvert, Brownlie, Master E. O. Ward, Mrs M‘Laod, Messrs A. Barker, H. M. Barker, Scott, E. B. Hill, Duncan; in the steerage; Mr and Mrs Lucas and family, Mr and Mrs Fergussonand family, Messrs Schweign, Young, Taylor, Lallantyne, Burgess, Turnell, Henderson. PROJECTED DEPARTURES. Albion, for Melbourne, via Bluff, Feb. 27. Agnes Muir, for London, March 14. Beautiful Star, for Lyttelton, Feb. 26.' City of Dnnedin, for London, March 14. Claud Hamilton, for Melbourne, via Bluff, March 6. Jessie Readman, for London, Feb, 28. Kate Brain, for Auckland, Feb. 28, Macgregor, for San Francisco. March 10. Omeo, for Newcastle, via Northern Ports, March 7. Oroti, for Wellington, early, Phcebe, for Sydney, Feb, 27. Samson, for Oamaru, Feb. 27. .Wallabi, for Riverton, Feb; 26. The New Zealand S.S. Co.’s steamer Phoebe arrived at 4.20 p.m.' yesterday. She left the Manakau at 10.30 a.m. on the 18th, called at Taranaki, Nelson, Picton, Wellington, and Lyttelton. We thank her purser (Mr Barber) for report and files. Two fine vessels left tbe Port to-day for London—the N.Z. Shipping Company’s barque Elizabeth Graham, and the fine clipper ship Zealandia. Both vessels are loaded with a large and valuable cargo of Colonial produce. The Zealandia took also a number of saloon and steerage passengers, who are under the care of. Dr Young, late of the ship Dover Castle. The Geelong towed them both clear of the Heads, and left them with a fine south-west breeze. From the known sailing capabilities of both vessels, there ought to oe a good race Home between them.' It is considered by competent judges in Auckland, that the late gale would not have earned nearly as much damage had the mooring •f the vessels lying in the neighborhood of the wharf been properly attended to. A great number of the wrecks were brought about by various craft breaking away from thoir moor tegs, and drifting out bodily on the vessels which would have weathered the gale but for the additional strain thereby occasioned. The ‘Daily Southern Cross,’ in commenting upon the subject, cites the case of the steamer Challenger, which, with two anchors down, and with a full scope of chain, was prepared to ride out a gale even stronger than the one in question, but the schooner Dauntless drove against the steamer, and the additional strain proved too much for the latter, both vessels drifting on to the cutter Otahuhu, which had already broken loose; and, between the schooner and the cutter, the Challenger was completely broken up, the schooner being damaged almost to an equal extent, whilst the cutter • became a perfect meek. The same journal also contends that it is the duty of harbormasters, on the earliest indications of a storm, to compel vessels in the harbor to take proper precautions for weathering the storm, and that in all cases that official should be invested with full authority to make the necessary arrangements, should the phip-masters fail in performing their duty. ‘ ~ THE CRUISE OF THE BLANCHE. The R.Y.S. schooner yacht Blanche sailed from Bluff Harbor on 22nd January at 5 p.m., having on board his Excellency the * Governor and,suite, the Bishop of Dunedin and Dr Hector. Meeting strong N.W. winds she put into Preservation Inlet on the 24th at Daylight, and anchored in Cuttle Cove. She was unable to proceed _ until the 27th, when the weather moderating she heat up for Dusky Bay, but the wind again increasing, at 4.30 p.m. bore up for Chalky Inlet and anchored inside at 7 p.m. Strong N. W. winds again prevailed until the 2nd instant, when she sailed with light land breeze at 6 a.m. Again encountered N.W. gale and heavy sea, and on the 3rd at noon anchored in Piokersgill harbor, and experienced very heavv gale from N.W. until 6th, when the Weather moderating, got under way, but found wind too light to work out against the heavy swell, and anchored in Cascade Cove. On the 7th sailed at 10 a. m. ; thick fog came on, and anchored in Anchor Island harbor. On the Bth sailed again, and on tbe 9th stood through Straits; Bluff on 10th at 6 a.m. without oommnmcating except by hoisting Governor’s flag. Experienced S.W, gale off Nuggets, and forty-eight miles in five hours. Off Otago Heads on 11th, at 8 a.m., missed stays, owing to fierce squall and short canvass; being close on wxsk,’let go starboard anchor, which dragged at first, put held with twenty-five fathoms chain, the cliffs being only the vessel’s length astern. A steamer coming down, the Blanche burned bine lights and rockets, but she anchored about a quarter, of a mile to windward. The tide being on the turn, and the undercurrent causing the cable to strain heavily, buoyed and the cable, and the vessel canted under heodsails and foresail and ran out; set reefed squaresail and maintrysail and stood i for' Akarpa Heads. On tbe 12th, at 10 a.m.,strong N.E. wind, put into Akaroa and anchored. Landed the Bishop and Dr Hector and communicated with Wellington. Qn the 13th, at no< n, weighed with fresh breeze, but was becalmed at the Heads. On 15th, at 8 a.m., about fifteen miles south of Kaikouras stopd close in. At 3 p.ra. met the Luna, which boarded and delivered letters and papers At night strong N. N. E. wind. On the 16th heavy gale; hove to during the night, and the barometer fell to 28.80. On 17th moderated, and worked up under Cape Campbell, rounded it at z p.m., and stood along Cloudy Bay, with strong N.N.W. wind, and anchored at nightfall in Port Underwood. On the 18th sailed at 7 a.m. with fresh breeze from N.W., and anchored m Wellington Harbor at 2 p.m.— ‘ Post. ’ AN EPISODE OF THE AUCKLAND GALE. The following evidence was given at the inquest on the body of George Esnouf, who was drowned by toe swamping of a boat called the Challenge during the recent gale in Auckland: ■lames Le Bas deposed that he knew deceased. He was a Jersey man, and twenty Kars old., At toe time of his death he had cn sent to-Coromandel. Tbe Challenge, that he went in, was an open boat. One Arnold accompanied him, and neither knew anythin o, «f the management of a boat.—Alfred Arnold stated that on Saturday morning, the 7th inst he and deceased started from the Breakwater in an open boat called the Challenge, for the Mama for a cargo of fruit. They had on board soma old timber, and were sailing under mainsoil and jib. The weather was rough, and the wind adverse. There was no ballast on hoard. Deceased had the whole control. They found they could not make headway between Brown’s Island and Rangitoto, and tried to get back, but could not weather the North Head. They double - reefed the mainsail, and tried te hoist toe reefed sail, but could not for fear of being capsized. They took to the oars then, and tried to reach the Wave Queen lying at anchor in the Rangitoto channel. They could not make headway, and deceased gave up. Witness* toon hoisted a pocket-handkerchief on the mast as a signal of distress. At that time toe ship was about half * At about half-past six a boat put ?*■ “Jen,, two of whom were put on tojwA toe Challenge. One' was nanjed Frank % ftker Richard Carter. At that wine the wind was blowing very strong, and

the boat' had shipped a great deal of water. The rudder had been lost. Hawkes, the owner of the* boat which boarded witness's boat, then left, saying that they could shelter behind the beacon at the reef. One of the sailors then hoisted the jib and another steered with an oar. The wind slewed them round, and they were very soon on the rocks at Rangitoto reef. The boat stuck, and as the tide came up she crmted over and filled, throwing all hands overboard. Deceased and witness then swam to a higher rock, and the two sailors followed by the help of the timber in the cargo. AH four sat on the rock till the water reached them, and then hung on by their hands, and were repeately washed away. When the water rose about six inches above the rock, deceased let go his hold and clung to the thigh of witness, and one of the seamen’s arms. He seemed exhausted, and unable to keep his head up. After this he clung to the trousers of witness, and the sea washed both away. Witness slipped his trousers off, and deceased disappeared, carrying them with him. After this he was not seen. About an hour after this Richard Nott also also became exhausted, slipped from the rock, and was drowned. In the morning wi'ness and the other survivor swam to the Island, and were picked up by Hawkes. Wit ness thought that Hawkes could not have come to their assistance sooner than he did. The jury, without retiring, returned a verdict of “Accidentally drowned.”