THE LATE WRECKS AT OAMARU.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1591, 10 September 1873, Page 2

THE LATE WRECKS AT OAMARU.

The Oamaru correspondent of "the Dunedin Guardian supplies that journal with the following account of these wrecks : — Such a gale as that of Wednesday night has not been experienced in Oamaru since the wreck of the Star of Tasmania and Water Nymph, some years ago, though its violence was scarcely, equal to that memorable gale, nor is the actual money loss so serious. At low water, the brig Emille, which had been disabled by collison with the Jane Anderson on the previous day, began to bump, and the ensign was hoisted, "union down," as a signal of distress. This was about twelve o'clock noon, and the sea by that time had increased in violence. Signals were made to throw cargo overboard, and:: this was ; commenced ; but , it soon. became evident that the vessel could not be Bayed, and the chief anxiety then' 1 became' the saving of life. The signal was. accordingly given to beach her at high water at six o'clock p.m.; but this the captain would not /dp, thinking probably there was still hope, and had the gale subsided instead of increasing, she might /h^ye held on. By nine o'clock p.m., however, the gale became very heavy, accompanied by torrents of rain| and it was then discovered that shei had 'slipped her cable^ and iwas coming in. The gun was fired ' for ■ the rocket brigade, and by ten o'clock the' beach 1 was the scene 'of much excitement. Large fires were lit, crowds of helpers' and spectators poured on to the "beach ; the rocket apparatus was got to work, and the. first -rocket fired. This, however, unfortunately carried away part of the frame, and the temporary substitutes resulted in a aeries of failures, or partial failures, while the vessel was dimly seen labouring heavily in thesiltof at some distance from the beach, her beti* tolling ominously at every lurch, which sounded like her death knell, The seas were making a clean breach over her, and much anxiety was felt for her crew. By twelve o'clock, however, 'the^apparatus was fsafely fixed, and the crew, were all landed much exhausted, and immediately cared for by the owners. By that time a fresh object of interest called for the energies of the onlookers. 'The Scotsman , had; parted her cables an d^ come On to the beach a few hundred yards to 'the i?prthward of. the Emille. . The rockfeirspparatus was removed to her, and'twc^tickets sufficed to carry the i lilies safely on board. All the crew were landed safely, .and by four o'clock ,'in? theMnorning the workers retired from the beach, worn out. with their long- and praiseworthy exertions. On Thursday morning scarcely a Vestige of the wrecks could be seen from .the time they were utterly broken' up, and the beach strewed with timbers, masts|spars, coals, &c. Never were vessels known to break, up so quickly on ourbeach, and , the inference to . be , clrawn . from an jexßininatien of their timbers, "'. was that they were by no means cnt ; off in, the prime of their days. ' „ ; .■