THE LOSS OF THE CLYDE. Thrilling Account of tho Only Survivor.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 78, 29 November 1884, Page 3

THE LOSS OF THE CLYDE. Thrilling Account of tho Only Survivor.

An inquiry into the loss of tho barque Clyde was hold on November 17th at the Customs Office, Christchurch, before A. Rose, Esq., Collector of Customs. The only survivor from the vessol, George Henry Gibson, wa3 the only witness examined. Ho stated : — "I was apprentice on board the barque Clyde, official No. 70,792, 562 tons, of Newcastle, New South Wales. We icftDunodin on Nov. sth, about 6 a.m., bound for Lyttelton, with over 200 tons of sugar. We had fair weather until 4 a.m. on Nov. Oth, when the woather camo on with heavy squalls and rain. I was at tho wheel from midnight until 2 a.m. on Nov. 0, and the orders given me were to steer north-east by north half north, nothing to leeward, which course I kept all tho time. The master remarked to me between one a.m. and halfpast that I was not to keep her up too much to the windwai'd of the course J was steering, as he wanted to sight tho land in the morning, so that he might shape his course. I still cariicd on tho instructions I had received from the officer of the watch. From 2 to 4 a.m. I was completing my watch on deck. I turned in at 4 a.m. Soon after the mate-, W. Currio, came to tho door and told all hands to bo ready if wanted, as the gale was increasing. About ten minutes after, the look-out sighted land on the port bow, and the master shouted for all hands to bout ship, but the ship missed stays. The master then tried to wear her, but there was not enough room, and she drove on to tho rocks at Snulllo Point, the easterly point of Horseshoe Bay, about four miles from tho south head of Akaioa Harbour. The captain ordered out the small boat. When launched, I was ordered to bale her out. I got in, but had to come on board again, a? she was certain to be swamped, her nose having got under the rail of tho vessel. We started to get out the second boat, ■when the \e^el heeled o\er on her beam end, and wceoulJ nu* stand to do it The captain, .standing on the Ice rail, called all hands to act in the small boat il they ■wanted to save theii lives, but no one "went. He then called for two hands to get into tho Miiall boat to try and .save the children. They got in, and the children were pasf>cd aft into tho boat. As they weio tiying to paes, tho captain 'fa wife int. the boat it "was swam pod. At that moment the mainmast camo down, and I di\ed ovorbonrd to avoid tho crash. iswam to the rocks, but got washed oil, and managed to get hold ut tho spanker boom. (Jot on board again, and made for the nii.ven rigging, wheic home of thccicw woe. 1 saw the captain by the companion < oar .ill coveifd with blood. 1 think ho wa-. hull by the tall of the ma^t. He called for home one to pull him up to windwanl, 1 ii(«\er ,-aw the captain'- wife atlec I dived ovei board 1 could only sec two of the children lloating about oi: the deck Some of the crew wcie on tho fot'ani tigging*. After tho captain sang out tor help he rolled down into the water, and ,-f.ciiiLcl to be either stunned or dead. The second boat we had tried to launch, which had been lying on the skids bottom up, righted ltselt. The male, boatswain, t iii ablo fonman, and a boy named liohle got intolhe boat with myself. As we floated near we pulled the two childien into the boat. The boy was uli\e, but tho gnl showed no sign oi lite. When we had got ' almost clear ot the \vn_ck '-ho was j-w ampul. The mate and Bohle got on to some ot the ' w'icckage, and the boatswain and the A.I). got on to the bottom of tho little boa(. ! i .swam for the .spanker boom again. , The vot-el was now breaking up; the . captain '.^ and the little girl*, bo lies floated by me. 1 then got on to a floating f plank, and from theie tor a llcat'tig ) ml, r to which an A. B. w a- clinging, lle&tidhe -, wilts entangled. Ju.^t then auot'icr .-p.u floated down, v Inch I gor hoi i of. I floated • away, and lost sight of the A. 13. The roof , ot the deck-house floated tow;udr> me, .so I left the spar and got on it, and y a-> washed , ii»hoic on it. I ciawled up and lay down upon the rocks for about h ilt an hour. 1 then went up the hill to it 1 could iind a ' house and help. \\ ltlmi two or thicc inilr^ * 1 came to a h(>u?e belonging to a Mr , MrlMwul, where they ga\e me t-omc dry clothes and bieakifisl, and sent '" a nym to lol.'giaph tho news of tho losh ot the ve.wl. Mvsclf and two or three of the men then returned to the wicck. We found the body of the ship's boy, Bohle, buried under wieckage. The hull of the vessel was not visible. We took the body, and canied it up to the top of tho rocks. Wo soon after saw the s.e. Akaroa coming to Horseshoe Bay. They . '-cut a boat ashore so that I could jump in fiom the rockn, and with a rope pulled 1 the body of the boy oil" into tho boat, rj peoplo ashoro helping them. After get ting on board, wo searched the bay for * any other bodies, but /ound none. The t steamer then returned to Akaroa, and wo c put tho body in thedeadhouse. 1 remained in Akaroa till Nov. 11, when I came to * Lyttelton, and have been remaining at the l Sailors' Home there. Before I left Akaroa, * inquests were held on the bodies of Captain a Culmer and Herbert Bohle, tho captain's l body having been recovered and brought to * Akaroa on Nov. 10. I was not much in- *

jurcd, excepting the crushing of my hand." Cross-examined by the Collector : The agents, Messrs Kinsey, Ward, and Co., on behalf of the owner, have arranged for my passage to the Bluff, per s.s. Kingarooma, to join the barque Sharpshooter, now lying" there, which vessel belongs to the same owner as the Clyde. My expenses have all been paid by the agents, and my health is good. An A.8., named Sodcrqnhist, was at L ,hc wheel from 2to 4 a.m. on sfov. (j. After the captain had called "About ship" he took tho wheol himself. At no time, to my knowledge, wat> the lead hove. Tho Akaroa lighthouse was at no time visible. I have heard that tho captain had been on tho coaht some seventeen years. At the timo of tho wreck the weather was misty, with rain, wind, and spray. When I came on deck to assist in getting tho vessel about, we wore, I think, only about 200 yds. f i om the shore. Tho above evidence will be forwarded to (he Marine Department at Wellington.