THE WRECK OF THE CITY OF AUCKLAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 222, 28 October 1878, Page 4

THE WRECK OF THE CITY OF AUCKLAND.

[•'Evening Post."] We are iodebted (0 a gentleman, who arrived this morning from Otaki, and who whs an eye-witness from first to last ofjho exciting scenes attending tbe wreck of the City of Auckland, for some interesting particulars of what took place : The ship went ashore at half-past nine o'clock on Tuesday night. Immediately after ahe struck the hatches Wi j re bv.tiPDed down, ami the immigran«a kept below until some measures had bepn devised for their safety. The excitement an 1 terror amon* the poor civa'urrg, however, in their imprison-m-nt. uoiler suoh circumstances became ao inienne, ihst at Ipngth they burst •op->n the hatches, 'and rushed on deck, notwithstanding every effort to restrain , them. The captain placed a guard over the boats, and so acoa as one could be safely lowered, which was not until 8 a.m. on Wednee lay, Bent tbe crew ashore in V e ship's whaleboat, he remaining on the Bhip. Once ashore the ere* lii-i not appear to trouble themBelv^s very much to rescue those they * had left on board, but fortunately there was no lack oi brave and self-sacriflcing men to come forward, and a gallant crew was speedily organised. It consisted of Mr Jenkins, an old whaler, resident at Otaki, who acted ae commander and coxswain; Mr Morgan Caikeek, surveyor; Mr Anderson, baker, and two half-castes named Hammond aud Mark. These five courageous men, t king the ship's wholeboat which h» I come ashore, put off to tbe ship at immioeut personal p-ril, to bring off a bwu;iort.> ut the women and children. Ou the tioat reaching the ship's side, a rush was attempted to be made by some of the wale passengers, 'but Captain Roils placed himself at the gangway with a loaded revolver, and declared he would shoot the first man who disobeyed his orders, or attempted to pass him, or tnter the boat without hie P'.-1-mi sion. Through the captain's uiishuk n firmness order was preserved, an 1 Ibe iirsi batah of women and child* ren get safely into the boat. A line watt then made Jaet to tbe stern, the other end being retained on board the ship, and only given out by degrees, as the b< at moved away towards tbe shore. By Ehis means she wsb kept fore and s(t to the sea, wheress but for this prudent precaution she probably would have bioiiched to, and capsized in the heavy sea which was running. The ehore was reached in perfect safety, and the crowd of people, both English settlers and Maoris, who had collected on tie beech, made a rush into the serf to curry the women and children to land, so that they might not even get wet. Both races vied with each other in their ex> rtions and zeal ou behalf of iheir shipwrecked fellow creatures. Thr firat boatload having been landed, Mcesie. J ukins, Carketk, Anderson H ttiiinoii';, aud Mark at once started oti V J -i", m'^r shifting the line from the boa 'a :t rn t > ht-r head, so aa to keep her bead to the rollers as she went out o»iiiu. Iv took no fewer than ten or twelve tiipa to and irom the vessel to Ibad all the women and children, and it was not until 5 p.m. that the last were bn-u^lit uhsoie. During tbe whole ot 11: id iimo ihtßß five brave and gallant raeu wo'ke'i conotuntly, without rest or fool, utterly regardless of tlieir own staf <y or comfort, intent only on savin;' life. Wo enrocsily hope that their uolle coitduct will receive tine public re< Oiiuiiioo. «Mi tbie time the ship's life-boat, wbicb bud been lowered in the firet ioetancß necessarily on ihe weather BiJt ot the vessel, lay useless, as, being fo windwird, she could not bB moved in Ihe higti seaund flood tide. However as he side eobed, tiie volume of floodwafer runnicig out of the Otaki river, wl i ;h meeiu g, the rising iido bad kept up the 8e», nuw with ebb-tide tended to eenl it down, and the captain at leugth manage 1 to net the life-boat round to the I tit-, side, sod landed all the male immigrants. The whole landing, from iiist to last, was effected in perfect order ao'i without the slightest casualty alii ou-li, as might be imagined, there wt:B eevt-ral narrow escapes. The imiii.^ruHS lun'led in good faumor and spin.", ami aii tbe women and children were <jot ashore without even wetting their feet. C-ptain Rolls remained on b<>ar < (I'-a vess' i until everything was Uk n - ff, -slid was the last man to leave the bbip '1 ho women and children were all housed in tbe Muori College soon af er 5 y.m., the men being lodged id the school, Mr Christie (the scbool-runst-r) and Messrs Hadfield and Sifficox, ttt:i»-rs, supplying provisions, and usic-jr every eff >ri to make them comU\ ia'»lo Dui in^ tbe day firt'g had been li-htrd ou u.e i.each by the Maoris, and k p up bl duy, th« coal from the F- inoiowe uoming in very handy. Tbe Mi us, iu.L-e.!, ex-rted themselves all »i->y 111 » m.i.Ler which deserves the hu'li »< \> .11 e, uud were very libsr&l a:i ■ o--i ( ii .I'iic- in their offers of food to li;. . !:-a.v.i d. Tiie E)j;lißb settlers i.)r>} Ui'ie. O'ji !u a man ami gave till tii'-. :j«rti^iuuc« iti their power. None i?ec(n 'i to i'u\hk of hiujsel', all ap-p-.Tuu'l/ tieiu^ utterly absorbed iu their tiU(Ouart z^ui. iSiores and provisions wt-re being t>iou{bt ashore from tbe Bhip a\[ j'ljpt-r-r'luy.