THE CITY OF MELBOURNE IN A GALE.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 708, 26 September 1876, Page 3

THE CITY OF MELBOURNE IN A GALE.

NINE RACEHORSES KILLED. :" (Australasian.) There was great excitement in the citj on Tuesday morning, when the telegraph Drought the news from Sydney that the City of Melbourne, which sailed from that port on Saturday for Melbourne, had returned in a crippled state after being caught in a tremendous gale, from which she was for some time in danger of being totally lost. The steamer had on board eleven racehorses, including the Chrysolite colt, the winner of the A.J.O. Derby ; Nemesis, the winner of the Metropolitan; Robin Hood, and Sovereign. Nine of these were killed outright, and the Chrysolite colt and Redwood were landed in a sad plight from exposure and knocking about. The following telegram from our special, "Augur," who was on board, gives all particulars relating to the disaster: Sydney, Tuesday, Sept. 12. " The City of Melbourne, crammed with passengers and having on board eleven racehorses, comprising the flower of the Victorian studs, left Sydney at midnight on Saturday. On Sunday morning a strong southerly gale set in, and, as the ship was not far from Jervis Bay, Joe Morrison requested Captain Paddle to return, in order to save the lives of the valuable animals under his charge,, but the captain determined to face the gale. "Soon after passing Cape St George the vessel shipped a number of heavy seas, and the gale increased to a hurricane. The wheel was smashed and the binnacle washed away, the ship at the time going round like a top. The crew behaved spendidly, and rigged a temporary steering gear, and as some of the horses had fallen, the captain at last determined to return ; but the weather being hazy and thick, he could not ascertain rightly where he was, and put the ship's head to sea. Then commenced the slaughter amongst the horses. Eros and Mr Evans's Gwendoline filly, were about the first to succumb, being washed on to the deck and killed. Poacher followed, then Burgundy was killed. Nemesis was thrown on to the deck, and was drowned where she lay; so was Sovereign, Etoile du Matin having also been killed. The greatest loss of all was Robin Hood, who fell under the other horses, and notwithstanding the efforts of Davis, Morrison, and Harris, and the chief officer, he also was killed. In the meanwhile the terrific seas that swept over the ship had carried away two boats, and smashed another. Then a fearful sea stove in one side of the engine-room, and the saloon was flooded with water. Men were kept employed baling out the cabins night and day. " All day on Monday the gale blew with terrific force and the ship kept dodging about at sea, most of the passengers fearing for her safety. Captain Stacpoole, of the ship Shannon, kept up the spirits of the male passengers, and Mrs Stacpoole those of the female passengers, though one or two of the latter created some alarm by their fears. Nearly every bed in the saloon was saturated with Avater, and few of the passengers slept night or day. ' , " On Tuesday morning tjhere were signs ot a slight improvement, and the captain steered a course for Sydney Heads. The Sylvia colt was the last to die, and then the Chrysolite colt and Redwood were the only two" left out of the eleven shipped. The former fell down, and it was feared he would die, but Davis and Morrison stuck to him manfully, and just as the colt appeared to be at the point of death*, the Heads were sighted, and the ship was soon in smooth water. Another quarter of an hour at sea would have been fatal to the Derby winner. The passengers raised a subscription for the crew, and a testimonial was presented to the captain by a portion of the passengers, though Mr Kit, the chief officer, was considered by others entitled to one also. " Throughout this tremendous gale the ship behaved admirably, though, until the deck cargo was thrown overboard, she laboured a great deal. The chief damage was the destruction of the wheel and binnacle, the loss of the three boats, the injury to. the engine-house, and the saturation of the passengers' luggage, though these losses were nothing in value compared to that of the valuable racehorses that were destroyed. The Chrysolite colt and Redwood were landed this afternoon. The former had to be carried on boards, and cannot move now.'