FEARFUL GALE & SHIPWRECK.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 146, 12 March 1874, Page 2

FEARFUL GALE & SHIPWRECK.

The gale of wind and dust which swept over Gisborne on Saturday last, has left a terrible evidence of its severity in Cooks straits. Two vessels —the Wellington and Cyrus —bound from that port to Newcastle, have been wrecked at Wellington heads, and seven lives lost among whom are Mrs. Wrigglesworth (wife of Mr. Wrigglesworth the photographer of Wellington, at one time in partnership with Mr. Swan at Napier) and her two children. We can only fluid room for the following extracts takqn from the Wellington Independent:— | captain Andrews’ statement. I The captain of the Cyrus gives this version of his mishapOn Friday night, when we left here, we commenced working to windward through the Straits, but the ship made little headway. We had a restless night that night, still working to the westward. At noon on Saturday we were in Cloudy Bay, when I. wore ship and stood away to the nor’ard and east’ard. It was blowing pretty strong from the nor’west during the afternoon, but as the day wore on it blew a very strong gale, which lasted till about halfpast six, when it took off and shifted round to the south-east, the weather getting very thick. At four o’clock the White Bluff bore W.S.W., and at halfpast five it bore W. From that time till about nine o’clock I kept her to the N.N.W., when her course was about N. The weather came on very much thicker than before, but soon after we sighted a light, which I took to be Mana light. It turned out, however, to be Pencarrow, and when I found this to be the case I hauled to the wind immediately, on the port tack. The wind headed her off for a time, but she was too far in to clear the land, and struck between Lyell’s Bay aud Sinclair Head. Aa soon as I saw that

the ship must go ashore, I gave orders to clear away the boats. One was lowered immediately after she struck, but it was smashed to atoms. No further attempt was made to lower the other boats, as the sea, was making a clean breach over the ship and no boat could live in it. A DISTRESSING- SCENE. Mrs. Wrigglesworth was standing beside me, and we each had hold of a hand of the youngest child; the other one was sitting on the deck. I told her that if I could get the line ashore, I -would jump overboard with the first child, and come back and take her and the other child; but I had scarcely uttered these words, when a heavy sea broke over the ship, and knocked the deck-house down, crushing Mrs. Wrigglesworth and the children between it aud the bulwark. the names of the drowned. From the Cyrus Mrs. Wrigglesworth and two children; Robert Smith, second mate ; and a seaman known only by the Christian name, George. The two men lost from the Wellington are Wilson, the cook, and Rushton, the seaman who died from exhaustion after reaching the shore.