AUSTRALIAN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 141, 12 June 1878, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN.

Auckland, Tuesday night. The Rotorua, from Sydney, brings particulars of the ' wreck of the Loch Ard. It appears that a shepherd diicoveredMr Pearce on the cliffs, and both went where Miss Carmichael lay exhausted, numbed, and in a comatose condition amongst the bushes. He was first washed ashore on a spar, {and when he reached the land he heard a lady screaming, and dashed in and saved her. Mr Pearce says that on nearing the shore, about a mile to the eastward of Sherbrook, the captain dropped the anchors of the ship, but they dragged, and she went down in two minutes. There ; were no indications of outlying rocks in the-vicinity, but the coast is remarkably bold, -with high cliffs', and had not.Mr Pearce by his heroic conduct climbed the cliffs no one would have been • left to tell the tale of the disaster. At the time the vessel struck the captain and some sailors .were in the long boat disentangling the life boat, and they went down and were not seen any more. The Loch Ard had 17 passengers and a crew numbering 30 bands. The declared value of her cargo was £53,700. The ship was insured for £15,000 in the Southern Insurance Company, of which £9,000 was reinsured; £5,000 in the British and Foreign Insurance Company, and £!000 in the Cornwall. The cargo was insured for £30,000 in rarious offices. The Carmichael family were coming out to settle in Queensland. MrSjPearee states that two days previous to the morning of June Ist the sky was orercaat, and the captain was unable to take observations. At four o'clock on the morning of that day he saw a dangerous reef scarcely half a mile from the shore. The ship waa under closereefed topsails running before the wind. The captain gave orders to bring the ship to the wind, but she would not weather the land. He then let go both anchors, but they would not hold and she dragged, and when 150 yards from the rocks, the captain slipped both anchors and tried to put Bail on, but only got to the starboard quarter. It was just breaking day, and immediately the topmast fell over killing two seamen. The captain then ordered the crew to get the boats out for the lady passengers, but this was not done. The waves were washing over the decks, Mr Pearce and five other seamen got into the life boat, but were washed over. Mr Pearce then swam to the boat and kept on to it while it drifted into a small bay, where the ship had struck at daylight. After a little while he heard a cry, and saw a lady clinging to a spar fifty yardß put, and he swam out to her. She appeared

insensible, but he disengaged her hands and dragged her ashore. The cliff he climbed is about 100 feet high. Prom her statement It appeared that she was nearly the last on board, being in conversation with the Captain just before the ship went down. The Captain told her if she should survive to tell his wife he died like a seaman at his post. She was bound in a cord life-belt. Before Pearce came to her rescue two others were clinging to the same spar, but they were washed off. The bodies of Mrs Carmichael and her eldest daughter were washed ashore, they were encased in cork and fully dressed. The body of Reginald Jones was also washed ashore.