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Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 750, 8 November 1870, Page 2

The .Blackwall, ketch, from Lyttelton, with a cargo of oats, bran, aud potatoes, cleared for Greymouth on the 27th ult. The brigantine Ceres, for Melbourne, was towed to sea by the p.s Dispatch on Sunday morning. Notice is given by the Commissioner of Customs that on and after the Ist January, 1871, the use of Marryatt's Code of Signals trill be discontinued at the Government signal stations in this colony. All communications from signal stations and lighthouses will thenceforward be made by the Commercial Code. On the ICth ultimo, an accident occurred onboard the American barque Oneco, outside Port Phillip Heads, by which Cornelius V. Vnrgeer was killed. He fell into the sea from the main royal, striking his head upon the port main channel, on which a quantity of blood .and hair was subsequently found. His body has not yet been recovered. He was supposed to be a native of Rotterdam. The body is likely to drift towards Brighton or the Nine-mile Beach. The Avoca, mail steamer, on her last trip, when off Dawes Point, ran down the steamer Waimea, bound to Richmond River. The Waimea sank in five minutes afterwards, under the Avoca's bows. The passengers and crew were saved by the pilot; boat, the Galatea's boat, and the Avoca's boat. Two female passengers had a very narrow escape. . The Waimea was insured. The s.s. Gothenburg left Melbourne on the 22nd ultimo, and cleared Port Phillip Heads' on the evening of same day ,- passed Swan Island on the 23rd, at 7.3 a.m., and arrived in Bluff Harbor at 6. 15 p.m. on the 27th ; left again at 4 p.m. on the 28th, arriving in Port Chalmers the following morning at daylight ; sailed from Port Chalmers at 4 p.m. on the 31st, and arrived in Port Cooper at 11.15 a. m. on the Ist instant ; left again on the 2nd, arriving in Wellington at 4 a.m, on the 4th, and arrived in Nelson Harbor at 4.30 p.m. same day; left again at 4a.m., arriving off Hokitika at 2 a.m. on Sunday, having passed this port. She returned here at 1 p.m. on Sunday, top late on the tide to be tendered, and as the weather set in very thick, with heavy rain and wind, she could not be tendered that night. ' On Monday morning, the p.s. Dispatch ran out to tender her, but the weather was still so heavy that the Gothenburg could not be seen anywhere, and after steaming about for three hours, the tug had jutt re-crossed the bar when the fog lifted, and showed the position of the big steamer. She was immediately headed for the roadstead again, but what has become of her since then we are unable to say, as the weather continued very foggy until late hist night, and the tug had not returned to port. The s.s V/allabi, Captain Daniels, from Wanganui and Westport, came to grief on Saturday morning while crossing the bar, and is now high and dry on the North Spit. The tide was early, and as the steamer ran for the entrance a baze was rising off the land which hid the flagstaff from sight, although the signal-man saw the steamer clearly enough, and worked the semaphore with all his energy to the southward, because she was taking the bar too far to the north. When the signalman saw that Captain Daniels took no notice of tbe semaphore he dropped one of the balls from the flagstaff, so as to make the signal "bar dangerous," but still no notice was taken of it, simply because, as Captain Daniels s.-ivs, he did not see it. The steamer had nearlyreached the entrance to the river when a succession of heavy rollers struck her, and deadened her way, canting her head to the north, and causing her to drift close alongside the North Spit, until the sea threw her up on the Toeacb, broadside on, but Wgb enough to be cut 'of danger bo long as the sea kept moderate. Everything that could be was done by Captain Daniels and the crew to avoid the catastrophe. Twice she all but gained the entrance of the river, but was as often driven back by heavy seas, aud at last piled up. Steps were immediately taken to lighten her, preparatory toan overland journey into the river,' and Mr Stenhouse waa telegraphed for from Hokidkaj in order to superintend the launch. He arrived during the course of the day, and since then has been hard at work raismg^the Wallabi with screws and blocks to- get her on to the ways, so that she may be easily launched. The sea has bete moderate, and as yet she has received nadamage. It is expected that she will be got off within the next fewdays.