SCHOONER WRECKED

Southland Times, Issue 18833, 28 May 1920, Page 7

SCHOONER WRECKED

CREW’S ADVENTURES. IN FIJI GROUP. On (he afternoon of May 8 the auxiliary schooner Greyhound landed in Suva Captain Ericson and the seven members of the crew ot the four-masted American schooner Defender, which was wrecked on the Nukasuka Reef, in the Lau, or Windward Group, at midnight on April 10. The Defender is a well known Pacific trader, of 440 tons, built in 1890, and owned by Hind Rolf and Co,, of San Francisco. She left Grey’s Harbour, Washington, on February 8 with a cargo of 480,000 feet of timber for I.tvuka, under the command of Captain Ericson, who has been trading in the Pacific for the past 40 years, and has been in command of tjbe Defender for 16 years. This is hLs first loss.

Favoured with fine weather the Defender had a good nut until on April 10 the captain found himself as he thought in deep water east of the southern part of the Lnu Group, the most easterly and southern portion of Fiji. He says that there is a seven or eight knot current, and it appears to have set the vessel a considerable distance l:> tae we«t, and at midnight on April 10 she crashed on to Nukasuka Reef. Happily the weather was line. The pounding seas heaved the vessel well up on the reef, nad within an hour three of her masts were over the . ate, the loremott only remaining. Their lifeboat was torn off and smashed. An anxious night was spent, and daylight revealed the reef with a small sandy atoll, while some miles away was a small island with others further north. After a long cruise in the rutter Daisy, they managed to reach Lakcha on Tuesday, May 4. Hero the captain found the Greyhound, whose sails had been split in some rough weather, and he gave a hand in making c\ ll yiim.g shipshape. To his satisfaction Ids crew arrived in a Japanese cutter from Motu and all hands left Lakeba on Friday alt .-■ a-- >n, .May /, reaching Suva at 2 p.m.

on May 8. The captain says that the,lumber, which is greatly needed in the colony, should all he salved, and he is in consultation with Lloyd’s agents as to saving his cargo. llie crew have lost everything hut what they stood up in. The vessel is a total wreck. The loss of the lumber is quite a serious matter for Fiji, where much work is being held up for lack of timber.