THE WRECK OF THE OCEAN BIRD..

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1334, 28 May 1872, Page 2

THE WRECK OF THE OCEAN BIRD..

(Erom the Nelson Colouist, May 10.) Th.e schooner Ocean Bird, righted? on Tuesday, May 7, pumped out, and the cargo of oats and bran discharged.. The smell from bilge water and deconr posed produce was strong on. the wharf. No bodies were found on the vessel. In the cabin cash to. the amount &f «£SO? odd was obtained. A search party has been s-ent to D'Urviile's Island, on thesupposition that a portion of the crew,, consisting, it is believed, of torn* men* and a passenger, might be found there-. The Colonist prints the following letter from Mr Akersten, containing variousnautical [joints and suggestions of importance :—The idea of the 'Hurninj*: turtle" or bottom up suddenly in a. squall is evidently a little at fault. There are distinct evidences of the pooi* follows having, at.least, done seamen'sduty in endeavoring to lighten the vessel, and a considerable time, possibly six or eight houis must have elapsed before she was bottom up, or even abandoned. Now, the objeet of this, letter is principal! \ r to thiow out a few hints that might be found of use in & similar emergency, to the extent possibly of saving life. The time of the accident is presumed to have been oik Friday night or Saturday, 19th or 20th April, she having been seen by the Waihopai a little to the northward of Lyttelton, on Thursday, 18th April, all light; and again by the Emerald on. Sunday, 21st April (four days afterleaving Lyttelton), bottom up, with no. boat or persons visible. The prime cause of the acciJeni was bad stowage,, and the secondary cause, possibly, over carrying of canvas occasioning her to. broach to and fall over on her beam ends. Although the vessel from her great breadth of beam is no doubt tolerablv stiff, vet bran in the bottom and oats on the top to any extent, and. that too without ballast, is a very bad and unsafe practice, and in this caserecords a melancholy warning. " Carrying on " as it is technically termed,, has frequently led to bad results. The vessel has bee n thrown over on her beam ends j the starboard fore rigging,, which is wire, has been cut close- to. the dead eyes and the port rigging abont 1 firfeet up, which would be as low as* it could be reached by reason of the water; The port side, being under the foremast which is cut evidently with an axe with somewhat jagged edge (probably the cook's axe) about 22 feet from the deck; but the cut is not one-third through, and the probability is that the mast did not then break off. This attempted cutting may have been done by a man standing on the mast, cutting: as much as he supposed would have allowed it to break on the rigging at the weathei side being cut, and he had doubtless, descended and cut the rigr giug close to the dead eyes, as we see.

But tbe mast had not been sufficiently gone through, and did not fall after the rigging was cnt, the gear being partly water-worn on the lee side ; and the starboard rigging being cut, it was impossible for any one to go out and finish cutting the mast. Had this attempt .succeeded at the time, it is quite possible she would have righted. From enquiries J have made, it appears that about this time the wind was strong from the S.E. The probability is that the dingy was goi clear of the vessel (the paddles in all likelihood would be washed out of reach in the confasiou ) T found the stern lashiugs fast at both ends, the bight having been pulled over the keel of the boat. The crew (and I believe all would be up on deck) would get into the dingy, and, as a matter of course, make for the sandspit, and when in the tide rip and heavy breakers, the boat would no doubt be capsized, and the poor fellows would be drowned, as the sea breaks a long way out in heavy easterly weather I believe the boat and possibly some of the bodies, will be found on the Sandspit. I would recommend that in any similar cases it would be much better for a boat to ride by a line to leeward of the wreck, which would break the heaviest of the sea, and which further becomes a mark visible at a much greater distance than a small boat can be. Pieces of wood, too, might come to the surface, affording the means of propelling, when fine weather offers a reasonable chance of reaching land, or getting fairly in sight of a passing vessel. The present search will not be complete until communication is had with the lighthouse-keeper at the Spit, and the easternmost end of the Spit looked over. With reference to the character of this vessel, T believe that if she were properly masted and stowed she is as safe as any in the New Zealand waters.