WRECK OF THE QUEEN BEE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 187, 9 August 1877, Page 2

WRECK OF THE QUEEN BEE.

Two Boats pull of Passengers and Crew missing. There was no little excitement in town about eight o'clock night wheu.it was known that the Lady Barkly was returniug from the scene of the wreck of the above ship, aud a large number of people were congregated on tlie wharf to "meet her. The hews that she had to tell was, 'we regret. to say, anything but satisfactory, as she reported that the vessel was a complete .. wreck, and that two boats containing a number of the passengers aud crew were missing. From the' information we have obtained we will give as conuected a narrative as possible of all the circumstauces connected with this sad disaster. On Thursday last the Queen Bee first sighted the New Zealand coast, after which she experienced dirty weather. On Monday at 8 p.m. she was abreast of the Spit light. She proceeded on her course for some time, and then changed it to S.S.E., and at inidnigbi when the light was bearing. northwest and showing red she struck. The helm was at once put hard up, when she swung off, but immediately caihe up again, and commenced to bump so violently that it was difficult for the men to keep their' legs. Very shortly after soundings were taken in fche hold, where there was. found to be 4ft 6in of water, Guns were fired, rockets thrown up, and blue lights burned, and. as. they obtained no respouse from the k shore, the second mate was ordered to proceed io the dingy with four men to seek assistance. Af ter calling in at Bark Bay, where every kindness aud attention was shown them by Messrs Huffam and Hadfield, the boat proceeded to Motueka and telegraphed; for assistance. As was reported yesterday' the Lady Barkly and Lyttelton were at once

despatched, to* the wreck. The former was the. first to arrive there, and Captain CrossT on going on board found the vessel abandoned, the only living things being four dogs and a cat, the former including some very i valuable greyhounds, which were being im.ported by Mr Chatteris. These, we believe, were all drowned. After the arrival of the v Lyttelton, a survey was held by Captains Cross, Walker, and Scott, and Mr Ross, the engineer of the Lady Barkly, and the vessei, which was then submerged with the exception of a portion of the starboard quarter, and a small part of the forecastle, was condemned as a total week. Her hatches were burst open, and the cargo was washing out and floating about in all directions. From the account given by the passengers, it appears that at six o'clock on Tuesday morning, the boats were all got out, and the passeugefs and crew stowed in them as follows : —

In the lifeboat: Mrs Gibbs and infant, Misses Gibbs (2), Mrs Pearce, Miss Sanders, Mrs Cheel and child and Misses Cheel (2)r With these were three A.B.s arid one ordinary* seaman. ' - ,

In the cutter: Dr. and Mrs Maunsell and -• two children, MissesFosberry(2),MrGibbsa lad of 17 years of age, and four ..little boys and a little girl, (children of Mrs Gibbs who arrived in the lifeboat), Mr Whyte, Master Hartell, Mr and Master Cheel, Messrs Barnes, Charington, and Wills, seamen, 'and a man named Furness, a stowaway. In the Captain's gig: Captain J. S. Davies, Mr Baillie, chief officer; Mr W. H. Mason, third officer; the boatswain, carpenter.'three stewards, two .cooks, the butcher, one A.B:, aud Messrs Hi! Hard and Beckett, passengers. No luggage or food was placed 'in ahy'of.thebo&ts, nothing in fact but a little water, . and ih this condition they commenced- to'do 'battle with the heavy seas that were rhjllifg • in..' The Captain's boat, it is supposed, macte '" for -Collingwood. The lifehoat v an,rl Tcutfeer kept together for several " hours "when a ' blanket was set as a sail in the former^ aud she steered for Awaroa leaving the cutter behind, which, when last seen, appeared to be drifting to leeward. ,' She is ireportetFto be a fine sea boat, ahd by no means likelji to meet with an accident ifjvell handled. T-Phe lifeboat had received some damage in being" launched, and while v the men. were pulling the' Unhappy %dmen' were' kept hard atWrk ' the whole time baling out the water which freely poured in at the sides. At Awaroa the occupants! of -this boat . wereTkindly' treated by Messrs Hadfield Brothers; - and were shortly after put on board the schooner Merlin, from which, a little later, they were transhipped to the Lady Barkly, and by her brought on to Nelsou, together with the crew of the boat which had been sent on to Motueka who were picked up shortly afterwards. After remaining two hours in harbor the Lady Barkly went out again intending tp visit the Croixelles, and from thence "to strike across the Bay. XThfe- anxiety 'ttfaf • prevailed among the public on thetoceipt of J the news of which she was the bearer may well be imagined, auianeager !pok : qutxyas kept for the Lyttelton," which about I o'clock this morning was seen steaming -dowa- the Bauk. She did riot, however, come" into harbor until half-past ! three, when it was found that: she had brought- no further tidings of the. missing boats. It was not possible to start her away again at once, but she left this morning in charge of Captain Whitwell, the intention being that she shpuld go across the Bay arid work up the coast" oh the other side until she met with the Xady Barkly, w.hferi the two would make arrange- ' meats as to their future proceedings.' It. is intended that a most thorough search shall be made, and the steamers will not' retusra for two or three days unless they should in the meantime fall in with the boats. It is a curious circumstance that on Tuesday last, on the morning of which day the.: boat 3 left the ship an unusually large number of steamers leftthis port. The Wallace 1 sailed in the afternoon for Wanganui, the Kennedy shortly after _f or the West Coast, the Taupo in the evening for the South, passing the Croixelles fpr which the boats might have made, aud the Hawea for the North steaming straight up the Bay. The deepest sympathy is felt with the sufferers, and with those in Nelson who had near and dear relations on board, to the speedy meeting with whom they were eagerly looking . forward. For their joyful anticipation a most wretched 0 arid wearing state of suspense has been substituted. The grief , too, of those who were landed last night at being separated from the other members of their families "who are in the missing boata is beyond description, and is difficult even to imagiiie. Most sincerely do we trust that ere many hours have elapsed the glad tidings will reach us that the boats have been found, and that their occupants are not seriously worse for their exposure. Since the above was ih type the Barkly has returned, ;:: ; ;■_. , . 'ji* ;; j __v • '•' Return of the Lady Barkly— No further news. | The Lady Barkly's signal was hoisted at" two o'clock this afternoon, and was; the \ nleans of attracting a large number; qf .people ' to the Port, and as she came within TahgeTof the glasses that were brought to -bear upon her the excitement became more aud more intense, and'the suspense '■ almost pain-" fill as now j one, , and np-w another^ called out that, he; fauciqd,, he [ could see women ou board. ' "But as she drew' hearer all hopes vanished/and all were prepared ' for the reply.of. the captain, as the vessel approached the. wharf, to thejquestiqa ''What uews?" that nothing had- been seen of the missing boats". But terrible as .'was the suspense to strangers, what muat it have been ' to those more deeply interested as they watched the little steamer, coming down, the Bay, and how crushing the disappointment on hearing that she had no good; fidings tq iniparf. The Lady Barkly, proceeded to the Croixelles last night, aud speut this morning iv examining every spot where there waa the least likelihood of findiug the unfortunate people, but all in vain. . A widely-spread rumor has', been current' this afternoon that information 3 had' beeu received from Motueka regarding the missing boats. To this we must give a direct contradiction, heartily as we wish it were true. Anticipating the possibility of the boats putting in, or being heard of there,' we made arrangements this morning that if such did occur the news should be wired tous at once, but we regret that it has not beeu our good fortune to receive any such welcome intelligence.