THE ACCIDENT TO THE CITY OF MELBOURNE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 239, 29 September 1876, Page 2

THE ACCIDENT TO THE CITY OF MELBOURNE.

A Sydney telegram to the Melbourne Argus, dated June 12, gives the following account of the accident to the City of Melbourne, and the slaughter of the valuable racehorses she had on board:— " The City of Melbourne, crammed with passengers and having on board eleven racehorses, comprising the flower of the 'Victorian studs, left Sydney at midnight on Saturday. On Sunday morning a strong southerly gale set in, and as the ship was not far from Jervis Bay, Joe Morrisson requested Captain Paddle to return, in order to save fche lives of the valuable animals under his charge, but tbe captain determined to face the gale. Soon after passing Cape St. George the vessel shipped a number of heavy seas, and the gale increased to a hurricane. The wheel was smashed and the binnacle washed a\vay,^ the ship at the time going round like a top. The crew behaved splendidly, and rigged a temporary steering gear, and as some of the horses had fallen, the captain at last determined to return, but the weather being hazy and thick, he could not ascertain rightly where he was, and put the ship's head to sea. Then commenced the slaughter amongst tho horses. Eros and Mr Evan's Gwendoline filly were about the first to succumb, being washed on to the dock, and killed. Poacher followed, then Burgundy was killed. Nemesis was thrown on the deck, and was drowned where she lay; so was Sovereign, Etoile du Matin having also been killed. The greatest loss of all was Robin Hood, who fell under the other horses, and notwithstanding the efforts of Davis, Morrison, and Harris, and the chief officer, he also was killed. In the meantime the terriffic seas that swept over the ship had carried away two boats, and smashed another. Then a fearful sea stove in one side of the engine room, and the saloon was flooded with water. Men were kept employed baling out the cabins night and day. All day on Monday the gale blew with terriffic force and the ship kept dodging about at sea, most of the passengers fearing for our safety. Nearly every bed in the saloon was saturated with water, and few of the passengers slept night or day. On Tuesday morning there were signs" of a slight improvement, and the Captain steered a course for Sydney Pleads. The Sylvia colt was the last of the horses to die, and then the Chrysolite colt and Redwood were the only two left of the eleven shipped. The former fell down, and it was feared he would die, but Davis and Morrison stuck to him manfully, and just as the colt appeared at the point of death, the Heads were sighted, and the ship was soon in smooth water. Another quarter of an hour at sea would have been fatal to the Derby winuer. The passengers raised a subscription for the crew, aud a testimonial was presented to the captain by a portion of the passengers, though Mr Kit, the chief officer, was considered Iby others entitled to ono also. Throughout this tremendous gale the ship behaved admirably, though, until the deck cargo was thrown overboard, she labored a great deai. The chief damage was tiie destruction of the wheel and binnacle, tbe loss of the three boats, the injury to the engine-house, and the saturation of the passengers' luggage, though these losses were nothing in value compared to that of the valuable racehorses that were destroyed. The Chrysolite colt aud Redwood were landed this afternoon. The former had to be carried on boards, and cannot move now."