THE FOUNDERING OF THE KONING DER NEDERLANDEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6509, 6 January 1882, Page 5

THE FOUNDERING OF THE KONING DER NEDERLANDEN.

The following interesting particulars of the lost of the above vessel have been received by the owners at Amsterdam, in a letter fromthe chief officer of the ebip : " On Oct. 4, we were steaming under pretty favourable circumstances, a light southerly breeze with a heavy south-east swell, which had no effect, however, on the working of the eniines. In the evening, at about 8.45 the engines were, on a sudden, heard to race violently, accompanied by a frightful rumbling noise and bumping in the stern part of the vessel, which I can best compare to a seaquake or the striking of a coral reef. The engines were stopped as soon as possible—l may say suddenly; and the chief engineer, after making an inspection, declared that the propeller shaft was broken, the water-tight bulkheads strained, the coverings of the metals in the peak and trace! broken, and the main boss pushed forward about an inch and a half. By this straining a quan'itv of wateT rushed into the aft peak and hold, "bat not as much u was afterwards found in the magazines over the peak, which immediately after the accident were half filled, while the water in the peak had not reached the main shaft. From this the chief engineer concluded that the propeller boss was broken, or else that the sternpost was strained, or both. Meanwhile, all small sluices and doors of the water-tight bulkheads had been closed, the steam and band exhaust pumps set to work, and as soon as it was ascertained that the shaft was broken, it was disconnected, and tba engines got ready to try and keep the ship afloat by means of the bilge circulation. At about 10 30 the engines were started, at first with, success, but it soon became apparent they would not be able to keep it up a long time, owing to several parts being strained. The captain and chief engineer attempted, in the gig, to inspect the broken aft parts, and discover whether the shaft was broken outside the boss or whether a hole had.been made in the ship, but the high sea and darkness prevented this. It appeared to them that only the rivets had been forced out of the stern plates, and that the propeller was moved aft and higher. The water meanwhile was streaming from store-rooms and powder magazine into the aft hold, and later in .the night it began to increase to suoh an extent in the engineroom and stokehole, that the lower fires were submerged, and by the rolling of the ship the fioor plates were moved from their places, by which it became impossible to feed the fires. All night long the crew and troops were at work at the pumps and jettisoning cargo from the aft hold for the purpose of giving the ship a list to starboard, and thus to facilitate the pumping and to enable the ship to rise aft if possible. As, notwithstanding all efforts, the water continued to gain, the fires were being extinguished, and the engines were about to give way, and it was resolved at 5 a.m. to leaTe the ship. The boats were in the best order ; the crew had had their post assigned to them on leaving Holland, and the passengers their places on leaving Batavia. The boats were provisioned, the smaller ones for about three weeks, the larger ones for about four. At 7.30 a.m. the last boat (port No. 1) left the ship under the charge of Captain Bruyns himself, who also had the ship's papers, those in charge of the boata having first made sure that nothing had been forgotten that was required for their safety. On leaving the ship the chief engineer thought the small boss in the rudder post was broken also, and it appeared to him as if bright metal protruded. At 12 o'clock at noon the Koning der Nederlanden disappeared in the deep. A little smoke showed the place where foundered the noble ship that had sheltered so many of us for years. It was unanimously decided to endeavour to reach the Chagos Archipelago, distant 432 English miles, and to keep together if possible. This we succeeded in doing until the next (Thursday) evening, when, owing to the darkness and to boisterous weather, heavy rains, and high swell, we were separated from the other boats, and we saw them no more. In the interest of the thirty-eight persons under my care, I could not spend much time in looking after the other boats, and I accordingly changed the course set by Captain Bruyns from east half north to east by south, which I thought would take me to the centre of the Chagos Archipelago. During our stay in the boats we suffered a good deal from heavy storms and swell from north-east and south-east. However, the rain enabled us to replenish our stock of water. Each of the boats had, besides the two kegs belonging to them, one keg extra containing about eighty litres. The health and spirits of the occupants of our boat remained good, and I have no doubt we should have reaohed the Chagos Islands in good time, the more so as our boat behaved splendidly in the heavy swell. At 6 a.m. on Oct. 11 the look-out man signalled a fail, and we immediately made for it. Our sensations can be more easily imagined than described —the relief to see a vessel and the fear of not being observed. On nearing her, she proved to be a British steamer, the Wyberton, Captain Biacklin, who picked us up at 7.30. We cannot thank him, his officers, passengers and crew sufficiently for the assistance and kindness we received at their hands. Until evening and darkness set in Captain Biacklin cruised about, endeavouring to find the other boats, alas! with no avail.

" Much depressed, we bade farewell to the spot where we imagined the other boats to be, with a devout wish that they might all safely reach the Chagos Islands, or, like ourselves, be picked up by a passing vessel. The tame confidence which I felt as to our being able to reach the Ohagos Islands I also feel for the other boats. The distance being, as mentioned above, 482 English miles, we had already make 190 miles when we were picked up, beiDg an average of 31} English miles per day under oircumstancos the reverse cc favourable. The distance still to be covered was 242 miles, consequently we could look forward to reach our destination in about eight more days. Hence I have no reasonable doubt but that the other boatß may have arrived there about Oot. 18. In the interest; of the missing persons, I, on my arrival at Aden, at once petitioned the Government there, and the Governor - General at Batavis, to despatch men -of - war in search of them, and to carry those p'rsbns back who may have reached the Chagos Islands, iho request was readily granted, and there being no men-of-war at Aden instructions were sent to Colombo to despatch a man-of-war to the ecece of disaster, and the company's tteauier Madura, leaving Batavia on Oat. 22, was sent on the same errand. In conclus : o:i, I beg to say that from the moment of the breaking of the shaft until the last bout kit the Koning, the greatest calmness and composure were maintained, all proceeding: marked by great deliberation, and I am convinced that everything was done and nothing omitted that was required or necessary to keep her afloat. The mails were divided among the reveral boats, but by some undent my boat did not get any of the b.ig*" A steamer has arrived at Aden wilb. the captain and 39 of the passeDgers and crew of the ill-fated Koning der Nederknden, these survivors having been picked up at the Solomon Islands. There are now 90 persons missing. _^^____^^_______