Tale of the Sea.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 72, 1 March 1883, Page 2

Tale of the Sea.

AUSTRALIAN WRECKERS AT ; WORK. } - ' SCENEB AT THE STRNDING OF = THE BERENGARIA. The Argns reporter thus describes the scene on the beach after the cargo, had been thrown overboardin order to lighten the Berengaria, < which wa3 stranded recently at Bar won Heads ; — As soon as the. cargo began to float ashore the work of the pillagers began. A vile crew, the off-scouring 3of society, swooped down like evil birds of prey upon the spoil. The barrels of brandy were their chief prize. There were hundreds .of * wreckers and but two policemen. The looters did as they liked, and a wild orgie ensued. 1 They waded into the surf, and under pretence of recovering the quarter casks broached them and sucked at the bung-holes till, like surfeited leeches, they could hold no more. Then they fought till some of tb-Fsra dropped senseless on the sand, and others ran about deliriously. The news of the loot quickly spread, and every kind of utensil was brought m haste for a supply of liquor. Each cask swarmed like a iiive of bees, and m the 'struggle lo fill the" bottles, caniffcettiea^ ; and 1 saucepans,. : the - thieves were as wasteful as they weie callous. More daripg robberies were attempted, and the two constables had to keep driving from one end of the beach to the other to prevent cisks of the spirits being carried off bodily by parties of three and four larrikins, whose favourite method was; to roll the' barrel they intended to appropriate.,through; the water m a line with; the' snore, until they had got to some quiet cove and were safe from observation. ; Ojoe had. to^tap carefully m places to' avoid 'treading on some besotted wretch sleeping -off the fumes of the overpropt brandy, m a state of insenr' sibility which knew no awakening until nij^htfell. Quarrels aross, about the division of the. plunder, and, pitched battles WRVft fouglit,' seconds and a ring were quickly provided, and . the, : setrto fought out to the bitter end.. . . - After their carouse some ot the ruf« fi'ans who gloated upon the. disaster, as: an unexpected piejce' of • good fortuae, had a narrow escape. They were stand* ing near the water wher^a loud expjosion and a sheet of flame close to their feet had'a startling eflect. A case of sodium had been fired by the salt water, and as each tin • went off m quick successidn^ nothing could more closely resemble the reports of a park pi artillery,, followed by the sharp rattle of musketry. Here was a new and unexpected 1. treat, for the reveilbrs ! What fun it was te throw the sodium into the, water, and;;enjoy th'el noise, the flame, and the cascade of water thrown into/the air by the minufe ture torpedo, and to oxultingly. watch the ( terror of women, and children lin m avoiding the red hot sodium and fragments of tin which were scattered; far and wide like a shower of molten lead. Tie diversion pleased the- drunken mob beyond measure, and as there was almost an unlimited supply of sodium, the ammunition for their .sport did not run short until very late m the after- J