A TERRIBLE WRECK.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 144, 18 June 1881, Page 1

A TERRIBLE WRECK.

' Tlie late deplorable wreck of the steamer Tararua* by striking, a reef at Waipapa Point> New Zeialand, with, the, loss of 100 persons (say '& the d Mel-' bolirne ßulletin) recalls torecpllectioii a much ruore calamitous .w ( reck, which ; i occurred some five-and-tb'irty-'yeats ago 1 j in Bass' Straits, aud sent a tlirill of horror through the then community p£ Melbourne.; The Cataraqui sailed froiia j Liverpool for Port Phillip with 37fr | imnaigrants and a crew of forty-sii^ She had a prosperous: voyage until, £b!e | last' two or three days,-, when.; ihe ca^taia was unablej by the state of thje j weather, to take the neceßsaiy obsef-.: vations ; and on entering Bass' Sfcraits, miscalculating; his position, the ship, in the darkness of a winter's morning, [ struck on a shoal on : the west coast of King's Island. Captain ; Finlay, thb commander, who. had been, once beforie through the Straits, did all that a true seaman could, in ; which he was loyally supportedby . his . drew, but to no. efiect. As the boats were . launched over the side, they were smashed in pieces by the breakers, and out of the whole hive of human beings only nine were saved, i.e., the chief mate (a Mr Gruthrie), one immigrant, six able seamen,, and a ship's boy, an apprentice. The captain, a Dublin man, who left a wife and family in Liverpool, went down at his post, as did also two doctors, brothers named Carpenter, one of whom was the j surgeon in charge, and the other coming to settle in Australia! Four -hundred and fourteen persons perished^ of whom 376 were immigrants, mostly marriedj with seven ty^three children, all of whom shared the watery grave of their parents. . The nine survivors: were ; foi+ a couple of days almost starved on the island, until they were discovered by a Mr; David Howie, who had a party of sealers on the. other side j, , and ; one morning, noticing some wreckage, hd j humanely set forth in the hope of' being \ able to render succour to any. one, unn j fortunately in need of it. Only foii \ this the nine castaways would have died! of hunger. Howie provided for them 1 ! as far as his limited stores would per-: j mit, and the next day signalled a pas-! i sing cutter, in which the men were' i sent to Melbourne. They were treated! very by the townspeople, who got up a public subscription in their aid! which was supplemented by £60, thel proceeds of a benefit generously given! for the purpose by Mr George Coppin,i; at the time lessee of Smith's Theatre,;! in Queens street. Howie was also pre-j sented with a testimonial for his praise- j worthy conduct, and at the request and ; expense of the Government he returned ij to King's Island and collected and buried ■ i all the bodies thrown ashore. i; He found i the beach literally strewed with human remains, and out of the 414 drowned he i recovered 304 corpses, which were in- ; terred in four large graves. The Gbv- ' ernmeit also caused a rude monument^ i with an inscribed tablet, to be erected ; opposite the. spot where the wreck ocr : cured. This' was placed on anrfeleyate'd piece of ground within 100 yards of the beach; ahd, A m fine, clear weatlie'rj cb\\\6. be seen; at' a league's distance at' sea* It would be. well to ascertain if this memento be still in existence, for if not it should certainly be renewed. :