PERILS OF THE SEA

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 27

PERILS OF THE SEA

LOSS OF THE GAEL. . PREMANTLE, August 26. The.lighthouse-beepeir at Cape Natuialfcte' reported this forenoon that a boat had passed within " two miles, containing Several men. ! Subsequently a tug picked up the boat j and towed it to Bunbuay. j It proved to be from the French barque 1 Gael, bound, from London to Hobart, Tfihich was abandoned on Monday last 200 mike off Cape Leeuwin in a sinking condition. The boat contained the first and third officers and 11 members of' the crew, all of ■whom were in good health. A second boat, containing the captain, second officer, and 10 members of the crew, is still adrift. The boats parted on Monday night. August 27. I Th© Gael's second boat has landed safely. PERTH, August 27. A leak was discovered in the Gael on August 17, but! despite the steam pump ' and the bucket work of. the crew the ■water gained on them. A steamer "will . be despatched from Albany to look for , the other boat. j The Gael's missing boat landed in the' vicinity of Jarrah Dene last night, with the captain and the balance of the crew. All are well. j August 28. " After three days' sailing against adverse winds tiie captain's boat made for the coast. While trying to land the boat capsized, and the occupants were thrown into the •water. -They reached the beach safely, but lost phe ship's papers. The captain's boat remained by the Gael till she sank. , MISHAP TO THE WAIPARA. BRISBANE.. August 26. The steamer WaipaTa, bound for London, via Sydney, struck a rock near Cape Moreton at midnight, and was beached. Tho crew amd passengers landed safely. The bottom evidently is badly damaged, and three holds are full of water. The weather ie bad. A south-east gale, accompanied by heavy rain, prevailed when the Waipara struck. (Rockets were fired, and the pilot boat immediately went to the assistance of the vessel. Water commenced pouring into the second and fourth holds, necessitating the beaching of the vessel in order to prevent her sinking. The steamers Palmer and Maranoa have been despatched to lighter the cargo on. the Waipara, which included 4000 bales of wool, 700 tons of tallow, 1200 tons of frozen meat, and 250 tons of copper matte. '.The pilot left the Waipara before the accident. • August 27. " There was splendid discipline aboard the Waipaaa. The boats were swung out and lifebehs served cut in a few minutes. The V£ep'eJ had hardly gathered way, after discharging the pilot, when *he struck. . The pilot immediately boarded her again and drove the steamer on to the beach, two miles distant. Fortunately the water did not invade the engine-room, and permitted this to be done. There was no excitement among the passengers. The Waipara's position is considered safe unless heavy northerly winds supervene. Her wool is being lightered. The frozen meat in three holds is considerably damaged. EXCURSION STEAMER SUNK. MONTE VIDEO, August 25. ' The Argentine steamer Columbia, with excursionists from Buenos Aires who were intending to attend the national fetes in Uruguay, while entering the Monte Video outer harbour collided at 6 o'clock in the inorning with the North German Lloyd steamer Schleisen. j The former sank,' and 80 people, chiefly excursionists and mostly women and cliildren, were drowned. Seventy others, including the captain and the bulk of the crew (who numbered 48), were saved. <fhe Schleisen was slightly damaged. The Columbia was cut in two, and the forepart sank almost immediately. The aft portion remained above water for a lew minutes. afrhe majority of the passengers were esleep. The panic was terrible. Small steamers hastened to the scene, but a

heavy Bfta and torrents of rain impeded the rescue operations. Many of those who vrere rescued (the majority of whom were clinging to the masts) were more or less seriously injured. The fetes have been postponed. Ouly three women \rere saved from the Columbia, and seven of the rescued died after they were landed The bluejackets from H.M. cruiser Amethyst displayed great gallantry -in rescuing many of the ship's boats. A STEAMER WEECKED. LONDON, August 29. The American steamer Ohio was wrecked off Steep Point, Alaska. Mr Eccles, the wireless telegraph, operator, was drowned, with four others. Eccles stuck to his post until the room was flooded, but his message brought out two steamers, ■which Tescued 134 persons. MAIL STEAMER STRANDED | LONDON, August 30. \ The mail steamer Nord, which left Dover j at 11 o'clock on Saturday night, was! stranded during a fog opposite the Calais ! Casino. j The landing of the vessel's 398 passen- 1 gers, the majority of whom were proceeding to Rheims, occupied the whole night. The Nord has been refloated. MISSION VESSEI LOST. SYDNEY, August 24. Advices from the Caroline Islands state that the American mission vessel Hiram Bingham capsized in a squall at Jaluit. The passengers and crew, numbering about 20, escaped in the boats, and drifted for .nany days. They endured great privations, but they eventually readied Ebon. Island, in the Marshall group, in a shocking condition. The Rev. Mr Walkup, a well-known missionary, succuniDed a few hours after landing, but the others are recovering.