- The City of Hobart left Melbourne on Friday, 19th instant, and arrived at tbe Bluff on Tuesday evening, 23rd instant, after a fine run of four and a-half days. Captain Darhy reports fine weather during the whole passage down. The City wil! be here again about Sunday,, on her return to Melbourne. The brigantine Ismyr, which has in tbe meantime brought up below the anchorage, being intended to proceed to town, has brought a large mixed cargo from Melbourne, which port she left a day pr two before the Trieste, experiencing similar weather, : Has been for about a week off ancl on the New Zealand coast. Reports the schooner Boomerang,, and some other small craft, to the southward.— Otago Daily Times, February 23rd.Shtpwreck oi the German Emigrant Ship Wilhelhsburg — Loss op 300 Lives. — Ifc has been briefly announced that an emigrant j vessel which lefl Hamburg for Australia a short time since .with about 400 persons on board was lost on the coast of Holland during the recent storms, and that nearly every soul on board perished. One of the few survivors has furnished - the following narrative of the wreck : — " About 3QO men were drowned or died in the terrible night froth Thursday to Friday, and among these ■ were the captain and the aged doctor. No clothing was saved, as all was washed away and strewn on an unknown shore. Of the Wilhelmsburg, one of the largest vessels sailing from Hamburg, nothing remains but a portion of the afterpart, . which, in consequence of the strength of tbe deck, still remains a little above water. We ; left the city for sea, having on board from 315 to 320 passengers, and had a fair wind- We had not been long at sea when we encountered a westerly wind, which increased from day to day until ' it became a storm, which we could make nJ head against, and were driven back to the coast. Inthe night from Thursday to Friday tbe storm raged so violently that the sails which were stowed were blown away, ar.d those which were set were more or less split. None of the sailors dared venture up the masts, and we feared that they would -go every minute. The vessel was driven about- in a tearful manner by the winds and the - waves, and afc last she could no longer be steered. '. About one o'clock, the captain gave orders to sound with the lead. We did so, and, to our horror, found only seventeen feet of water- We saw that we were lost, and in a few minutes the ship struck forward, and with a terrible shock, she afterwards struck aft. The rudder then gave way. We immediately proceeded to cut away the masts, bufc they broke off like sticks, and their- wreck beat great holes in the deck, "through which the water poured and filled the 'tween decks. , Another fearful crash was heard, and the ship broke in two amidships. All who were in the fore-part of the vessel and 'tween decks were drowned, as the one sank with all who were there, and the other was full of water. . rThus 250 lives were sacrificed to the waves in the space of a few minutes, It was a fearful sight, Yet we could do nothing. . In such a moment one has enough to do to think of himself, and has ■ also enough to do to save himself. The after portion ofthe vessel also sank in a few minutes, but was not entirely covered with the water. The . lower portion held 'together, but was embedded in ■.. the sandy bottom. Now, however, one sea after another rushed over the deck, tore away the " bulwarks, and carried off all who could not hold on firmly. We all jumped into the largest boat, which .was firmly jammed in between the wrecks of the masts and water vessels. Behind me and before me lay dead and wounded, and among these was the captain. Thus cowering together in the boat, exposed to every sea which swept the vessel, sometimes lying on the dead, at other times packed between corpses, I awaited the dawn of day. It was quite seven o'clock when we saw a northern barque in the distance, with her masts cut away, but otherwise holding together, drive upon the • strand. Her crew launched their long boat, and fortunately succeeded in landing. We followed this example,' although our boat leaked. Men now came forth from behind the masts and water vessels and'fi dm every corner of the deck, almost all j blue with hunger and frost, but anxious to get to land. There were about ten more than the boat would carry; but, as these were passengers, some --' 6f the crew were compelled to remain behind, and - ; amongst these I was one. The boat left us with the promise that we should soon be fetched from the wreck. The boat, however, scon stuck •fast; and those who were in her were : .compelled ; to wade to dry land. The tide , now ebbed, and as the boat lay high i and dry we were compelled to try and save ■ourselves, as we could expect no help from the shore. We therefore patched up a small boat, the stern part of which, had, been broken away by the waves, arid this "frail bark we launched in the ■ ; darkness into the sea.; The waves fortunately drove - us to the shore, aDd.. then we gob out and waded ' towards our^comrades. 3^c next night, like the ;> lasfc, we : were forced to spend without a shelter ; . rJbut at all events we were not exposed to the wave 3. , .tOnthe evening of the next day some men arrived J and we were' conveyed to the nearest village in 'waggons. • We then learned tbat the land was the island of Terschelling, and here we remained till we could be senfcto Harlingen. Ofthe 300 passen-. ""gers only.fourteen men and one woman were saved, /■■ and,- with the remnant of the crew, are reduced to - ...a 6*ate .of ..utter, destitution. They areinow. afc Hamburg,' where- they hsve been treated kindly : : ?: bufc one or fcwo have left for England, with the in-.' -tention of finding their way to Australia.ihanother vessel."— AEnglish Paper . . ."• .'„ ; _; : .- v . , ,; . '. - '"uJMlj'l^l'lll 111 I^ —^— —^MW U !!■ I ■■ «l 11.
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Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 48, 26 February 1864, Page 4
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1,045Untitled Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 48, 26 February 1864, Page 4
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