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Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 738, 11 October 1870, Page 2

The s.s, Waipara arrived yesterday morning, from Hokitika, with a large quantity of cargo, transhipped ex Tararua, from Melbourne. She left again last night for the outh. The schooner Aborigine, which cleared out for Guam, with a cargo of coal, was towed to sea yesterday morning by the p.s. Dispatch. The s.s. Murray, Captain Palmer, from Nelson, Westport, and Hokitika, arrived in the roadstead early on Sunday forenoon, after receiving a severe dressing on the Hokitika bar. She left Nelson on Thursday morning, and while at Westport towed out tbe schooners Maid of Erin and Rose of Edin. She then left for Hokitika, where she met with an accident, of which the following account is taken from the West Coast Times of yesterday : -The strong southwesterly weather which prevailed last week had the effect of considerably reducing the depth of water on the bar, and consequently rendering it difficult for vessels drawing more than five or six feet of water to enter. This difficulty was experienced by the

Murray when she attempted to enter the river on Saturday morning. She arrived from Westport at nine o'clock, and at once essayed to take the bar. The wind at; the time was blowing strong from about W. N .W. , and there was a heavy sea on, and a strong northerly set. All went well with the steamer until nearing the spits, when she ran in on a sea and took the ground. Then it was that the current caught her on the bow and canted her on to the North Spit, on which she stuck hard and fast. Steps were immediately taken for discharging her, and with the assistance of the harbor authorities a hawser was made fast to tbe South bpit and taken to the steam winch of the vessel. As soon as the tide made sufficiently, a strain was got on the line, and at a few minutes before nine o'clock she floated, lue wind at this time was Wowing fresh from the S. W., and a heavy lumpy sea was on the bar. Steam being up Captain Palmer put the Murray head to stream, and tried hard to gain an entrance. In this, however, he failed, as when she got between the spits the vessel not only met the full force of the freshet, which was running with great velocity down the river, but was also caught on the starboard bow by the current which was ruuning out of the lagoon, aud the steamer was thus compelled to back out to prevent being thrown on the North Spit. Two or three times did Captain Palmer put the little boat at it, and, failing each time, he at last, after considerable manoeuvring, got her end on to the sea and reached the roadstead in safety. The Murray remained at anchor until Sunday morning, when she tripped anchor and went on to Greymouth. Whilst in the break the Murray nrasfc have been severely handled, as one of her bolts was picked up on the south beach in a shattered condition, having evidently been washed from the davits. At Wellington, nine seamen of the Gothenburg were committed for one month for refusing to obey orders in Lyttelton and on the passage to Port Nicholson. The captain had to steer the ship himself, and had only two officers, with two men to work her up here. Messrs M'Meckan, Blackwootl, and Co. 's s.s. Gothenburg arrived in the roadstead at 8 a.m. yesterday morning, from Melbourne, via the South She left Hobson's Bay at 6 p.m. on the 24th nib. ; cleared Port Phillip Heads at 9 p.m., and passed Swan Island at 5.40 the following day, and arrived at Bluff Harbor at 9.30 p.m. on the 29th ; left at 4 p.m. the next day, arriving in Port Chalmers at 6 a.m. on Ist instant; left at 5 p.m. on the 3rd, and arrived in Lyttelton Harbor at noon on the 4th ; left at 11 p.m. same day, and arrived in Wellington at 5.30 p.m. next day. Experienced strong head winds the greater portion of the passage to Wellington. Left at 6 p.m. on the 6th, and arrived in Nelson Harbor on the 7th. Experienced light winds and fine weather throughout the passage. Left Nelson at 7.30 p.m. on the 7th, aud arrived off Hokitfka at 3 a.m. on the 9th ; met with strong head winds on the passage, was tendered by Waipara, and left for Greymouth at 6 a.m. on the 10th, arriving off at 8.30 a.m. Was tendered by the p.s. Dispatch at 11.30 a.m., which put on board of her over 2000oz of gold and a large number of passengers, and brought from her 15 passengers from New Zealand ports and a quantity of cargo. The Gothenburg was immediately despatched to Melbourne direct. The steamer Royal Alfred, lately in the Thames trade, goes to the Fiji Islands. The favorite Melbourne trader, Magnet, Captaiu Clinskill, was brought to the wharf yesterday morning by the p.s. Dispatch. As already announced, she cleared Port Phillip Heads on the 30th September, and the same night passed the Promontory. From thence until making the land she had light weather, the royals never having been taken from the mast-head. She made the land on good run, and reached the roadstead the same night. She should have been brought in on Saturday evening, but for some reason or other was not, and as the bar was heavy on Sunday, she was not brought in till yesterday. The Magnet, as usual, brings her cargo of 240 tons of general merchandise in splendid order, and is ■ consigned to her owners, Messrs Kennedy Bros. We notice that since her last appearance here the brig has been in dock, has been overhauled and copper-bottomed, and comes into port clean and tidy, having been nearly all repainted on the run down. She is announced to sail for Melbourne on Thursday at noon, and will take a limited number of passengers, for whom she has first-rate accommodation. The Wellington Independent gives tbe following report of an accident that befel the s.s. Gothenburg at the Wellington wharf on herj last passage : — Another unfortunate wharf accident occurred when the s.s. Gothenburg came up to the Queen's Wharf, by winch it sustained considerable damage. The steamer had some slight speed on, and as she did not answer her helm readily, she came stem on, the concussion being most severe. Many people who were standing on the wharf at the time took to their heels as soon as they saw that the crash was inevitable. The Gothenburg herself did not get off scathless, nor nearly so well as the s.s. Otago, as the stem and figure are injured, and the martingale carried away. The collision was about 20ffc from where the Otago ran in ; and had the shock been but a few feet on the north side, another cylinder must have been smashed.