A Sea Story.

Manawatu Herald, 26 July 1892, Page 3

A Sea Story.

The captain of the steamer Murrumbidgee, on his arrival at Melbourne on the 20th July, reported that while in the vicinity of SSt Paul's Island, in the Indian Ocean, and which lies midway between the Cape of Good Hope and Melbourn, he passed thousands of cases of kerosene floating about among the wreckage of a large vessel, which had the appearance of being charred by fire. Oddly enough, two days later, the captain of the barque Arethusa, arrived at Newcastle, and had on board with him the captain and his wife and the crew of the barque Africa, which had been wrecked, on tht Brd of June, off South Africa.

The experiences of the crew of the Africa were very unpleasant. In May she sailed from New York with 45,000 cases of petroleum. On the 3rd of June she experienced a terrific gale off the Cape of Good Hop*, where gales are frequently met with, and the hatches got washed off, and the vessel thus became water-logged. One of the boats was successfully laonced, but the heavy sea carried it against the wreck, smashing it up, and the occupants were fortunate enough to regain their vessel. There for five days they remained, suffering great privations, when the barque Arethusa hove in sight and took the crew off. By this time the rail of the vessel was level with, the water, and the cargo had been washing but of her.

If the Murrumbidgee is a direct trader her time from Sfc Pauls to Melbourne should not be more than 12 days, and she would have sighted the wreckage on the Bth July. If the Africa was wrecked off the Cape of Good Hope on the 3rd of June, the kerosene oases and wreckage must have travelled eastwards, on the usual track followed by all shipping on the great circle sailing, and having thus the set of the currants and the prevailing winds in their favour, at the rate of some ten miles a day. The Arethusa seems to have made a very long trip from the Cape, that is,, if she travelled to Newcastle direct, which seems likely or the rescue of the Africa's crew would have been reported earlier.