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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1203, 16 November 1882, Page 2

As we anticipated, the loss of the “ Austral ” is equally a mystery in Sydney as it it here. Captain Murdoch, at the inquest held on the bodies recovered from the wreck, expressed himself as unable in any way to account for the unfortunate occurrence. The divers will most probably make some discovery when they can get under the bilge on which we presume the ship is lying, which will throw light upon the circumstances of her mysterious foundering. There are many dangers threatening an iron, or steel, ship; flaws in material, presence of galvanism, witness the outer skin of H.M.S. Migrera, reduced to the thickness of an envelope in one place where a copper pump frame had by some ignorant mechanic been fixed on to the inside of the outer skin ; defective riveting, and a hundred and one causes, all of which are earnestly sought to be avoided in the building of the ship but which despite the care and ceaseless watch exercised by the builder, will sometimes creep in in some unaccountable manner. If, as we presume, her foundering arose from a started or broken plate, it may be looked on as providential that it took place in harbour ana while coaling ; a period at which every one who can possibly leave a ship takes a lively advantage of his power so to do, and when, consequently, there would be a minimum of crew and cargo aboard, and most probably no passengers. Had she been at sea when such an accident occurred how different would have been the result ? With her outward passengers and crew the Austral would probably number 750 living souls ; on her homeward passage about 500. What the result of such a catastrophe at sea must have been one shudders to contemplate. Sad as have been the results of the accident as it is, how doubly fearful would they have been had it occurred when fairly ea route. Capt. Murdoch, whose energy and perseverance in beating the unwieldy Cuzco 1800 miles with a broken shaft, and fetching her safely into Portland at last will not quickly be forgotten, has our most earnest sympathy. He will feel the matter, perhaps, more acutely in every way than most people. There is

I little doubt that the ship will be eventually 1 floated, hut the repairs to her will be a small I fortune in themselves. We surely hope that the utmost of the loss has already been ascertained, and that there arc no more deaths yet to be chronicled from this source. We are glad to learn that Mr and Mrs Hird were not on board at the time she sank. The Orient Company have had some heavy misfortunes to contend with, but this is certainly the worst, and most calculated to damp their energy and spirits. Let us hope it will not have such an unfortunate result.