WRECK OF THE SCHOONER THETIS, AND LOSS OF FOUR LIVES. [From the Sydney Morning Herald, June 7.]

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 218, 1 July 1848, Page 2

WRECK OF THE SCHOONER THETIS, AND LOSS OF FOUR LIVES. [From the Sydney Morning Herald , June 7.]

By the oveiland mail from Melbourne, which arrived in Sydney yesterday morning, intelligence, we arc sorry to say, has been received of the total wreck of the schooner Thetis, Captain Collins, of this port, with the loss of four lives— namely, Mr. and Mrs. James Fitzpatiick nnd two children, who were steerage passengers, and arrived in this colony by the emigrant ship Subiaon, a few weeks since. This disastrous occurrence took pl^ce on the evening of Friday, the 26th ot May, off Point Lonsdale, at the entrance of Port Phillip Heads. The subjoined particulars we extract from the Port Phillip Patriot of the 29th May :■— " The Theti9 left Sydney on Wednesday, the 10th May,wnli stiff but favourable weather, for this potr. The weather thickening, she had to tun into Twofold Bay tor shelter, and remained there three days, but the following Sunday, 14th instant, weighed anchor, and left in company with the Frederick Griffith and Petrel, lor this port. The weather had considerably abated, but still was " nas'y," and became more boisterous daily — but still not unfavourable for the trip, and the Theus was at the Heads on Friday evening. Here it was the catastrophe occurred, tor on entering the Heads at nine o'clock on Friday night, (the weather

excessively thick, ami the night us black na pitch,) tho unfortunate vessel, apparently keeping her light bearings, N.E. l)y N.i ami an active watch on the look onf, slrurk on Lonsd'h Kerf, and in a quartet of an hour w is on her beam ends, her masts failing on the rocks. The water was over her decks, at.d the passenger* and crew, (21 in all,) for the most part hanging to the side of the vessel, and expecting eveiy moment to be swept; from their support. At the time the cralt struck many of the passengers were in bed, and they had scarcely time to fompiehend the nrtuie of their situation, and half nal»eil rushed to (he deck, (the night was liii»hltully cold, intensely dark, and the mm descending in tor raits, ere the vessel heeled over.) About this stage Mis. Fitzpatnck, accompanied by her husband and children, m their night di esses, reached the deck, \vhe<i both ihe children were swept from their mothois' giasp, and engulphed. Their parents appeared to be wholly paralysed by their situation, and uttctly incap.iblc ot making the least (\ution to save themselves. They were assisted to hold on to the wreck, and were amongst the iirht to be relieved from their perilous situation. Thi tide bans; down, the leet \va» hate, and within a tew yards of the ill fated craft — the fallen masts wi re testing, over or on (we foigit whuh) the rocks. Ihe captain, who is said to have displayed the chametemtic coolness and courage of the British seaman, instantly made the passengei", in rotation, climb along the spais and drop tiom the topmasthead on to the reef. The Fnzpatricks were landed on the rocks in an extremely weak condition, the effect or' » tural debility, and ihe severe exposure to cold and wet they hud undergone, when placed on the reef they were to all lifeless. The tide was down at this time, and had it been on the flow every soul must have penshetl. The only boat available was Ihe dingy, and in this the mate and two hand?, uirected sulcly oy the noise ot the breakers, made towards the shoie, and came on another reef, nnd j .dging that they had gone in the right direction, relumed towauls the reet which, their shipmates occupied ; but being without oara,and having but two or turee ot the bonom boards of the dingy to padale with, they were neaily an huur before they icturuei to their companions, and then nearly missed thiin by going round ihe reet, in which the boat was neaily uwamped. When they did reach the debiied spot, though they landed wiibin ten yards of their companions, who were hailing them at the top of their voices, the turmoil of the weather was so great as to render ciies inaudible. Tlis want of oars, and Ihe wind dead on to the land, scarcely gave them hopes of being able to accomplish the delivery of the party from the reof btforo the tide should begin to rise; butbefoie ihe firfct hatch mere taken mto the dmay, most providentially three oais were swept on to the reef, and uiuicr the very feet of the Miflerers. This timely assistance implied the party with renewed hopes, or rather alleviated their despair, for being utterly ignorant of their whereabouts they had no prospect but death; and after about two hours" incessant Libom — the captain beu.p the last to leave the reel — the whole party weie ianded on a reef which they supposed to be more inland than that they had ju&t quitted. The captain and the few that remained with him for the last trip, had a narrow escape, as the dingy in the retuin, tiom the intense daikness that prevailed again missed the point, and was an hour from the time of hu 1 previous start in touching the captain and his party, by which lime they wcie knee deep in watei, the tide having pieviously began to ilow. Fiom the nonappedi aiice of the dingy, they had oncliid^d that it had oveishot the mark, and it hed been lost, and tint they would bhoilly be ovei whelmed by the rising walms. Their tears ware dispelled by the time y hjpeatauee of the dingy. A t.r ail the party had been land d on the scond reet, the dingy put oft' tor tlm shore (Mtill guided by the sound of the bieakeis), a d made ii-.oihcr or thud reel, (distant about 100 yuds from the shore), and at ouce icturned to shiu the people to this place of safety. The wo U w,b accomplished Mi iioout two hours, and at thieu o'clock in the morning the whole paity were on te ra fi:ma. but in the most iltplor'ibly c\li-tuoted condition. Laving buen. exposed unclad to the inclemency of a night of ram and intense cold during a period of five hours. At this juncture the captain, leaving two of the crew to take charge of Mrs. Ho^an, wbo iiad been landed in a very cxluu&tid condition, started with the remainder ot' the passengers and crew ior the pilot station, distant; somu five miles, on reaching which a hammock \sas sent down to carry the poor woman up to the pilot station, where she now is. llete every attention that humanity could suggest was liberally awarded by the the pilot to his unfortunate guests, who were well supplied with i lathing — as the few habiliments they had on when on the outer reef were toiu from their backs before they reached the main land The passengers hyeiK m the highest torms of the kindness ttuy expei lenced at the pilot station, and seem dextrous that we should chronicle it. The Bame day (Saturday) the captain went back to the w reck to see what could be done, and got the long boat, but saw no (hinceof doing anything else for thij {vessel, which is in a complete basin» but her atter part wholly undec water. There was no appearance of her breaking up, and no pait of her cargo or spars hud come ashore. The captain, we are told, was quite equal to the disastrous position in which he Was in, diiecting all operations with unruffled calmness and discretion ; he was the last man to leuvc the wreck or the rocks. His crew weie woittiy of him, and emulated his example, and we aie assured, had they not displayed every enc-gy and subordination, uot a soul would have been savcu ''