COLLISION BETWEEN THE P.S. NEVADA AND A BARQUE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1161, 2 November 1871, Page 2

COLLISION BETWEEN THE P.S. NEVADA AND A BARQUE.

By the arrival of the s.s. City of Adelaide from Sydney we (iSouthem Cross, Oct, 28) learn that a collision took place between the mail steamship Nevada and a barque (name unknown) on the 15th Oct., shortly before midnight. From the report of the accident given below, and clipped from the Sydney Morning Herald, we learn that the night was dark and hazy, and that the I barque had no lights burning. From the positions of the vessels (lat. 34 4 S , long. 166.4 E.) at the time of the collision, it is possible that, even if the barque foundered, her crew might have been enabled to reach, in their boats, one of our northern harbors in safety. By nautical men it is believed they could do so, as at the time of the collision, though the weather was thick and hazy, there was very little wind The rf.s. Hero passed the Three Kings on the 15th (the same day) at noon, and she reports having experienced moderate N.N.W. wind.< and fine weather, which continued to the 17th, and thai -would be a fair wind for the boats. We are informed that an inquiry into the collision was being held in Sydney when the City of Adelaide left. 'The following are the extracts from the Sydney Morning Herald:— "October 15, 11.43 p.m., lat. 34.4 S., long. 166.4 E ; night dark and hazy; discovered a barque close ahead i crossing our bow, showing no light, and passing her before we could stop, her spanker-boom just scraping along our port side. Feeling certain there was no damage done on either side, we continued on our course. At daylight discovered that our stem <vas a little injured, showing i hat we must have struck the barque, probably on her quarter. October 18 saw a barque steering north. Arrived at Sydney on October 19 at 12 o'clock. The Nevada will not proceed on to Mellxmrne, as she requires some repairs, but will leave on her return voyage on the 26th inst." —" The Nevada, American steamship, was taken into Water view Bay Dry Dock yesterday, for the purpose of being stripped, caulked and re-coppered. The dimensions of this ves-el are beyond the ordinary class of vessels visiting this port, and from the fact of hei being 70ft. wide, will at a glance demonstrate the provisions that are available for vessels of a large tonnage visiting Sydney. Captain Donald, the Qoveinment Marine Surveyor, has examined the hull, and found that the stem has been seriously injured, main stempiece has been wrenched to starboard from the Bft. mark to 25ft. towards the stem-head, and the wood ends have been opened These damages have probably resulted from the collision with

a vessel as reported. In addition, w» may state that five of the floats hava been broken oii short outside the outer rim of the port wheel. A portion of a spar, apparently a yard-arm or end of spanker-boom, was picked up on the spar-deck o,f the Nevada shortly after the collision; it had been broken off short by the sheave-hole and then split in half, the mark of the dogs being quite fresh."

We are indebted to Messrs Henderson and Maefarlane for the following extract from a letter, received from the agents of the Nevada in Sydney : ~ "The Nevada, on her passage from Auckland, came in contact with some vessel, doing what damage is unknown, though, from appearances of the steamers stem, and the starting of some of her plank end*, we fear it is more serious than was at all anticipated, for so little does the shock seem to have been felt on board, that it was not deemed needful to stop or turn back and ascertain the damage done; and until the vessel turns up we can say nothing, Captain Blethen asserts that there were no lights shown by the ship, either before or after the collision, if according to his then idea it co lid bo called such."

[lt is generally supposed that the barque was the A. H. Badger, from [Newcastle to Auckland, with a cargo of coal, which vessel was some time over* due]