THE CLEMATIS.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 698, 14 September 1876, Page 3

THE CLEMATIS.

The capsizing of this vessel has been so much spoken of, items of news coming day by day, that we have resolved to give a more complete account than yet published of all known respecting the vessel. The Enquiry. An enquiry regarding her loss was held yesterday, before Alexander Kose, Esq, Collector of Customs, at the Custom House, Lyttelton. Bobert Cashmore, of Auckland, stated —I am managing owner of the ketch Clematis ; official number, 57,329 ; regis tion tonnage 67 43 100, registered at Auckland. The Clematis left Auckland on or about the 4th July last, loaded with 66,000 ft timber, a small portion of which was a deck load that did not reach more than half way up her bulwarks. She was bound to Timaru, and put in to Lyttelton to repair sails, &c; the master telegraphing to me that he had split his mainsail. This I could not understand, as &he had a good spare mainsail on board. Certainly, during the time she was out, there were some severe gales along the coast. She appears to have arrived in Lyttelton on July 24th, and left again on the 30fch, bound for Timaru. The master merely stated in the Customs, Lyttelton, that he had put in for repairs. There was a passenger on board when the vessel left Auckland, named George Qiles, formerly a butcher in Queen street. I cannot say whether he was on board when the vessel capsized. I presume he was. I feel certain I should have beard from him if he was in New Zealand, and the rumours afloat in Lyttelton that he left Auckland to avoid his creditors are untrue. I have known him for many years and never heard anything against his character, except that he went through the Bankruptcy Court about a year ago, and had obtained his certificate of dibcharge. The master of the Clematis, George Henry Clark, I knew well. He was a good seaman ; the mate Campbell had a foreigngoing master's certificate. The master had merely a home trade New Zealand.certificate. I cannot give the numbers of the certificates. All papers connected with the ship are, to the best of my belief, lost, the cabin having been washed out. I also knew David Taylor an A.B. on board, the rest of the crew were unknown to me. Only one body has been found, it was in the lazarette, I expect it is the body of the mate Campbell. A watch and gold Albert chain were found on a hook, and I identify them as having belonged to Captain Clark ; two or three shillings were also found. I took possession of nothing. The police were on board when the vessel was righted, and they took possession of all personal property. I cannot in any way account for the vessel's capsizing, and do not consider that any evidence is obtainable as to the cause thereof. I gave notice before I left Auckland that I had abandoned the vessel to the New Zealand Insurance Company. She was insured for £I2OO, and was worth from £I7OO to £IBOO. I gave £I9OO for her two years ago. The Clematis is a flat bottomed vessel, and had a centre board. She bore the reputation of sailing well. This concluded the enquiry.

Further Particulars.

The Clematis, it will be seen, left here on the 30th of July last, and nothing was heard of her till August 17th, when Captain Goodman of the schooner Elizabeth reported having seen a small vessel bottom up, bearing west half north, twenty miles off Amuri Bluff. As a great deal of anxiety had been felt regarding the non-arrival of the Clematis at Timaru, it was concluded that it mnst be that vessel, and on the evening of the 18th the s.s. Akaroa, chartered by the Insurance Company, proceeded in (Bearch. She returned unsuccessful on the morning of Sunday, 20th, having met with bad weather outside. That same day the Minnehaha, Bchooner, arrived from Mercury Bay and reported a derelict floating thirty-five miles

of Qodiey Heads, bearing N.l. by E. On ciunday, August 27th, another trip, also unsuccessful, was made in search of the wreck by the s.s. Akaroa; but on August 31st Captain Worsp, of the Taupo, telegraphed having seen the vessel at 8.50 p.m. on the 30th, twenty five miles N.N.B. half E. from Godley heads. On the 31st, at daylight, the s.s. Akaroa proceeded on the third trip in search, and on the Ist Sept. returned with the derelict in low. We need hardly say that she was an object of great curiosity on arrival, and was visited by a great many people. The vessel being moored at the buoy, Captain Hall, of the City of Dublin, offered to right her for a sum of £SO. The derelict was towed in beside his ship, and tackles having been rigged at the mastheads, chains were passed under the Clematis and shackled on to the keel. The purchases did not seem to be strong enough, and after several attempts, during which a great deal of the gear was carried away, he had to give up all hopes of proceeding. It was, therefore, then resolved to call for tenders for the work, and Captain R. Wood's tender was accepted. That gentleman's first proceeding was to haul the Clematis close into the wharf, and to tow his brig, the Derwent, and moor her off the wreck, shackling her on the Government buoy, one anchor being down as well. Ohaius were then passed round the Clematis, four being used instead of two as formerly ; two of these were passed behind the piles of the wharf and hove tight with tackles, and the other two, with heavy three-fold tackles, passed over the Derwent's stern, on to the mainmast, and fastened there with chain cables. An Bin hawser was also used from the Government buoy, being passed over the Derwent with another threefold tackle from the wreck. On Saturday the first attempt was made, but failed owing to the bad tide and strong westerly wind, which broke one of the inside chains. This was rectified on Monday, and all the tackle falls were brought to work on the wharf through leading blocks on the Derwent's deck, three heavy winches being used for the purpose. At 7 a.m, it being then half-tide, operations were commenced, and the vessel, after a steady heave of two hours and ahalf, turned over right way up. Everything was then let go, and the hands employed at once in pumping and bailing the water out of her, and at 2 p.m. she was dry. The whole affair caused the greatest excitement, hundreds of people being present, and tharo were hearty cheers when she turned over. Her appearance was strange. Forward her bowsprit was broken short off, the starboard anchor gone, thirty fathoms of the starboard chain hanging over the side, bulwarks and stanchions on the starboard side from the mainmast forward were all gone, the foremast had apparently dropped out of the step, all rigging and spars connected with it being missing, the very chain plates being either broken off or curled out of shape. The mainmast was broken off a few feet above deck, all the gear belonging to it having also disappeared. The deck house abaft the wheel and the wheel itself had been swept away, and all that could be seen of the boat was a couple of thwartß floating about. The hatches were stove in and some missing, and the centre-board gear broken or gone. In fact nothing was left but the water and harness casks, the port anchor, and a few planks of deck cargo that had become entangled. Directly the water was pumped out bo that the cabin deck could be reached, it was found that all the berths had been washed away, there were no clothes of any description to be found. A silver watch with a gold chain was hanging under a shelf ; it had stopped at twenty minutes past four. A parallel ruler and a pair of Light glasses and a bundle of knives and forkf?, half a crown and a floiin washed smooth with the friction (thoroughly waterworn) were also discovered, but no trace of any human being. After the vessel was a little more pumped out, one of the men who had been bailing out the water said he could feel something soft down in the lazarette. Captain Wood then with a rod, felt about and a man's foot came to the surface. As soon as the water was pumped out it was seen that the body was naked, all but a pair of oilskin leggings, and waa lying with outstretched arms aud his face towards the bottom of the vessel. Sergeant-Maj ;r O'Grady had a shell made and the body was taken away to the morgue. In the forecastle the berths were complete, there seemed to be many clothes washed about and a leather portmanteau, but no human remains or money, and it is evident no one was there when the accident occurred. It was most probable that on the afternoon of August dth, when it was blowing so hard here from the sou' wear, the vessel turned over in one of the fearful guf>t3. No doubt it was in the day time, or more bodies would have been found below, as the men must have been working on deck. The crew probably stuck to the wreck and were washed off aud drowned ; but the fate of the person found below was far more terrible, when the vensel turned there would be enough air in her to keep the water down and sustain life for some time. No doubt the heat became unbearable as the air decreased and he stripped himself to prolong his misery. There are marks in the ceiling near the keelson, as if the wretched man had tried to cut through the planks with his knife ; but, no doubt, strength soon failed, and he sank into the water and expired. The wreck was handed over, after being pumped out, to the underwriter's surveyor, Captain Dunsford, and was yesterday moored at the No 2 Wharf, and commenced her discharge.

The Inquest

The inquest on the body of the man unknown, found in the wreck, was held in the Mitre, hotel, before J. W. S. Coward, Esq, coroner. Mr T. A. W. Parsons was chosen foreman of the jury. Captain H. Dansford, sworn, said—l am an insurance surveyor living at Lyttelton. I went out on August 31st in the s.s Akaroa to search for the Clematis, which was said to have capsized. She was fouod about twenty-five miles N. by E. from Godleyi Heads, bottom upwards. I saw her brought into harbor, and was present when she was righted, and when pumped out I saw the body now in the morgue in the lazarette of the vessel.

William Smith, sworn, said—l am a sergeant of police. I was present when the vessel was righted, and saw the body, when she was pumped out, which now lies at the morgue. It was too far decomposed to be identified by anyone. There were waterproof leggings on, and a strap that was buckled under the armpits. The body was lying in a cramped position in the lazarette. The jury returned a verdict of " Found Dead," there being no evidence to show how he died.