The Steamer Rotomahana.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 4, Issue 207, 7 August 1883, Page 2

The Steamer Rotomahana.

m — THE RECENT CASUALTY. PULL PARTICULARS. CAPTAIG CAREY'S STATEMENT. (BY TELEGRAPH.) I (UKITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Do-Tjsdin, August 5. The Rotomahana arrived safely at daylight. — .... Captain Carey makes the following statement :— We were steering along j our ordinary course, and took.o.ur departure from Slope Point. I saw the Brothers Point and Wakawaka Harbor. Slope Point was the last point of laud we saw, and we passed it aHout three or four miles oft. We shaped our course west by south, which would take us fully three miles off the shallow part. We were going about eight or nine knots, and I . think the curront mmt have taken her m. There was at the time a slight swell from southward, and the wind wasT'Off shore. At three o'clock a.m.,T shaped the course west 1 bxsputh ofLSlope Point. ... .The ~ second officer (Mr Grosham) was on the look • out besides,, and I was on the hurricane bridge looking out^for the* Dog Island? light at the time" of the casualty! ..! It .waa;.j about 3.45 a.m. when the second officer telegraphed " stopi" I rushed to. the telegraph on the hurricane deck and putit "full speed astern." The second mate had seen what he thought to be breakers on the port bow. He saw a white streak, and; Immediately telegraphed "stop,'^ acting with gr_at promptitude/ As , soon .as. I telegraphed " full speed -astern)" I went oh the look-out bridge' and took charge, the second officer going to his station at the bows. After going full speed astern for some shorttime, and the vessel's wsy having been stopped, she touched lightly. The current then slewed her round like atop, >o ; as. to b'e_.d northward m: wo or thre« minutes, then I put oh* hoim hard a-port, to try and get her off;- The engines were going fnll speed' astern all to* time and the vessol touched on the" stem, bumping rather heavily, and put "the helm bard aport^agiiin,. and. went ahead. The lead^was kept going, and we foutid the -ship was forging 'aboad. The inah reported from five to seven fathoms. I then saw a rock On the starboard bow, and at once, went astern aga n ; put the helm a-starboard, and crawled along tiie shore, bringing Slope Point on the starboard bow, the vessel heading to eastward ; that was the, only outlet I could see, and I " went for three or four minutes that way. The man at the lead reported seven, and. eleven fathom's, and then for a time he gave "no water." I said, " What 18 it now ?" and he replied, '* Sevente.ea fathoms and no bottom.'* The vessel, I think, must have touched tne edge of the reef. When we got into seventeen fathoms .of water I stopped, and then saw the Bog Island light, bearing about West, bub only saw the light twice. We stayed m that position until daylight, and then steamed for the Bluff, arriving there about 9. 30 a.m. Uannot account for : the" vessel striking the reef, except by supposing that a current set her m shorei , The : course .taken should have cleared every thin?: .' We had two logs over, arid I tested them at Nuggets, and found only a mild .difference iv them m 56 miles. 'WKeri the vessel struck, every man went to his station, the boats were lifted :,i bf the chocks ready for swinging but. and the 'passengers behaved splehdi'dly. ' One man came on the bridge, but went away immediately I told : him to. The ship only struck heavily twice. I. think wa must have gone astern on the ledge of the reef, but the firs, bump must have beeu on the sand. ' From the above statement it. wil.l ? be ! seen- that' the 'account of the accident telelegraphed from the Bluff was en-tirely--wrpng,:in stating - that "Captain Carey was below, and that the steamer 1 was m charge of the second officer. At '■■ the time of the mijhap Captain Carey I was m charge, on deck, and hid been there on duty all-night. The passengers maintained the utmost composure andcalmness,and those interviewed apeak m the highest terms of the conduct of the Captain and officers, to whom they mainly at tribute the absence of any panic. The fact of Captain Carey having extricated the sbip from her perilous position is considered by, the crew and passengers as nothing short of; miraculous. Every man of the crew went promptly to his position, and the firemen' whose turn, it was to go on duty below at four o'clock, took up their sta--tioos as if nothing had happened. . A great many of the passengers left the jvessel at/the Blaff. . -The steamer was twenty minutes among fne rocks, -and remained m tbe vicinity m deep water until daylight. The first bump s occurred at about tea minutes to four o'clock. She will be docked here. ..<■ . ; * . ; This is the first mishap Captain Carey has had m his long experience. Invbrcak- ill, August 4. The RotOmahana's accident. ha. given rise to strong comment on the del iy m the erection of the lighthouse on Waipapa Point. The, timber for the tower has been brought from the North, although there is plenty all round the site of the lighthouse. It is considered that after tbe Tararua experience, there should have been a temporary light until the permanent tower was es« tablished.