CANTERBURY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 5, Issue 278, 14 June 1865, Page 3

CANTERBURY.

WRECK OF THE STEAMERS BRUCE AND WAKOOL AT HOKITIKA. (From the Hokitika Times, May 27.) e regret to state that the p.s. Bruce, has shared the fate of so many other ships at this port, and is now high and dry ashore, a short distance to the north-ward of the NoJson. She arrired off Hokitika on Thursday morning, and in endeavoring to enter the river, the tide caught her and put her •n the Spit. An effort was made on Thursday night to got her off, but failed, the anchors not holding in the loose shingle where they were buried- It is hoped however, that this fine vessel will; be removed from her unfortunate position as soon as the appliances arrive to launch the Nelson, which are now on the way. The steamer Wakool was wrecked on the beach at Hokitika on 23rd May. She had been leaking and threw overboard the cargo she got from the Omeo, to* keep her from sinking, and the master had to run her ashore, to save the lives of the crew and passengers who were all safely landed. The Wakool no sooner struck the beach than she went to pieces. The Times says : “The Wakool has become a total wreck, and now that her innermost secrets have been laid open to the light of day; we can see how “fearfully and wondefully” she is made. It is a miracle how she hung together so long in these seas, and we must cordially join in the remarks that we have received from various correspondents concerning the laxity of the law which allows such rattletraps to be afloat. Nothing but a good stout boat of the best of construction should be employed here, if safety to life and property is to be guaranteed.” Capsizing of a Boat Loss of Fite Lives in the Hokitika.—Oa Sunday last a flatbottomed boat with thirteen psen in her, was coming down the Hokitika river, when she struck on a snag and capsized, throwing the men into the water. Of these five were drowned, the others succeeded in escaping death, some of them with great difficulty. We believe the five unfortunate men were—Duncan, a police constable; Carter, the owner of the Steam Packet Hotel at Hokitika; Thompson, a boatman ; Charles Smith, and a digger whose name h*d not been learned when the William Miskin left.

SEVERE GALE,

The 8.8. Lady Darling was detained at Hokitika nine days, in consequence of the .heavy weather prevailing along the coast, which compelled-her to put to sea agaia twice before the weather moderated sufficiently to land the passengers. Having at length succeeded in doing this, an attempt was made to land the cargo by the the steam lighter Favorite, but the boat had no sooner reached the steamer than a sudden gale sprang up from the S.W., which prevented the boat from returning to the ship. The boat’s crew got safely on board the Favorite, and the boat was taken in tow by her, but in attempting to cross the bar the boat had to he cut adrift, and the steamer was nearly capsized. The gale had by this time increased in violence, and both the Lady Dariing and Omeo parted their cables about the same time, and had to put to sea with loss of an anchor and chain each. The weather did not moderate till Thursday, when the Favorite again made her appearance over the bar, with passengers on board, which were safely transferred to the Lady Dariing, atid the latter proceeded at once for Dunedin. The Omeo had not returned to Hokitika after the gale had moderated, when the Lady Darling left, but was hourly expected. The s.s. Wakool, with part of the Oxneo’s cargo on board, in attempting to cross the bar, was driven on the beach with great violence, and became a total wreck in a few hours.. The p.s. Nelson was still high on the beach, and not likely to bo got off. The steamer Bruce, in taking the baron the morning of the Lady Darlings departure, was driven on the beach, but whether she would be able to get off by the next tide could not be ascertained. In addition to the foregoing particulars of the effects of the gale in the neighborhood of Hokitika, we have the following more detailed account of the disasters from Mr Murray, shipwright, Port Chalmers, and other passengers, who have returned by the Lady Darling.

The gale was first felt on the night of Sunday the 14th ult. It arose very suddenly and blew fiercely from the NAY., accompanied by a terrific thunderstorm and heavy rain. It reached its climax between two and five e'clock on Monday morning, compelling numerous small vessels, which were anchored off Hokitika, to put hastily to sea, and driving others ashore. One of the first to suffer was the schooner Glasgow, built and owned by Mr Murray, Port Chalmers, and which, after her trip to Hokitika, had been temporarily engaged in lightering from different vessel outside the port. When the gale came on she was living astern of the schooner Yarra, from which she had received about 70 tons of oats and potatoes, shipped by the Yarra at Circular Head. About 3 a.m. the Yarra had to slip and run, and the Glasgow also slipped her cable, but she shipped a very heavy sea, which carried away her chains, bulwark, stanchions, and rudder. The vessel consequently became quite unmanagable, and she drifted helplessly down upon the lee shore getting in among the breakers and on the beach, about two miles to the southward of the Hokitika river. All hands were fortunately saved, and immediately eommnnication was made to the owner, who employed assistance to save the cargo, nearly all of which was got ashore without serious damage. The vessel herself got a severe hammering, and, after being strippad of spai-s sails, and rigging, was sold, as she lay, for £5. At the time of her wreck she was not covered by insuranca. She was almost a new vessel, having only a few months ago been built at Port Chalmers, and was one of the most suitable vessels employed in the lighter ing trade of Hokitika. The next, disaster was the wreck of the steamer Waipara. She went ashore about five mites to the southward of the river, became a total wreck’ and was sold piesmeal. Immediately astern of the Glasgow, the cutter Gannet aho got ashore. Sire was from Picton, with timber and general cargo. Was sold for £lO . Two days later the schooner Caroline came to a similar fate. She had been at the Grey River for coal, but failed to get in, and, haring 'become leaky, she was run for the souteward, and at llokitika went close to steamer Nelson, which still remains on the strand. The Wakool, which was wrecked several days later, during a second or third gale, was the property of Captain John M’Lean, of the Alhambra, and had only recently arrived at Hokitika, having for some time previously baen engaged as a steam lighter between Lyttelton and Christchurch. After the Omeo had returned from sea, she received the remaining portion of that vessel’s cargo and passengers, the latter including Mr. Thatcher, Madame Vitelli, and several women with their families. Captain Johu Robertson, of the steamer Favorite, and Captain Leys, of the Ruby, also came on board from the Omeo, they harm® been carried to sea in consequence of the impossibility of reaching their own vessels when the gale came on. By the severe straining she received, the Wakool commenced to mate water, and, for the safety of all, it became necessary to throw some of the cargo overboard ; but her fate became inevitable. She soon afterwards went ashore about a mile to the northward of the river. Fortunately everybody was got on shore by the assistance of people on the beach, among whom was Captain Fdwards of the s.s. Omeo. who had been unable to get on board bis vessel when she first put to sea. Their rescue was, however, not unattended with risk. One drayman, who backed his dray into the surf so as to reach the passengers, was, by the first sea, with his horse and dray, driven violently up upon the beach. The cargo soon became scattered along the shore. The steamer herself, which, we believe, was not insured, was subsequently broken in two by the force of the sen, and was afterwards sold, with her engines and ah pertaining to her.

An inconvenient disaster has happened also *o the steamer Ruby. As she got under weigh to lighter sheep from the Omeo, she was caught by the fresh of the river, and driven foul of the schooner Brothers, and other vessels, receiving some trifling damage ; but when crossing the bar and in a heavy pitch of sea, her funnel went overboard. It was only on her last trip from the Bluff to Port Chalmers, that an accident of a similar nature happened to her.

(From the West Coast Times.)

A rather heavy storm of wind and rain burst over Hokitika on Sunday, May 15th, about midnight. The latter came down in a perfect deluge, and the wind gradually increased in force till about 4 o’clock when it reached its culminating point, and blew with intensity sufficient to cause material damage to the more fragile building* in the township, besides causing fears for the safety of the more substantial ones. Iron was ripped off in many places, and the flappering of rent canvas at some periods, created a most horrible din. There are few who have not suffered in some degree from the violence of the weather, though in many cases the damage has been merely nominal. Of course, the teuts were the first to give way, and, before morning, many a wreck gave evidence of the fury of the storm. On Mom ay morning might be seen the proprietors of many of these luckless tenements, gazing at the remains of their domiciles lying in various stages of dissolution. The entire absence of wind of any consequence for the last two months, bad induced many new comers to doubt the representation of those who described the West Coast as a stormy one; and, indeed, as it was, it might not have been alarming to any old resident of Christchurch or Wellington; but, we think, few from other places will doubt now the propriety—in fact, the absolute necessity—of building their stores and residences of more substantial materials than canvas.”

Thu Wreck of f.s. City of Duxedix.— We learn from the Canterbury Press that great excitement has been manifested at Canterbury in consequence of intelligence of (at the time) the supposed wreck of the City ef .Dunedin. There were a number of passengers by her from Lyttelton. We may state that portions of wreck continue to drift on shore at Talliser Bay, but nothing to identify the ressel has as yet come up.