THE WRECK OF THE CITY OF NEW CASTLE.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1345, 20 November 1872, Page 2

THE WRECK OF THE CITY OF NEW CASTLE.

. The sad news of this) disastrous wreck, already reported by telegraph, was brought to Nelson by tbo Taranaki— the lost vessel being the barque. City of Newcastle which was for some time lying in that harbor aa a coal hulk. The unfortunate ship was wrecked off Wellington Head at the entrance to Tory Cham el on Thursday morning at 3 o'clock. The particulars of the affair we find in the following narrative which has been supplied to the Examiner, by Captain Wheeler, of tho Taranaki :— "The City of Newcastle cleared out of WelHnjr»*m. in ballast, on last Sunday evening for Newcastle, in comiranl of Captain Bain, with a crew of nine men and eight passengers—a Mr and Mrs Fox, three other'lodies, and three children. On getting into tli* Straits, - the wind being unfavorable, the captain thought it prudent to run over to Port Underwood f-r shelter until the weather improved. It having moderated a littlo by Wednesday'night, he proceeded again on his voyage, but at a littlo before daybreak on Thursday morning, the weather being thick, the vessel by some mischance, either from mistaking the lights, or something being wrong with her compasses, struck on the place described above, which at the time the captain thought was Stephen's Island. As the place was a high precipitous cliff rising sheer out of the water, the captain decided on sending off at once a boat with the four ladies and three children in charge of three of the crew, in order to effect a landing on the nearest beach. The captain, Mr Fox, and three more of the crew, started in about an hour after, in another boat, leaving the remaining three of the crew on board the wreck with instructions to cot away the masts, then get on shore as best the/ could, and light - Bre as a signal. After being tossed about the Straits for stveral hours, the captain's boat was fallen in wiih off Cape Koinaru, ■ near the islands called 'The Brothers' by the Canterbury,- a small schooner bound for the Grove, Pieton. J his littlo vessel having the five shipwrecked men on board, was fortunately descried flying a signal of distress by the Tiriuaki, as she was coming* out of Queen Charlotte Sound. On getting Captain Bain and Mr Fox on board, Captain Wheeler at once pat the Taranaki about, and steamed bock by Tory Channel to the whaling station, where he landed Captain Bain and Mr Fox, in oider that they might go out in the morniag to look out for the missing boat, containing the ladies and children, and also to take the men. off the wreck as soon as the sea went down. Captain Wheelor tben tiob his ship outside the Tory Channel to signal the sailors on the wreck, bub there web no sign of either, nor any fire on shore. On the Taranaki returning, and when about six miles from ' The Brothers,' the aternpost and rndder of a vessel were passed, supposed to be those of the ilVated veaael. From tlie.ee being no ftigns of tb.3 missing boat containing the ladies and children, it is greatly feared it bas beon swamped, as there has been a frightful galo blowing for tbe last four days in tbe Strait."