The Reporter

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 37, 9 December 1893, Page 9

The Reporter

WRECK AKD RESCUE. The G-overnment steamer Hinemoa arrived at Dunedin on Monday from her periodical trip round the Southern Islands. She had on board the survivors of the Spirit of the Dawn, which was wrecked on Antipodes Island on the 4th September. The Spirit of the Dawn was an iron barque of 692 tons net register, commanded by Capt. R. T. Millington. She was built in 1869 at Sunderland, and was owned by Messrs J. Bell and Sons, Liverpool. Mr Horner, the first officer, states that the Spirit of the Dawn left Rangoon on 17th June, bound for Talcahuano, Chili, with a cargo of rice. Squally weather was experienced down the Bay of Bengal, and afterwards variable winds and moderate weather to the "meridian of New Zealand. On the morning of the 4th September there was a dense fog, and about 4.30 the man on the lookout reported breakers ahead. Soon after the vessel struck a reef, and speedily went down. Capt. Millington, J. Petersen (carpenter), Peter Dawson (cook), Cetto (Steward), and Prank Bauttier (A. 8.) were drowned. The others managed to get into the life-boat, which had been partly cleared away, and floated off the skids as the vessel sank. The names of the survivors are—R. H. Horner, chief officer ; J. Morrissey, second officer ; Harry Davies, third officer ; E. M. Bergthiem, apprentice ; W. Clementsoa, apprentice ; T. Ballard, A. 8.; Frank McLaughlin, A. 8.; C. D. Mason, A.B. J. J. Peers, A.B'. ; W. V. Anderson, A.B. ; F. Hewbert, A.B.

After the men took to the boat the fog again became dense and ,the boat drifted out to sea, but they managed to re:>ch the island and get into an entrance between the rocks, completely exhausted. The gear was passed out of the boat, which could not be beached, and she broke away during the first night. Water was found in abundance, and they lived on mutton birds, penguins’ eggs, and roots. They had no fire, and everything had to be eaten raw. A sort of a hut was erected and roofed with the boat’s sails, and a flagstaff was erected. All kept in good health except the boy Hewbert, a native of Eangoon, whose feet became bad. The Hinemoa came in sight on Nov. 30, and all hiids were taken on board after a sojourn of 88 days on the island. The boy Hewbert’s feet were very bad, and mortification setting in, some of his mates had to amputate several of his toes, shells being used for this purpose. Tour vessels passed the island, but failed to detect the presence of the castaways. When rescued by the Hinemoa they were in a pitiable condition, and salued the men in the steamer’s boat with a heart-felt “ God bless you !”

Had the castaways discovered the depot, which can he seen from the most prominent points of the land, they would have found ample provisions for the whole of their stay ; also clothes, blankets, matches, a rifle with ammunition, as -well as fishing lines, but oddly enough they failed lo find it, although Captain Fairchild says that about a mile from the place where the crew landed on there is a board on which is painted instructions for finding the depot, so that had the castaways made any exploration they would easily have found both food and shelter. On this one of the survivors says:— “We did not know what island we were bn, though as far as latitude and longitude were concerned we were pretty well correct. The island is about 12 miles round, but it is so mountainous that you cannot expect a man to climb the hills on nothing. The tussocks grow 6ft. or 7ft. high, and you have to tread from one to another; and just as you get up you fall down again. A fellow living on raw penguin, and with no clothes to shift with, does not like doing that, besides which, if he got wet and got rheumatism, Ihere was no medicine as well as no clothing.” About 16 days before they were picked up they lashed a piece of timber to a life-buoy, after having cut out the latitude and longitude and the words “ Shipwrecked crew,” and set it adrift, with the view of its being picked up by any vessel at sea. It will be remembered that a somewhat similar expedient was resorted to by the survivors of the General Grant, who formed a rude imitation of a boat, and set it adrift, first cutting out a number of words in the wood explaining their terrible plight. This waif of the sea was afterwards found, and may be seen in the museum attached to the Invercargill Athenaeum.

There is nothing (writes the Otago Daily Times) to show how many unfortunate beings have lost their lives on the Auckland and other islands in that great waste of waters south of New Zealand. The following, however, are the principal casualties known : January 3, 1864—Grafton, from Sydney. Captain Musgrave and a crew of five made their way in a small boat to Stewart Island, arriving on July 27, 1865. May 10, 1864—Minerva, of Leith. Tour persons saved from wreck, and rescued on March 25, 1865. May 16, 1864—Invercauld from Melbourne. There was a total of 25 crew and passengers on board, six of whom were lost at the time of the wreck. Sixteen of the survivors were starved to death, and three were rescued on May 10, 1865. May 13, 1866.—General Grant, from Melbourne, with a total of 83 passengers and crew. Sixty-eight were lost at the time of the wreck, one was starved to death, four

were afterwards drowned, and the remaining ten were rescued on November 21, 1867. March 12,1887 —Derry Castle, from Geelong. The total of the crew and passengers was 23, of whom 15 were lost at the time of the wreck, and eight were rescued on August 19, 1887, by the Awarua. , , March 19, 1891—Compadre, barque, ran ashore, having previously taken fire. Peter Nelson, a seaman, was lost in the bush, and. starved to death; and 15 survivors were rescued by the Janet Ramsay on June 20* 1891.

It will be noticed that in 1865 three parties of castaways were on the Auckland Islands without any knowledge of each other’s existence. A small cratt named the Daphne, which went in search of the gold on board the General Grant, was also lost with six. persons on board ; and the sad f.ite of the s.s. Kakanui, nearly three years ago, will be= fresh in the memory of our readers.