THE WRECK OF THE ORPHEUS.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume III, Issue 2, 30 March 1863, Page 14

THE WRECK OF THE ORPHEUS.

It is with emotions of the deepest sorrow that we record the total wreck of Her Majesty's Steamship Orpheus, 21 guns, on the Manukau bar, early in the afternoon of Saturday, the 7th instant. The iit-rated vessel sailed from Sydney on thel slst January, taking, a fair passage of seyen days, When within eight miles of the Beads, the signal—"Take the bar"—was hoisted on Paralutai Point. There was a stiff breeze blowing from the South West, the ship steering East till one o'clock, when she changed her course to North East by East. About twenty minutes past one she 1 bumped, and at half-past one she struck violently. An attempt Was made after grounding, to back astern, which futile. Some lime after, she fell broadside on to the sea, and the waves swept Over her, carrying away her boats, bulwarks, and sternpbst Orders were then given by Commodore Burjnett to lower the cutter, and to secure the! ship'spapers. The. pinnace was also lowered and sent after the putter to render assistance. Torty men now got into the launch for the purpose of laying out anchors, but she was dashed against the bows of the ship and nearly all on board her were tossed into the jMja and perished. At 5 p.m. the upper deck was torn away,,and the sea becoming more furions, those on board were obliged tp take refuge in the rigging. At half-past six, the flood-tide having set in, the masts fell, and the ship parted in two, where the unhappy sufferers who had long hoped and wailed for deliverance, were engulpbed in the foamfag sea. and after a few fm'nt struggles, all was quiet save the restless waters as though they bore not away [be precious dead, dearLo many an anguished heart.

_&t fen 3MB. 'the pinnace foiind out the !lf«mV t %ton, for th<? first trme, ibe lerribte cvtatirobbebecame known beyond the PHot Station an* the Wonga Wbn#.

The of souls ton beard the Ottfiev* were 256, one hundred Mti eigluy-ftve oC wbotti round a gra\e in the deep. There bite been tfiafcy frightful shipwrecks <m thecoasts of Nttw Zeataad, b«l ttra tearfulness of this disaster seetns to have sur* passed all otters both witb regard lo the circonttUrtSce* intending it* and the immense loss of life. The interest and deep sorrow' felt by all classes of the cotntttanfcy are brightened by the heart-rending fad that the ship struck tot ato early boor inthe aftewioon, and although there was no lack of help hard by, the fearful drafted $ was uflkndw*, «aveu> the signal station aad the Wonga Wong*, till ten o'clock ai night, when *ortieof the survivors bonded a vessel *at awctwr in the Harbour iind tttd \he\t owa tale 'of woe.

[Frdmthe New ZealVniAjr, FebiWy W'] [ "SVe have rtie N melancholy duty to record' the most terrible ship wreck that has ever occurred oti the coast of this coldfly, and by wliicli the lives of'l'B6 "brave men itave been lost to their country. . ' Her Itajfiisty's ship'oty'ft«&, 21 gdns,Cdramedore W. F. Biirneu, C.8., and K.'H. Burton, Commander, left Sydney on the 50lb January, last (or Auckland, rtnd blade' the land on the 7tb of FeWtiariy. At half-past twelve p.m. the ships course ihen'beihg N.E. by E., this being in accordance'whh the course marked upon '{he Admiralty charts for crossing the ftlahukau bar. A \ •SO'p.ni. she touched a shoal, being then under easy steam, and having all plain sails set. She cleared (he shoal, 'but within the space of ten minutes, again struck and hong fast Her engines were immediately stopped, and the order given of full astern, though without any effect, ds it is supposed, that her screw propeller, had eiiher been brdken or disabled, at any rate, the s<Jrew was then useless. All sail was with the utffitis'i promptitude taken in, while part of the crew were ordered to ilirbw overboard the guiis, of which 'three -or fdnr 'weife' thrown over, two'boats were got out, rind sent to the harbour for the purpose of obtaining assistance. After these boats bad been dispatched 'sail was again made, and the vessel forged ahead crossing the bank ualilsbe got near : to the main channel, whenunfortilnaiely she 'filled, and*the crew were compelled to take to the figging.

At half-past two o'clock p.m. of the 7lh February,_wbile steaming down the harbour with the pilot on board, Captain Renner observed a large ship in the offing (which proved afterwards to be the Orpheus) and apparently, close in the neighbourhood of the bar. He and the pilot made sundry surmises as to what she could be doing .there, but considered that she must be wailing for a pilot. At about three p.m. Captain Renner observed a signal from the pilot station telling hira to" taka||e south channel" The pilot then left amPfthe Wonga Wouga proceeded to sea through the south channel. At about half-past three o'clock Captain Renner; noticed that the Orpheus was rolling heavily to windward, and be rightly concluded that site must, therefore, be in distress. He immediately steamed round to the bar of the main channel but found that the sea was far too heavy to admit of his attempting to cross it. The Wonga Wonga was then hove about for the purpose of returning through the south channel. Shortly afterwards the crew.'of the Orpheus were observed taking to the rigging, the sea then breaking oyer her. At about five p.m. when arrived off the pilot station Captain Renner met two boats belonging to the Orpheus. The Manukau pilot boarded the Wonga Wonga and taking the boats of the Orpheus in low, went as hear to the wreck as consistent with safely. They then sent boats to pick up all those who could swim, and who would venture to jump overboard, but there were but few, as by far the largest number of the crew bad taken to the masts, and now by the breaches of the heavy confused sea, were precluded from reaching the bowsprit, which,was the only spot whence they could jump with any hope of being picked up. The boats succeeded in saving about twenty five persons on that occasion. The sea was now breaking over the Orpheus M half mast highland thereby prevented anyone getting from the masts to the bowsprit, except those whose courage and agility prompted them to cross from mast to mast by the slays. Several succeeded in doing? so, while others were thrown off by the violent and constant jerking of the vessel. The boats were kept couiinually near the wreck until dusk, for the purpose of picking np those of the crew, who might by any means he enabled to leave it. At dusk the Wonga If onga was anchored as near to the wreck as was consistent with safety. At between half past eight o'clock the masts were observed to fall over the

■id©. Three boats were then immediately despatched to the wreck, which succeeded in picking up about twelve or thirteen persons. During the whole of the time, blue lights were burned on board the Wonga Wonga. the boats continued about the wreck until every visible remnant of the masts and gear had floated by with the tide, and did hot return until about half-past ten o'clock, thpy being unable to »ee any appearance of more survivors. The Wonga remained at anchor till daylight of the following morning, when nothing could be seen ol -the Orphews, save the stumps of the masts and a few timbers. Captain Renner says the captain of the inizen top was*" very con* spicuous in his gallant attempts to save the lives of his drowning messmates; he, with a lead line attached to him, having jumped out of the boat no less than six times and thus succeeded in saving five lives.

(From the "Southern Cross" Feb. <>o.) The Wonya Wonga, which had crossed the bar on hep way to Taranaki, observing the catastrophe put back by way or the South Chanuel, and coming up with the boats look them in tow—(this was at 5 p.m.) —and proceeded to the vicinity or the wreck, when she succeeded in getting as near as 200 yards. The sailors were observed all aloft in the tops, the officers all in the mizen lop, the ship's head still to the north, and the breakers sweeping over the hull, the spray reaching the men, and the masts swaying to and fro in a fearful manner. The pinnace and; the cutter returned to within a few yards of the jibboom of the wreck, and succeeded In picking up about eight of the crew who threw themselves off into the sea* The pinnace put these men on board the Wonga and returned a second lime and rescued two or three more men, when the jibboom broke short off at the cap. The,masts and rigging at this lime were crowded with, men, the hull being com pletely under water and rolling heavily. Several men. were also picked up by the men in. the cutter, which was in charge of Mr. Midshipman Fielding. The breakers having increased and night dosing in, the boats returned to the Wouga, which anchored at 7.50 in the channel as near to the wreck as was prudent for her safety. About 8.30 it was observed; that the foremast fell to

starboard, and the main and mizen masis to portj within a few minutes of one another, and at the same time frightful shrieks were plainly heard on board the Wonga. Captain Henner immediately burnt blue lights, and lie boats were again manned, and before iQj|o succeeded in rescuing Lieut. Yonge aire some 7 or 8 seamen from pieces of flcja'Urig wreck. Two of ihe'Wmiga's crew, in one of her boats, bravely rescued one man at great risk to themselves. The cutter, guided by some of Captain Wing's Baiivecrew, in pulling to leeward, found and rescued Midjtfpman Bai klcy a youth of about J3; year™' age, son of Sir Henry Barkley, Governor of Victoria, Midshipman Hunt and three or four men, about two miles from the wreck, and look iheui to the pilot's bouse. Ihe Avon met the Wonga Wonga inside the heads at 6.30 a.m. pn Sunday morning, the latter steamer having weighed at day r break, after discovering thai the wreck was completely broken up, the slump of the mainmast and a few pieces of timber being all that remained of the ill-fated Orpheu*. ureal praise is due to Captain Renner for bis promptitude in rendering all the assistance in his power consistant with the safely of. his own vessel, and it is owing to bis being at hand, when the Orpheus slrauded that, under providence even so many were saved. It is to be deplored that Captain Renner bad no apparatus on board his \essel to throw a rope on board the wreck —not even a gun—for, from his proximity, he might have saved many more, bad il been possible to have bad any communication. Those who were saved had to swim several yards, for neither steamer nor boats could live witbin 20 yards of the wreck.