WRECK OF THE STEAMER TAUPO.

Manawatu Herald, Volume i, Issue 51, 21 February 1879, Page 3

WRECK OF THE STEAMER TAUPO.

This magnificent steamer, which ■was built to the order of the Union Steam Company, and arrived in New Zealand waters about four years ago, must certainly have been erected under an unlucky star. Whilst her sister boat — the Hawea — has escaped without a single mishap of importance, theTaupo has undergone a succession of accidents. Undor Captain Macfarlane, she struck en Fish Reef, near Port Chalmers ; under Captain Carey, she ran down the coal hulk Eli Witney, and a woman and child were drowned, the husband, who was keeper, barely saved bis life ; under Captain An* draws, she bumped on a reef off Tologa Bay a few months ago ; and now her new commander, Captain Cromarty, has barely got settled in his ship, before a new and the most serious disaster of all, has occurred. The Taupo left Auckland- on her down trip via the East Coast on Monday last, at 5 p.m., and struck on a sunken rock, when entering the Harbour of Tauranga, which lies at the head of that large inlet to which Cook misapplied the term Bay of Plenty, simply beet.us? the natives there furnished his vessel with food, whilst those in the rich and fertile Turanganui district having refused to do so, had their Harbour christened by the hungry navigator Poverty Bay. It appears the fine steamer was entering Tauranga Heads, about 6.45 on Tuesday morning, and when passing Monganui Hill, within a hundred yards of Stoney Point Beef, she struck violently against a rock, and remained hard and fast. The engines at once stopped, and in a few minutes the fires were put out by the influx of water into the engine-room. Anticipating serious injury to the vessel's bottom, immediate prepara tioha were made to land passengers and mails. The boats we:e quickly lowered, and within twenty minutes every passenger, the mails, and a quantity of lugage were safely placed ashore, whence they wore taken to Tauranga by the steamer Katikati. From subsequent examination it seems that the vessel has apparently struck the ground immediately under the engine room, which with the middle compartment are flooded to the floors. The other two compartmjmt&are dry. Soundings indicate two fathoms wa'er all round the vessel at low tide. She is evidently hanging amidships on a shallow paten, composed of big round boulders. Hopes were at first entertained that the vessel wauld float at £fah tide; but so far these hopes

have proved futile. The accident was caused by the vessel's head suddenly canting shorewards when steaming against a strong tide rip at the most critical point in the channel, and general sympathy is felt for Captain Cromarty under circumstances which aro considered purely oc* oidental and unavoidable. The plnco where the Taupo grounded is Stoney Point, where the channel, although deepest, is not more than half a cable's length across, with a sharp turn and strong tide, which is liable to set a vessel ashore- before the helm takes effect.

Later information states that the whole of the cargo had been discharged and that another, effort wa,i to be made to get her off. But as there are several holes in her bottom, and as she was full of water, the least swell would probably break her back- The total Insurances of the Taupo amount to £23,000, £10,000 in Colonial offices. The ship is valued £27,000. The insurances in Colonial offices are— Colonial, £1,000 ; Union, £1,000 ; New Zealand, £1,000 South British, £2,000; Melbourne offices, £5,000. The Union Company intend to abandon her to tho Underwriters. The telegram states that Captain Crotnarty was greatly distressed, at tho accident. He oaine out from home in the steamer some four years ago. and had been for some time past in charge of one of the Company's smaller steamers before assuming the command of the ill-starred | Taupo. ;