STRANDING OF THE STEAMERS BRUCE AND LIONESS.

Southland Times, Issue 692, 5 July 1867, Page 2

STRANDING OF THE STEAMERS BRUCE AND LIONESS.

In its report of the stranding of ' the steamer Bruce on the North Spit, the Grey River^Argus .says ■:—?- ' Captain Kerley's report is to the effect that the signalman at the Flagstaff; is pri-marily-responsible for the disaster; through giving wrong directions to the steanter whilst crossing the- bar. The Bruce, which left the Buller on afternoon, and called in at Pox's on the way dq wn,~ arrived off the • Grey- the same night, but anchored . until daylight. Captain Kerley, who had heard bad accounts of the condition of the Gray bar, resolved on this occasion to rely -entirely on the signals, being unaware of the position of .. the channel.. -He. . headed ' for the bar- at half-past seven o'clock and kept the beacons straight on ; when fairly in the break the arm of the tele-, graph was pointed to the nor th,, much to Captain Kerley's surprise, who" 1 was so fully satisfied that it was a- mistake, that he instructed the steersman <-tb' keep to port. " "The steamer proceed^ as" bsforei when the arm was worked up and down to the north, conveying imperative directions to steer' that course, ' and thinking that the channel might have taken an extraordinary run "to the northward, Captain Kerley his" helm, and almost immediatley the. steamer tdb'k the ground by tEe stern, arid'the current catching her on the starboard- bow, f speedily placed her : hard and fast on the beach, where she now lies. An attempt was made to get her off by means of iEne tug Dispatch on Thursday evening, but without avail, and it is now resolve_d to! launch her over the spit into the river. The Bruce brought the cargo .of tfie "William Miskin, from Dunedin, which wag tamsbipped at the Buller. The signal master's version of the affair is^-that as the Bruce made for the entrance v he watched her very attentively, and noticed that although she kept the beacons well in-

sheer to the southward: Heat onceput up the signal-arm to the north to get her in proper position for making «the channel. Captain. Kerley promptly put his helm to , starboard, and had got into the correct course, when the Bruce took another sheer -to the northward, and almost immediately hung with her stern on the south end of the North Spit. Had Capt. Kerley let go his anchor, the signal-man thinks he would have prevented his vessel' from stranding ; but instead of doing so, the Bruce was pushed ahead under full steam in the , hope of getting enough way en her to enable her.to .steer round into the channel But the distance between her position and the beach was too short to give her any steerage, and she consequently went end on to the bank, and there stuck hard and fast, although Captain "Kerley hoisted his jib and kept his engines going astern, in hope of backing her off.