WRECK OF THE KETCH “CREST” NEAR AKAROA.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 144, 14 November 1868, Page 5

WRECK OF THE KETCH “CREST” NEAR AKAROA.

Two Men upon the Rocks cannot be Rescued. ‘' Rumours freacHfed bsloss, of 'ttie Ciiest’ ! wbilst on .iier way-frojni Kaiapoi to Flaxboume, with;.' Mr. i Belcher, -the contractor, bringing telegraph >sobst fid® th 3 new line in course of forpigtionnand which has now reached a considerable- distance side of i the* ; Kaikourasi The last ■ mail 1 brought V Lyttelton Timm of ; the, Sl^iwlUmQ^wenfindlthei following, narrative. iU;The same ■ journal l of the , 7th' li ihst ; - codMnls nd'futd,her ;: me4tibh 6f "the ‘ occur- - s-i V♦ v ' : • *•' r r rence:— Ifcis with regfet'thatweihaveto reCoMtlre= total loStf 'Of tHfe' A bo vb vessel heal’ the', SBuib, 1 head^f f 'Ft& Akaroa; between 12. and La.m.oirthe’27 th ult.t ; having on board' WillittmElhSj'xuuster 1 ; J. Barker- and- E. Cunningham,-seaniiury andMIK I Wlirßelbfimy of kK&li pcil/ ! a -piis-'-senger; she was with a cargo of telegraph poles. All went Well untiL. } about ,a*W, when 3the uuastel* (told) the'jnen>tojgO!bek»tvi undi hihiself Cobk^htßfge of the’ vesSselyiM-r. The^firSf by those below was ,tbe of the Tesael* rushed .* up dri>db't ; k audjlauttchedtheidingyp uyay, some difficulty he reachtdJFlea Buy about 7 a.mkbAndfSgisecinformatioii of?th6^wreck' andth'ettdnihiediaMiy s ßt^ribd I f 6! > AkirrM‘fd volun.tecß *c?wjfc’ hpbtained,:;and ' n 'Abbbt;' two hoWs' ) ditei <: tbi8 l iraftft'ji IHpMa in AkafabVtrdiiii 'ihb with' a ,,fpy. our wreck r ,,and v also. r that the writer,- George ■ JSoonan,. with; Jamesoßbodes *,bdd> succeeded • in 6aving CunningK&m,TlbUt‘"wmo unable ! tb' render - anJrdasCikt SttVeHo- tiiilbi- 1

■ „,.. , . ... . ■ ~ ! tunatea fronx ihit perilous position-in which fh » v S#« , Pl“S? a oaas-i aao- , Wm*n rescued ,was naked, and badly about* The 'head and li-nb*. He states that, atter“Tjapke { i , ; -haffriqft, die Stbbped/fOr fsftme ffiriie! oh "the ‘ wreck with the others; ; tlle ? i wr,eHk ' being* drifting, into ffCovtd; - that; 1 finding no chance of being saved t'rortWthe 1, wreck'.'-fie resolved to switjr ipj; it ; that. hes itold i the others'# his and jasked do- the saiue.. swim! ariu IMis refused- to leave him; h(* (Cffiniipghani): therih juiiiped frdiri jlbI reach a rbldVdf ! some distance from . ,wrjvcjlp,i/hut was washed front there,andwith .greatj. difficulty reached- the dingy which 11 savedhirp. .The boat' had left' Aka)ba . arpiveff'atj acehfe ! of the disa’stbr in 3 about tKvo hours •Ufter'leavingT They' found the wreck, or (rather that portion? vyhichj.remained of it, \ was driven into, a,cage, in the tppp of a precipitous cliff. Thy' saw the two survivors jin the cyye, ,but[Wei?e unableto reachT'them iowfrig'to a reef on which the sea was conitin&iny breaking; mnd' the quantity of kelp round and about the place, frustrating all (their epdeavoqrp fp rpachrtlie shipwrecked men,'tWo of the ejeevr off-the boat, -Messrs. drowning, .the, dingy capsizing tjupn.v, The crew* described the Vries of the poor met* us heartrending, especially.when they sajy.that (all VrideavoUrs.to extract tlieui were, fruit*-s lC«s. ! ‘; Afte'fc’ the upset of the dingy, Ellis, was seeff waving hiaV hapdf ? <a? f f to, warn bthers that it. wus'lippeless. tryipg to reach them! f The tidat 'returned ’to \karoa about I p,ai., and iuiiiualiately.jropejs,,, litV buoys,provisions, and blankijtswegeohtained. whilst willing volunteers proffered th ir services to go and do their ul ipc>sttf),sg\;c tluf&uffevppsTfyp !wh4^at»,.un ; i ; ». djpgy started, taking witff tjhem (in addition ,t.o the articles, thought necessary), an extra man, who is well known.as an expert,and-daring(.swim-mer. Unfortunately none of the.appliance* taken or means used availed to save the men, as the boats had to return to Akaroa without being able’ to rescue the unfortunates.

i The place ’where the uu n are is described da a largb’coVe 1 id a precipitous cliff, some 400 feet in the top'of the cliff overhanging the bottom considerably, so that it is impossible to drop a rope or anything from the land which would reach the ShipWrecked .men belqw,dhe I oats being.able to get as’farin under the cliff. us a rope from the top would iVgch.. ,A quatjljty of scantling was lashecrtt)geth(,*r f iir: irtbcmspf which the boat’s. pmnageu to get’a line to the men, but unfortunately the action of the sea caused it .to .get foul, -so that although

the poor fellows got hold of the rope, it w is useless to hem ; and they in their weak and prostrate state were unable to f do npylhing towards clearmg-i‘h‘e'iinc\ Bifecfly iW front of the cave are fearful rocks,; \yhi( h at low water are partially dry, but at high water are covered. ■' The*situation ’ of s ’t fiC Cave is sd--h that there isu continual [heavy break around it, the sea meeting at different points, and at high water the breakers are so terHfiCithiit the entrance to the cave is not dis - guishnhle for minutes together. It wasseen by the bopt|sere\y thatthe |nen h'admftnaged to sling some ropes from the roof of the cave, -and--fastened-• sonny wood" to' them - , "oh which they sat to‘-preventl thVhre'ves from [being wadied.j.iuyay. The, ii clings of ih i crews, ,on firidiitg .all their endeavours ; t<r save the mi-n'-druitlesy can be. imagined, knowing iineans in their power, and everything they could “devise for 'that ph'rpbsW party’istartod■ frOrn Akaroa- about l2 O'clock* yesterday morning, the ,, ’29tH; yith ‘fresh,.’ appliances l ;anrl ineanls, f ai’e, 'griCyed ■ -itoj spy that, on the 1 bf tlfe iwreck not a-srgfrpfT'bFinefiTwaOo be seen ; the sea had risen’llniThgllie had hoi doubt dashed the 'sufferers, to, .pieces. The ■ .tn/iif wasj leaving Akarfiaj k “ ftus nCedlf-ss 1 to say that this lamentable and lu,*ai:ETe.n ling .acci'lent hak cast a gloonf over AkaWa; hoi h 1 the men • Bein gwi ;11 1 k n«w n «an d i;gfeat ly. respected •hi ■