LOSS OF THE NIL DESPERANDUM.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 575, 22 April 1876, Page 2

LOSS OF THE NIL DESPERANDUM.

The brig Nil Desperandmn, which formerly' used to voyage between the colonies and China, and for the last three years has been trading regularly from this port to Fiji, has come to grief on the rocky and forbidding shores of New Caledonia, A. brief intimation by telegram of the event was received a short time ago, but the detailed particulars have just been brought by the master, Captain W. ■ Q. Garth, who arrived from Noumea via Sydney, cn Friday last. The brig, after her last trip from Fiji, was taken up here to load • general cargo, and live stock, mostly horses > and sheep, for New Caledonia, and having embarked sixteen passengers, sailed for her destination on January 28th. A fine fairweather passage was m ade to Noumea, which was reached on February 12ih. Eight of the passengers and all the horses were safely landed, and the brig, after being at Noumea four days, left on February Kith for Kanala, on the other side of the island, and about 160 miles distant. She arrived at Kanala on the afternoon of February 20th, and commenced discharging on the following day. Light S E. winds and fine weather had hitherto been experienced on the coast, but on Feb. 22nd the wind increased considerably, and heavy rain squalls were frequeut. At 4 a.m. on Feb. 23rd the barometer in four hours had fallen from 29 70 to 28'80, and very stiff gales' from N.E. prevailed. The wind gradually/ shifted into N, and at II a.m. was raging: with hurricane violence, and accompanied! with deluges of rain. A tremendous sea/, which arose somewhat suddenly, w r as then i sent rolling in, and the brig commenced todrive, dragging her anchors steadily until! half-past I p.m, w’heu she went broadside om to the shore, rolling and bumping heavily*. The sea was making clean breaches* over her, and everything movable on deck was washed adrift. The remaining eight passengers, with Captain Garth ami his wife and family,, and the crew and one or two Kanaka labourers, were on board, and their position had become extremely perilous. One of the Kanakas volunteered to swim from the' vessel with a rope, and succeeded in making it fast on shore, the other end being, of course, secured on board. By this means passengers and crew were transferred safely to land. Captain Garth, with Mrs Garth and three children, and the second mate and one of the men, got into the boat, and were lowered from the davits, hut on touching the water a topping sea filled it, and with some difficulty they got hold of the rope which had proved so serviceable to the others, and pulled the boat on shore by its aid. The brig, owing lo the roughness of the coast, was very much knocked about, and filled soon after taking the ground. It was exceedingly fortunate that the brig arrived at Kanala before the storm came on, for the wtathcr during the gales was so thick, and the rain so blinding, that she would in all probability have struck ou one or othe*

of the reef a which abound on the const, and not a soul would have survived to tell the tale. On learning of the disaster, the commandant at Noumea despatched the gunboat Coetlogon, with a number of soldiers and convict labourers, to render assistance in getting the brig off No time was lost, in getting out the remainder of the cargo by the aid of diners, and by the night of Saturday, February 26tb, the bold was cleared. Captain Le Borgue Do Kerambosquer, of the Coetlogon, used every endeavour in his power and all available appliances to move the veseel from her position, and had he succeeded the brig would have been lowed by the gunboat to Noumea for repair The polite and very willing attention shown by the French authorities to the shipwrecked people, and the heartiness and alacrity with which Captain Kerambosquer and all under his orders exerted themselves, are spoken of in terras of warmest commendation by Captain Garth, An inquiry was held concerning the wreck of the brig, and both Captain Garth and the pilot from Noumea, who was in charge up to the time of her going on shore, were exonerated from all blame. As there was very poor prospect of doing anything with the vessel in the way of getting her afloat, Captain Garth sold her for the benefit of all concerned. The brig is said to be partially insured. The Nil Desperandnra was 157 tons register, and was built at Newcastle, N.S.W., in 1868. She was staunch, and in excellent order, and underwent an extensive overhaul not very long ago, at the instance of her owners, Messrs James M'Evvan and Co.