TOTAL WRECK OF THE BARQUE ROBINA DUNLOP.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5123, 24 August 1877, Page 7

TOTAL WRECK OF THE BARQUE ROBINA DUNLOP.

< : iA telegram was received,,here oh Tuesday afternoon by Captain Rose, agent for the New. Zealand! Shipping Company in this port, from 1 Captain,Graham, of the Robing Dunlop, stating (that that yes sel was ashore,'close, to Turakhia River, aj total wrecks and ,that;! all; hands were saved. Immediately on receipt.of.this telegram ■ Captain) Rose .wired back to' Captain ,Graham .to know if a steamer; would i he ; .of any ..use to him, and tp eend.partioulars of: the wreck., The, irbply that'Captain Rose received was .to the effect that a steamer would be f AI-ino,jiß«,‘-,M the vessef was a complete wreck. ~,The above : intelligence;' was further' confirmed by a telegram reCelVdd’last night froth the Tress Agency aUMartonV' It;ran' as follofrtfThe bartpfe tjßobina Dunlop) bound to Bhtavia, from"Wel.Hngton, is a total wreck off the' moiith of the f Tnraldnk Rivbr.' • The crew- are all shved.”

The Bobina Dunlop left this port oh'Saturday afternoon last, bound, to in ballast, | The'wind from then up to Monday night was blowing pretty hard from' the north-

it took into the southward, and blew fresh. The,-barque would thus a. ..slant on Monday iught ; to get through the.. Strait; but how : it ; was-possible for her to [gb'.aahore L at Turakiha River,seems to us a-mystery, unless there■■ was most culpable ; negligence on the part of some one. Turakiua River is situated about twenty-miles (South of and, of course, is in that bight extending from Cape Egmbnt to Cape Terawiti, andwhich is generally given a wide berth by sailing.'vessels. The only, surmise is that the Robina Dunlop, getting through the Strait with the southerly wind of ; Monday night, kept too close inshore, and encountering the ve»*y heavy westerly sea which was reported as prevailing pn> the .JVest Coast; yesterday, • was drivenlinshore, and seeing that she would-be unable to keep off the coast, ‘ Captain Graham had to! beach*his vessel, which resulted in her total destruction! 1 Of course it is all conjecture as to how the barque got wrecked, .until fuller particulars !are to hand ; but it is very strange indeed how a vessel bound to Batavia could possibly go; ashore at Turakina River. The; Robina Dunlop was a handsome of 493 ton? register. She was constructed of wood; and was only three years' old. She was owned by Mr.‘Neill, Of Glasgow, and was a regular trader to. Auckland, She came Here from' London with a full general cargo, and arrived on the 16th July last. The barque, came. out under charter to the N.Z.S. Co. : It is believed that she is well insured in Home offices.

FURTHER PARTICULARS. . ■ (from our own correspondent.) The - following are particulars of the wreck of the barque Robina Dunlop, given by Capt. Graham The_ vessel left .Wellington on Saturday, in ballast, ahcVsteered north. At 4 p.m. oh Monday found the ship close to land on the jMiddle. Island, when, the .weather came on thick,, with heavy squalls,: and: continued rough for some time. Finding the ship in. the breakers, an attempt was made to L beat off the land, but when veering round the stem took . the ground, carrying away .the rudder,. rendering further effort in this direction.quite useless.; The ship labored heavily | and in order to ease her the masts were cut-away. All the time a very, heavy seaq was-- breaking over the ship. | The. !first vseai; took away the ; boats, and shortly? afterwards the ( deckhouse went. She tljen seaward, apd the cabin rapidly * filled 1 with water. . Being v unable all .shis : time to see land, 4 the 5 weather was so : thick, it was determined ;to stay by the-Week till daylight if possible. The captain remained in the rigging from the r timd .othe ship 'struck till 6 o[clock> the.; next mornings when/ One of Jhe -hands 'swam ashore with a line* >; thus enabling the remainder to follow, the captain , .being jthe-'last 'to *• leave' the- ship. l The only 1 articles savedl'were two chronometers. Oh 1 reaching land search was made for habitaand the crew came -up to a Maori pa after i weary journey x over sandhills.' Here ■they were,very hospitably treated.. (Nearly all of the!crew had* to abandon the wreck with only half their clothing. The‘crew are' ex- ■ pectedjup in the village will be! supplied with everything‘they requird . by_ the i settlers, and will leave by the, first opportuuity for Wanganui.' Thanks are due to the telegraphist at Turakina, who remained al l his up to !a very ( late hour last night attending-' to telegrams to ahd from the agents and others interested in the matter. .iv.l j ' (PER S TRESS AGENCY.) ' ‘ ' ’-The I HwalcCs special reporter who was sent to - the iwreck" of “the Robina’ Dunlop says'he saw the mate;- who report that the vessel left' Wellington on, Saturday, morning., The pilot, left atfnoonp the wind r was ; N.W;‘; she was leafing .about the Strait all Sunday, and Monday.l On Monday afterhbon then ; bbing west, ’she • was 'within two or three i miles of Jackson Head. Put the f ship about 'aridstdod off shore, steering ILN.W,, .and expecting to fetch above Wanganui. ‘At' 8 P*m. saw breakers, aud .then threw .the fore main yardsaback..'/ The ship’in backing off ’ caught and carried away * the Judder* The seas then commenced to break dver "her, washing 1 the r decks, iand dealing off * all moveable things. The ship.now lies about one mile north of, the Turakina River. She is broken! up into 'a thousand*pieces/ 1 The only «large 1 piece visible, the. ! port, quarter. The captain and crew were rigging all night and till eight oil Tuesday'morning,, when one ; of‘ * the (crew swam ashore with a line, and all the l others followed. The captain saved-two chronometers and the ship? papers, but :everything else has entirely gone. * >*The of the Wan-* 'ganui fleratd, in, writing .of the wreck of the. Robina Dunlop, gives , the, followiug, further particulars :—About 8 o'clock on the night of. the 13th the weather became very dirty, and the was driven on shore near Turakina -River. I .The crew got off, at 6 o’ dock, next * morning ; by means of ropes, all safe, though much distressed. They were all hospitably received by Reupena Kewetone at natiye pa, and will arrive at Wanganui to-day. The captain and crew of the Robina Dunlop,, which was wrecked off Turakina River, reached* Reuben's pa on Monday, evepihg, ,arid *were kindly [treated by the natives, in return for which paptein, Graham, by deed of gift, gave Reuberi the wreck as she lies on the beach.;

The 'Captaih of the Robina Dunlop says that at the time of the wreck he was half asleep on the companion. The ; vessel. struck twice before it I was knowq she was near .the shore. After striking once, she listed oy er ,TKe first Wi | broke in the decks. The cut away the fore ahd> main rigging, and the masts went by , the board. The crew then took shelter in the mizzen rigging. The crew are still at Turakiua, apparently very comfortable and contented. No enquiry can be held till the crew come to town. v Nothing has been saved. •;