WRECK OF THE WASP. Story of the Disaster. London, September 26.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 77, 22 November 1884, Page 5

WRECK OF THE WASP. Story of the Disaster. London, September 26.

You will have heard by telegram of the wreck of H.M. gunboat Wasp, off the coast of Ireland. The following are the details of the disaster as yet received. Telegraphing from Rathmullen last night, a correspondent of the '• Daily Telegraph" furnishes the subjoined accounts of interviews with the survivors ;—; — I have just returned from Her Majesty's ship Valiant, now lying at anchor off Hath- ! mullen, in Lough Swilly, after having had j an interview with the six survivors. Until last evening all efforts to communicate with the survivors were unavailing, and when the Valiant arrived off Tory Island at four p.m., the sea ran very high. To attract the attention of the islanders two guns were fired, and after some time the officers at the lighthouso made signals, which were responded to by those on board the warship. Commander William Marrack at once intimated that he wished, if possible, to take on board the survivors, and one of the island fishing boats — although the sea was heavy and the wind rising — was soon manned, and the six seamen who had been immured under such melancholy circumstances in the lighthouse since Monday morning at once expressed their willingness to join in an attempt to reach the Valiant. After a dangerous voyage the war vessel was reached at 6.10 p.m., and the survivors, all of whom were suffering more or less, were received on board, where they had a cordial welcome from Commander Marrack, who is in charge of the Valiant in the absence on leave of Captain Knowles. The men were in need of rest, and every attention was paid to their wants. Several of them, through being dashed against the rocks, have received ugly wounds about the head, body, and limbs, but they are now sufficiently recovered to start for Portsmouth to-morrow. Of course their evidence will be taken before a court-mar-tial, but from the statements they made to me — no doubt under all reserve— it is not probable that they will be able to throw very much more light upon the causes which led to the gunboat going ashore on a clear night. After receiving the men on board last evening, the Valiant proceeded towards her moorings in Lough Swilly, but seeing that the north-west wind was increasing in force, Commander Marrack deemed it prudent to come to anchor for the night off Ballymastak, just at the entrance to the Lough. The waves off Tory Isle were tremendous, and all along the coast of Donegal the sea was very high. To-day the Valiant reached her usual moorings off the pier at Rathmullen before noon. The whole circumstances of the wreck, as reported to Commander Marrack by the men, have been forwarded in the shape of a report this evening to the Admirafty authorities. By permission of the commander of the Valiant, I was enabled to hear from the lips of the survivors themselves all that they had to tell of the terrible calamity that overtook their ship last Monday morning. The narratives are given in the order in which they were related by the men themselves :— John Button said : I was ship's cook on board Her Majesty's ship Wasp. I am married, and reside at S, Albert Terrace, Queenstown, but lam an Englishman. I was in my hammock when, about half-past three o'clock or a quarter to four on Monday morning, I was roused up by a cry of " The ship's on the breakers !" I at once got out of my hhmmock, and coming on deck I saw the four officers on the bridge — Lieutenant commanding Nicolls, Navigating King, Sub-Lieutenant Gubby, and Gunner Kerrigan. At least, I think these were the names of the officers whom I saw on the bridge. Ail I know after that was that the vessel had struck, and I soon found myself washed overboard. For about twenty minutes afterwards I was struggling in the water as best I could, and the next I remember was finding myself in the light-house on Tory Island. I was on the forecastle when I was washed off, and I saw just before about one-half of the crew in the rigging. I think it was from ten minutes to a quarter of an hour, as near as I can judge, after the vessel struck that she went down off the island. .After I found myself struggling in the sea I know nothing until I found myself taken off the rocks by the two lighthouse-keepers. They took me to the lighthouse, and I received from them the greatest assistance any shipwrecked sailor could receive. It was a bright but a stormy night, and I noticed that the lighthouse light was burning brightly. It appeared to me that the officers and the bridge were swept away together. I have been three years on board the Wasp, and I have told you all I know about the disaster. Quartermaster Rattenbury next gave his account. He said : I was down sleeping in my bed when I was aroused by a cry of "Clear lower deck; ship's on a reef!" I immediately ran on deck, and at once saw where the ship was. She was ashore on the rocks. All hands then were on deck, and I had to use my utmost efforts to keep the men from crowding together up the companion. When the alarm was given, they made a rush for the deck. I noticed as soon as I came on deck that the light of the lighthouse was burning brightly, and that it was bearing right on our starboard beam. I got up the rigging, and after that 1 did not see anything more. When getting up the rigging I noticed that the port bulwarks were washed away. From the time the blow was struck until the ship went down was about a quarter of an hour. When I was in the rigging the ship was taken from underneath me, and I found myself in the water. The Wasp was schooner-rigged, and at the time that she struck she was under all plain sail, barring the spanker. The night was bright and clear ; but there was a heavy sea on. When the vessel sank those in the rigging came to the level of the water. After that, all was silent. This is all I know. I belong to Devonport. The total number of lives lost was fifty. My wife and family reside at 21, Clowance Road, Devonport. There was no pilot on board. If such a statement has been made it is not correct. Pilots are only employed when ships are navigating in strange waters. Philip Andrews, second captain of the forecastle, said : I reside at 5, Havelock Place, Plymouth. The first alarm was at about twenty minutes to four o'clock in the middle watch. I heard the order given, * c Brace up !" and when I looked round I saw that the ship was among the breakers. I waß one of the watch on the deck. I was second captain of the forecastle of this watch, and I was forward at the time. The order to "Brace-up" was obeyed, and after bracing up the lighthouse light was quite plain. The light was seen two or three hours before the vessel struck. It was not raining at the time. The order was given to shorten sail, and after the shortening of sail the upper deck was covered with water up to my waist. I heard no order to lower the boats. When 1 saw that the ship was breaking up, I did my beet to climb up a rock which was on our starboard quarter. She struck below the lighthouse. When I got on to the racks I saw no one. until I gofc on the

top. The vessel struck at the north-west of the lighthouse. It was about 100 yards from where the Wasp struck upon the rocks to the lighthouse. Thoro was a nice steady breeze at the time, but there was a heavy sea an. W. H. Dunn, able seaman : I live at Auburn Place, Teignmouth. I was up the yards before the alarm was given " brace up." We were sailing at the time with the wind right aft. Just immediately before she struck we braced up according to orders, and after we had belayed the braces she struck. We braced up the foresail, topsail, and the top-gallant sail. After the vessel struck she forged ahead, and the seavS began to break over her. I then heard a crash, and knew that she was on the rocks. She took us under when she sank. It was the bottom of the ship that struck first. I went up the rigging and found myself under the quartermastor. He was washed out of the rigging, and I went up further. There was another man, an A.8., named Styles, who was washed from the cross-trees, and I was washed on to the rocks. The night was clear, and tho lighthouse light was burning brightly. Alfred Broomhead next stated : I am a private in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. I live at 15, Duke-street, Liverpool Road, Manchester. I was below in my hammock about a quarter to four o'clock on Monday morning last, when there was a pipe, "Clear lower decks; the ship's on the rocks !" I was thrown under water, the seas rolled over me, and I was ultimately washed ashore on the rocks. I found that I could move, and then I climbed | up the rocks some thirty or forty feet. I then found that I was on the level surface of the island. When I got to the top I saw another man (Dunn), who told me he could see a lighthouse. I made for it. I saw none of the other members of the crew except Dunn until the four other survivors were brought into the lighthouse. I had not been three minutes in the rigging when I was washed overboard. William Styles, the sixth survivor, is also ! a private in the Royal L : ~~ u * J - nfnn try. He said : I belong to the Plymouth division of the Royal Marines, and am a native of East Cxrinstead, in Sussex. I was below, sleeping beneath the forecastle, when I heard the alarm, " Clear the lower deck, the ship is on top of the rocks." I jumped into my pants and ran on deck. I could see nothing but foam all round, and the rocks about us. Tho weather boats were carried away. The order to shorten sail was given from the bridge, on which were Commander Nicholls and Sub-Lieutenant King, and on the forecastle before that I saw the navigating lieutenant and Gunner Kerrigan. I heard no particular voice from the bridge. Before the ship went down a number of voices were heard together on the bridge. Just before she went below I was washed outof the gallant yards, and the seas washed over me. I caught hold of an old jibboom that had been washed off" the deck, and I was washed on and off the rocks several times, still clinging to it. at last the jibboom — I still clinging to it — was washed into what appeared to me to be a crevice in the rocks. I stuck on there and was saved. The vessel struck three or four times before the order to shorten sail was carried out. I should say that it was twenty minutes after the vessel struck until she went down. Commander Marrack states that the tide runs east and west off Tory Island, and that it is quite probable some of the bodies may bo washed on the Donegal mainland. The weather has this afternoon, adds the correspondent, increased in violence, and no attempt to reach the island from the mainland will be made for the present. An inhabitant of Tory Island, who spoke to the rescued men during their stay at the lighthouse, has given the following narrative of the disaster : The Wasp left Westport on Sunday morning at six o'clock for Moville, at the mouth of Lough Foyle, to take an evicting party to the island of Inistrahull. The gunboat commenced her trip under steam, with some sail set, but, the wind being favourable almost due west— more convas was set, steam was dispensed with, and the vessel proceeded under full sail. This change was made off the Rathlin O'Birne Islands, the lighthouse of which was visible at the time. At this point the vessel's course was set personally by Commander Nicholls, and according to the assertions of the survivors, his directions were strictly carried out. On arriving off Arran Island, which i 3 about half-way between the Rathlin O'Birne Isles and Tory Island, the steersman thought the vessel was heading dangerously near tho shore, and called the attention of the officer on the watch to the fact. Commander Nicholls himself took the bearings of the vessel, and finding that she would clear the land, directed her course to be contiuued. Again when the Wasp neared Tory Island, it was seen that the course laid down would, bring her in close proximity to the rocky promontory on whicn the lighthouse is situated. No order, however, was given then by the officer on deck to alter her cou rse, and a few minutes later the vessel crashed on to the rocks directly off the lighthouse, and lying just to the north. The vessel's bottom was torn open by the fearful crash, and it became speedily apparent to the officers who rushed up from below that the vessel was doomed ; for, after striking once, she rebounded, coming with another crash upon the jagged rocks. The first order given was to get up steam, but this would have taken a coneiderable time, the fires having been banked when canvas was set. The ship staggered to leaward, and even had she not been so much damaged it would have difficult under sail to have cleared other rocks in the vicinity towards which o she was heading. Realising the extreme danger of the situation, Commander Nicholls gave the order for lowering the ship's boats — viz., the two life boats, the quarter boat, and the gig. An attempt was made, but the boats were dashed against the sides of the ship, completely smashing them even before they were clear of the davits. Heavy seas then swept over the ship, one carrying away the bridge, on which stood the commander and two officers. At the same moment the vessel slipped the rocky ledge into deep water, and it was apparent to all that she was rapidly settling down. From that time till the end came all was confusion. Without officers to direct them, each struggled and did what he thought best to save his own life. The men that were saved have scarce any idea how they reached their rocky shelter. They believe their preservation is due rather to the waves washing them up on the rocks than to any special exertion on their part. One man, however, saved himself by dropping from the rigging on to the rocks of the island without going through the water, which shows that the vessel must have canted over towards shore to a considerable extent after striking. Considering the boiling surf through which the men passed, and the nature of the rockß upon which they wex'e thrown, it is surprising that they should have escaped with only a few scratches and bruises. But such is the fact. The lighthouse-keeper and his assistants rendered all the help possible to the shipwrecked men, having been apprised of the disaster by the cries of those who were drowning. Two of the survivors had already got beyond danger of i tho waves, and the lighthouse people then 1 proceeded to assist the remaining four* v/ha

were safely brought in to the shelter of the lighthouse. The fearful suddenness and completeness of the whole catastrophe rendered it impossible to save any more of the crew. The Wasp ran between two rocks, the outermost of which is named the Bulligmore. It was upon the innermost that the Wasp was wrecked. The news of the disaster was brought on Tuesday morning from the island oy two boats, which agreed to run to the mainland with telegrams to the Admiralty and the relatives of the survivors.