WRECK OF THE CLEMATIS.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2182, 22 February 1881, Page 3

WRECK OF THE CLEMATIS.

Total Losb ov hbb Oabgo. News reached port last night by telephone from the Heads that a brig had gono ashore off the Long Look-out, and this was confirmed shortly after by the arrival at the pilot station of Captain Henry Bowden, master of the brig Clematis, with five of his crew, in the ketch Prince Rupert. Immediately upon the receipt of the first intelligence of the wreck, Captain McLollan, the harbor master, despatchod the Lyttelton Harbor Board's steam tug LyttoltoD, and she foiling in with the Prince Bupert at the Heads, brought her up to port. The following narrative of the unfortunate wreck the brig is supplied by Captain Bowden—We left Hobart on the 10th instant, with a oargo of palings and shingles, one half being consigned to Lyttelton and the remainder for Wellington. The whole of it was on the ohip's acoount. Good winds were met to the Snares and up the coast, to making the Long Lookout yesterday at about noon. We were laying along with a nice westerly wind off the land, and keeping pretty close in. About 1 p.m., when a little on the south side of Long Look-out Point, or close to South Bay, and distant from the shore about one mile, wo went up quite smoothly on tho ledge of a sunken rock. The vessel touched so easy as to be almost imperceptible, and wo thought after taking in all sail that on the tide flowing a little she would come off without injury. Upon taking soundings forwards and aft, we found between six and seven fathoms of water at cither end, but amidships, for a distance of Bft forward and about as far abaft the mainmast there were 11 or 12ft of water. The sea was comparatively smooth, but as the tide mode the vessel began to bump, and before 3 o'clock in the afternoon the cargo came floating out of tho forward and after hatches, and went over the bows the sea immediately around being in a short time strewn with bundles of shingles and palings. The mainmast and deoks had lifted, and it was then inevitable that the vessel must become a total wreck. Fortunately there were three small coasting oraft lying at anchor a . short distance away, and the masters of them , ■ciime to us to offer any assistance they oould. , An arrangement was made by us with Captain : Haming, of the Prince Bupert, to oome { alongside and help us to save some of the | oargo, and to carry us to Lyttelton. , Owing to tho brig swaying heavily from , side to side we found it nest to impossible to save any considerable part of the cargo, and . after the crow had packed up their effects j and put them aboard tho ketch, we drew up a memorandum in the presence of, and wit- | nessed by two of the captains of the schoonors, i and abandoned both vessel and cargo to the , underwriters. When we loft the masts were ( still standing, but it is very probable that j within a short time the brig would shift ] ahead and sink in the seven fathoms of water ] before mentioned. Her dolphin striker was , about half under water whon we last saw \ her. The mate and second mate, with three of t theorew and the ship's boat remained at the j wreok to see the last of her. The Clematis t was owned by Mr C. Dowdoll, of Hobart. £ About a year ago £I2OO was expended on her. ] She was re-coppered and fastened through- , out, and was at the time of her wreck in , thorough goud repair. She was a vessel of f 249 form register, was German built, and had j been in the intercolonial trade for about eight , years. . Captain Malcolm, of the Union Steamship , Company's b.b. Penguin, reports, this morn- , ing, that he sent a boat off to the wreck of , the Clematis when passing. A white painted , boat was seen in shore (that used by the orew, ( who were left to stand by the vessel, doubt- , less), but no life was seen upon the portion of tho wreok visible above water, namely, the . vessel's upper spars. Prom this it is almost j certain that tho brig had oome off the reef , and sank in the deep water which exists upon . either side of it.