THE LOSS OF THE WILLIAM AND MARY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XVI, Issue 2152, 2 July 1875, Page 2

THE LOSS OF THE WILLIAM AND MARY.

,' The following report contains fall particulars of the wreck of the schooner Williim and Mary, lost on her voyage from Mntueka to Pa'ea The report ha 1 ? been furnished to the press by Captain Ellison, of the mateur, who received: it from Cantain Stevens, master of the William and M«ry : — I was on a voyage from. .Mntwka-.. Blind Bw, to Pa f e'a."and after haying been under Kapiti for 1 shelter for a who'e jr>ek. T was prosecuting the voyage to Patea on +he morning of the 6th instant when about 3 o'clock we felt the first of the S E gale which raged on that day. Immediately shortened sail, arid-hove, the; vessel to under close reefed mair sfril on the . i ort - tack, heading about S S W., being then by dead reckoning N;W. about thirty mi'es from Kapiti. ; All went well till-about 630 am, when, in a terrihle squall, the mainsail was l >lown compMply to ribbons. Immediately unbent the j'b a new sail, and bent it aft in the p'acfi of the mainsail ;. also laced some new cap v -a in the main , rigging, .and let, down the fqre cpn.*;reboard'for the purpose of keeping the vessel's head tosea/ani : as : well lowered down the foreyardto ease the vpfseli Not beins able to dp .anything farther for., the safety of the vessel, one hand was sen* to th° pump and the rest went helow to put on dry c'oth ; ng. when about 8 30 a.m , myself and mate being in'he cabin for the same purpose, a heavy sea struck the vessel on the p rt beam, and inB*ant!y capsized her; bottom up. We im mediately, tore off the lazaret scuttfe pull»d out the 'stone ballast, and crawled in' o that place, where the mate and myself had barely room-to lie. We remained the r e until Tuesday afternoon, without food or water, when, finding the water rising, until it nearly reached our mouths, we were compelled to leave that place. My mate started first, and I .followed him after a short interval, hiving to dive through the water in the cabin, thence up and under and across the deck, and over the side, and so up to the surface, where, after resting myself for a shorb while to recover breath, while clinging to the main boom,' I looked round for my mate, but could not see anything of him, or any of the rest of the crew, and therefore conclude that they must have all perished After a while I swam to the stump of the foremast, which was floating some four or five feet; above water, and lashed myself to it, and remained there the whole night, up and above my waist in water, ; and nearly perished for want of food and rest. After sunrise on Wednesday, the 2fch, I loosed myself from the mast, B-wam with great difficulty to the vessel, and after some desperate struggling succeeded in getting on to the bottom of her. and crawl ed aft to the stern, which was the highest part of the vessel, yet awash at times. f ere I threw myself down to recover breath and strength, and in about half-an-hour rose and anxiously searched the hoiizon for a sail In about an hour one hove in sight, standing nearly direct for me. and when nearly abreast of me, about a mile off, to my great joy I Baw the ensign rnn up to the peak. Shortly after she tucked, and a boat was sent to me, and I was taken off the wreck and on board the s hooner Hannah Barratt, where proper restorative means being employed, I was shortly restored to my usual health. We arrived here at Poxton on the 13th inst. The cargo consisted of about 21.000 ft of sawn timber,. 40 sacks grass seed, 3 bales hops, and sundries 1 append list of crew, to the best of my-be-lief and knowledge:— Andrew Murray, mate, about forty years, native of Ireland ; Louis Bathurst. AB., about twenty-eight years, native of Italy ; Hugh Sinclair, A 8., about twenty-two yeaVs, nauve of Scotland; Dmiel ■ ; — , about twenty- eight years, native of Ireland. . . : James Stevens, . Master of the late schooner William and Mary.