LOSS OF THE STEAMER DANDENONG.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 135, 26 September 1876, Page 2

LOSS OF THE STEAMER DANDENONG.

Summarising from telegrams to hand concerning the loss of the Dandenong, the Melbourne Argus says :—" It appears that the Dandenong, under the command of Captain J. Irwin, left Melbourne on Friday afternoon on her usual voyage to Sydney and Newcastle. In addition to her crew of twenty-eight men, she had twenty-seven passengers in the saloon and twenty-eight in the steerage. She had a fine northerly wind down the bay, and it. continued so until five p.m. on Saturday afternoon, when it suddenly chopped round to the eastward, and rapidly increased in violence until it was blowing a gale.'arid was gradually veering to the south, causing a nasty cross sea to run. The wind increased in violence during Sunday, and the ship laboured heavily, shipping great quantities of water, but she was making good progress, and no fears were eriterr tained of her not weathering the gale, which was now blowing with hurricane force. At one a.m. on Monday, however, when she was off Cape St. George," the headland forming Jervis Bay, the engines suudenly stopped, arid almost immediately after the chief engineer reported to the captain —who had never left the deck throughout the gale —that the engines had broken down. Captain Irwin at once hauled his ship to the wind on the starboard tack, and attempted to stand off the land-to the eastward. The gale still increasedin violence, and it was impossible to show a rag of sail to keep her to the wind, and she consequently labored heavily 'in the trough of the" sea. To add to the danger,the ship began to make - water rapidly, and it was then discovered that the shaft of the screw had snapped in two; and-h|d-by, some means damaged the hull in the after compartment The pumps.were promptly manned, the passengers and'crew; working in relays, while a party under:the chief officer attempted to stop the-leak; by using the mattresses and bedding Ifrom the cabins. This, attempt, however, proved useless ; and then, with a view of lighten-' ing the ship, and so causing her to labor less violently, Captain Irwin gave orders to throw overboard some of the cargo from the main hold. The water, however, was still rapidly increasing in the hold, and it was evident that she was fast settling down in the water. The sea was running so high that it was but little use launching the boats —with which the Dandenong was w T ell supplied—as they would most certainly have been swamped. At about two'p.m. on Monday a vessel" hove in sight, and signals of distress having been hoisted, she soon bore down to their assistance, arid j:>roved to be the barque Albert William, from Wallaroo, bound to Newcastle with copper ore. With great' difficulty and danger one of the nong's boats was lowered, which, under the charge of Mr. Lawson, the chief officer, took several of the passengers aboard, arid proceeded alongside the barque. As they neared her, however, they got into the trough of the sea, and the ship striking her heavily at once swamped her, and only the chief officer, two of the crew, and a child were saved; Another boat was lowered from the steamer, and this successfully placed its cargo of passengers on board the barque, but when attempting to complete a second trip she was smashed alongside, and only two of those on board of her were rescued. A third boat was lowered from the Dandenong, and in charge of Mr. M'Ewan, the second officer, essayed the difficult journey, but on going alongside -the' barque she met with the same fate," but most of those in her succeeded in" saving . their lives, only two being lost. By tnis tune darkness was setting-in, and it became impossible to tranship any more persons until daylight. The captain of the Albert William, however, promised to kesp by her until morning, and then attempt to take off the forty souls reriiaining on board. He had, however; but little hopes that she would live through the night, as the gale showed no signs of abating, and she was laboring so heavily thatheexpectedhertofounderinstantly. A good look-out was kept for her during the first watch, but between eight and nine o'clock the steamer's lights suddenly disappeared, and it was then supposed that she had gone to the bottom. The Albert William remained hove-to all night,.but when daylight came there was nothing to be seen of the Dandenong, arid she stood away on her course for Newcastle- Although she had to pass Sydney Heads on her way, for some unknown reason the captain contented himself with merely showing Iris number, and gave no notice of the unfortunate occurrence. Had this been done the disaster would have been known at least twelve hours earlier, and steamers could have been promptly sent from Sydney to the scene of the wreck, in the hopes of yet finding some trace of the. unfortunate vessel.

"It is stated that when the morning broke on board the Albert William—and as nothing was in sight, it was presumed that the Dandenong had found a waterygrave —the scenes on board were most heartrending. Parents had been separated from their children, and in one case a little child had lost father, mother, brothers, and sisters, and- she alone was the surviving one put of a family, of eight. - A passenger, in his account, says:— "The engineer was up to his neck in water for a considerable time. After the barque was signalled, the .captain had no hope, and- was very anxious that all the passengers would, go on board the barque, and precautions were strictly taken. When thelfirst boat which left the steamer struck,, all the passengers, with the exception of a child, were drowned. The _ first mate and: the two seized ropes hanging over the side of the barque, and the little girl, whose mother, father, three

brothers, and two sisters were dr&warf had a rope thrown round her, and she saved. The second boat returned to H, steamer, and took op board myself, wit and child, two sisters of mercy, a fy other womenand We soon found that the main pin of t]J boat was gone, and the hole (throng "which the water was coming fast) was $ inch and a quarter in size. I kept tn finger in this all the time to stop thj water. When we got to the barque al the-men remained in the boat until thi women and children were safely landed The fourth passage from steamer to baqu< was made by the third boat that left tin ship. It was in charge of the third mate, It got to the barque safely, and just a the passengers were getting out, it w & stamped." All that could clung on to tin ropes, "but two were drowned. A yonjj fellow named Golding was saved, afte

being in the" water half an hour, by haviq an air life-preserving coat on." Ffty-one passengers left Melbourne j the Dandenong, including 19 womej Only 23, including 11 women, were saved The crew numbered 29, all told, o whom only 12 were saved, including th first and second officers, Messrs. Lawsos and M'Ewen, and Mrs. Saul, tt stewardess.