PARTICULARS OF THE STEAMER COLLISION AT SYDNEY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 915, 22 March 1879, Page 2

PARTICULARS OF THE STEAMER COLLISION AT SYDNEY.

(PER TARARUA, AT AUCKLAND. ) Sydney, March 15. The steamer Barrabool, a well-known trader between Newcastle, Sydney, and Melbourne, arrived on Tuesday morning from Newcastle, and brought the extremely sad intelligence that the Bonnie Dundee, a steamer of 131 tons, owned by Messrs. G. and B. Nichol, and chartered by the Manning River Company, had been run into, and had sunk in four minutes, four ladies and a boy falling victims to the occurrence. The collision took place at eight o'clock on Monday evening. The moon was shining brightly at the time, and both vessels were carrying side and mast-head lights. They had descried each other some time previous to the accident. The Barrabool struck the Bonnie Dundee right amidships on the starboard side, and ran into the deck three feet, butting her below the water's edge. The Bonnie Dundee immediately went on her beam ends, and commenced to fill rapidly. She went down with a plunge headfirst. When the collision took place the chief officer was in charge. She carried five passengers and a general cargo. The male passengers and several of the crew jumped on board the Barrabool. The cabin boy tried the same thing, but fell back into the starboard boat, and injured himself so severely that he was unable to move. This boat was cut into two. The captain was standing on the bridge with four ladies. He gave each a life buoy, told them to jump, and after that found himself carried down by the suction caused by the sinking vessel a considerable depth. He eventually regained the surface, and struck out for the Barrabool, being picked up by a- boat. The chief officer of the Bonnie Dundee caught hold of a child which the stewardess had in her arms and saved it. The Barrabool remained an hour endeavoring to recover the bodies. The body of Mrs. Brown, the wife of a produce merchant, was recovered near a hen coop, and when taken on board life was not extinct, but she died in a few minutes afterwards. The names of the three other ladies, whose bodies were not recovered, are Miss Brown, Mrs. Dugdale (wife of a director of the Manning River Company), and Mrs. White (stewardess). The Bonnie Dundee was insured in the Vir-toria Company for LiJOG, but the cargo was not insured. The only injury the Barrabool sustained was a small hole in her port bow. Tlie imjuest and Marine Board's inquiry into the matter are proceeding. Tho statements of the officers in charge are conflicting. Captain Clarke was iu charge of tho Barrabool at the time.