NORFOLK ISLAND.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 91, 28 September 1868, Page 233

NORFOLK ISLAND.

W BECK. OE THE ■ CtTTTEB BITTERIT.—A correspondent of tbe Daily Southern Cross, under date of 11th September, writes :~I send you the following particulars of the loss of the cutter Bittern,.of Aucklander— She arrived here oh July IS from Npw Caledonia, after a load of cattle and sheep for that port. She anchored on the 16th in Cascade Bay, and discharged ..part of her cargo. The wind during the night came off shore, when she lifted her anchor and came round to the settlement ou the 18th, and discharged the remainder of her cargo. On the morning of the 19th, »t about seven o’clock, the wind shifted to the southward, which brought'her on a lee shore. The cutter then got under* weigh, and in beating out from the anchor*, age she missed stays, twice and was forced - to wear round j she missed stays on the second tack also, anchwas again compelled to wear. By this time she was in a very dangerous situation, butso well was thelittle vessel handled that even then it was thought she would get out of it. All four of our whaling boats put off to her assistance, but all to no purpose. The wind had rapidly increased, setting in a heavy southerly swell, and in spite of all our efforts the little vessel struck upon the rocks a short distance to the left of the entrance to the boat harbor. The cutter was gallantly handled, and. all that nautical skill could do was done tp save her, and not until she had struck heavily three or four timesdid the crew leave her. She soon became » total wreck, and, was sold next day at a public auctiion, for the benefit of the underwriters, realising a trifle over £L2. The crew were unable to get away from here until the chance offered by the mission schooner Southern Cross as only one vessel has called in here since then —the barque Jfsk, of Sydney, with coals for Shanghai. . .