WRECK OF A STEAMER.-LOSS OF LIFE.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume VI, Issue 136, 9 March 1854, Page 2

WRECK OF A STEAMER.-LOSS OF LIFE.

Aberdeen, April 3. The Aberdeen and London iron steamer Duke of Sutherland was wrecked at the entrance of our harbour last evening, an d upwards of twenty persons have perished. The facts of this most distressing case are these : The Dnkc of Sutherland left London on Wednesday evening with a cargo of goods, and had four cabin and iweiily-onc steerage passengers. The voyage was very easy, with the wind at south-east, |bul when the j steamer reached the bay on the afternoon of j Friday, it was found that there was a heavy ; sea running on the bar, and that the fresh , of the river Dee, which has its efflux at (lie , eniry of the harbour, was selling down vei y strongly. The pier, which is of granite, and extends about half a mile into the sea, terminating in a shoeing which rounds off in u ledge of boulder rocks, affords shelter from the iiorlh, but with Mm wind as it was yesterday lends to increase the motion in Mie channel, and thus lo run the port was a most dangerous undertaking. The harbour master hoisted his flag at half tide, which was the signal Mint the steamer might come in, and as a sailing vessel of a low draught of water entered safely (here was no fear for the l)uke crossing the bar. Itnt just as the steamer crossed, the fresh took her on the larboard bow, and threw her head northwards, so that for a limn she wasslcaming right on to the end oflhepier. Captain Howling, seeing the danger lo which he was exposed, ordered llic engines to be backed, and this was done, but scarcely had the vessel gotsiern way when heavy sea struck her on the quarter, and hove her right on to the rocks by the breakwater of the pier. In ten minutes the water was three feet deep in the engine-room, and all hope of saving the ship was abandoned. The sea now ma.le a clean breach over her, and she lay broadside on, with her how to the south. C.aplain Howling, to save llie lives of his crew and passengers, ordered the lifeboats 10 be lowered. One of them was speedily in the water, and seven men and a woman got into it, tinder llie charge of the mate. Unfortunately the rope by which the boat was held lo llie vessel slipped, and she was carried away without gelling any more on board, ami rode gallantly over the heavy surges to the beach, were all were safely lauded. The second boat was stove by a. heavy sea, and rendered useless. The life-boat on shore was by ibis lime manned, and made llie vessel with great difficulty, but receiving damage in her upper works while alongside the steamer, a limited number of llie passengers only could be taken off. Willi llicse she was pulled ashore, mid make the beach in safely. The sleamer now rolled dreadfully, and about an hour after she struck the forepart broke off willi a tremendous crash, and was instantly broken up. The passengers, however, w ho were still on board had by this limeclu-tered around llic larboard paddle-box, the ship amidships having sunk down solidly on the rocks. To relieve Ihem, the harbourmaster and others ran lo the lighthouse at the upper end of the pier for Dennett's rockets with llie life lines; but the key of llie apartment in which lliey were placed could not bo found. Mr. William llall then broke open lite door, and the rockets and lines were got down to llie breakwater, when 11 was found that the shot was useless. A man then ran lo the nearest shop, half a mile o(T, for a pennyworth of powder, but when lie returned no one present could lire the rocket. Most providentially one of llie olliccrs of her Majesty's ship Archer, at present iu the port, appeared at this juncture, and, with the ulmost dexterity, sent a line over the wreck. With this llic cco ' r - «ot off

" the nicr hawser, anil fastening it well, lliosn in charge of il on shore. tightened it up. | l),il then it was found that they had no cratl]e j„ this dreadful emergency, a temporary cradle was made from one of (lie boxes which had floated from the wreck, and this, with rope hitches, instead of rings, was nin out to the steamer, and one passenger was |)ion"ht ashore. U was evident, however, llial die hox cradle was not safe, and in place of il slings were made, by which several passengers were suspended from the hawser by lhc°waist and saved. The captain all this lime was managing all on hoard with great coolness and self-possession ; hut, in his endeavours'to save a female passenger who got entangled in the netting of the poop, he was Vmii I, and while warping soon after to relieve ;i passenger who was hung up in llie slings hv one of the hitches heing jammed, lie was thrown off his balance, fell into the water and was drowned. So near was the wreck to the pier at (his time, that the captain's brother, thinking that he was attempting to warp to the shore, called on him to return. The lifeboat heing unable to make way through the breakers again, six men rashly manned a salmon coble, and put oft" to the wreck. They got safely through the breakers, and succeeded in taking off two of the crew or passengers, but in returning to the shore the boat got to leeward, and, shipping a heavy sea, foundered, and live of the men were drowned. The one who was saved floated ashore on a lifebuoy or a piece of loose limber. One of those drowned was the brother-in-law to the captain, and second mate of the steamer, who had first come ashore in the lifeboat, and in his anxiety to save others thus, after all, lost his own life. The stern part of the steamer now broke off by the engine-room, and was scattered , in a thousand pieces. A lady passenger, who was holding by the netting, was swept away; and the engineer, Sir. Fyfc, who threw himself overboard 011 a life-buoy, got entangled among the stakes of some salmon nets, and was drowned. Several of the passengers were about .this time washed overboard, and also perished. The steward of the steamer, Duncan Christie, who remained to the very last, acted nobly after the captain was lost. He put the female passengers into the slings and was mainly instrumental in rescuing fifteen persons who were thus saved. He refused to leave ihc vessel so long as there was a single person 011 board to whom he could be or any service, and slung himself last of all under the warp, and was got ashore at halfpast seven o'clock. The funnel of the steamer fell at dusk, and by eight o'clock the paddle-wheels weie all ihatrcinaincJ. The. scene along the beach while the efforts were being made to save the crew and passengers was of the most harrowing description. The shore was strewed with goods, pieces of wreck, and the passengers luggage; women were running in a frantic state, screaming and tearing their hair, while their friends and relatives were perishing at their own doors; and loud and biller were Ihc complaints and imprecations on those who ought to have had belter preparations made for such a catastrophe. The recent losses 011 the shore, when the want of sucli preparations was so painftilly felt, and which were noticed in llicianguage of hope and camion nt the time, should liave led to betler means of safely being provided, but little or nothing has been done. Il is, indeed, a most melancholy thing to sec one's fellow-creatures thus perishing within speaking distance, in circumstances when, willi ordinary care, they might have been saved ; but until we have some authority which can really command obedience, and some one at least who can fire a rocket or direct a gun, such scenes as those which were witnessed yesterday will, it is feared, 011 this rugged . coast, bo of no rare occurrence.

Aberdeen, Monday. -It now appears that tlie precise number of lives lost in consequence of llie wreck of tliis steamer is sixteen, the total number on board having been liliy-four or fitly-live. The following is a of the 'l)howni:i>.—Edward Howling, master; Miss llremner, belonging to Aberdeen ; Miss Lawrence, ditto; George Druce, tlie carpenter ; a female servant of G. S. Jervoise, iminc unknown; Henry Sivier, coachman to Mr. Jcrvois; Margaret Paul, stewardess; George Nelson, a seaman 011 board; a seaman from Loudon ; a passenger, name unknown, bill believed to be Johnson or Johnstone ; .Mr. Harness (not lUirnctf), a passenger; Peter Ligerlwood, second mate ; John f'yfe, chief engineer—Total loss from steamer, twelve.—Jloberison, James M' Intosli, Christie.—Keid, seamen lost from coble.

Up lo this time twelve of the bodies have been found, being tlio whole except those of the second mute, engineer, anil Christie and lleid, the seamen. Oaplain Howling, Ilmce, the earpemcr, F.igertwood, l'yfe, the engineer, Nelson and Sivier, leave widows and families—those of the two last being resident in London. The ease of Miss lireinner is a peculiarly affecting one. She was just about to be married, ami was engulplied under the very eyes of tile young gentleman to whom •she was engaged. The engineer perished in the attempt to save the stewardess. Eighteen were saved by the rope between the pier and the vessel, all of them, including live of Mr. Jervoise's servants, owing their preservation to the exertions of the steward. Tha value of the cargo dppenrs lo be from 8,000/. lo 10,0001. and that of ill e vessel about 18,0001. She was buill in 18i7, and cost about 28,000/. The vessel was insured fur 12,000/., but the cargo was not insured, the parties lo whom it was consigned being the sufferers. U consists of spring haberdashery goods, periodicals, etc. All that now remains of the vessel is the engines and paddle-boxes, with a small part of the ship in the vicinity; the engines probably will be, recovered. A considerable part of the cargo has been cast ashore.