THE SUPPOSED WRECK. Captain Savory Reports Having Passed a New Island or a Wreck.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 141, 13 February 1886, Page 5

THE SUPPOSED WRECK. Captain Savory Reports Having Passed a New Island or a Wreck.

Auckland, ]?eb 6. Considerable uneaeineßß was caused in town shortly after the arrival of the steamer Herald last evening by the circulation of rumours that a large vessel had been wrecked near the North Cape. Captain Savory, of the s.s. Herald, reports having left Grey mouth on Tuesday last. On the following day he experienced a fierce thunder-storm with vivid lightning and heavy squalls of wind. This gave place to fine weather on the following day, and about 5 p.m. a strange discovery was made. Captain Savory then saw an object in the water, which he at first thought might be Motu Pea, but shortly afterwards he observed that island further inshore. The chart showed water about 60 fathoms for a considerable distance around the object, which certainly did not before exist on the spot indicated, and the anxious question arose, What is it? The Herald was taken pastthe object about five iriles from its western side, and the officers, ere wand passengers having minutely inspected it, came tothe conclusion tha fc it was a rock or island newly arisen from the deep — it was supposed by a recent earthquake. After having steamed past for some eight miles, Capttain Savory felt called upon to further investigate the phenomenon, and he gave the order, " 'Bout ship." Then he approached within three miles of the object, and as all on board were still of opinion that they saw simply a rock, and as Captain Savory thought the water showed signs of shallowing, whilst darkness was setting in rapidly, he again put the steamer's head round, and returned to Auckland. Here he reported his discovery, which soon became the subjecs of common talk. Old sea captains gathered together, and after lengthy discussions they came to the unanimous conclusion that Captain Savory must have seen tho wreck of a large vessel (probably on her beam ends), and no island. Captain Savory, aft6r hearing the arguments 2 )ro an d con, actually came over to the wreck theory, and tho second mate of the Herald became doubtful as to whether they had not made a mistake in supposing tho object to have been a rock. The first mate, however, holds to his original view, asserting moat positively that he saw a rock, and nothing but a rock. Captain Savory describes the object discovered as follows: — "As far as could be calculated, the object was from 150 feet to 200 feet long and about 30 feet high, having at one end two small detached cones, one about 12 feet and the other one 8 feet high. In apappearance, it was somewhat of a halfmoon shape Its bearings were S.W. by W., from Motu Pea distance about twelve miles, and S. by E. from Cape Maria Van Dieman lighthouse distance about twelve miles, The object could be seen from the lighthouse, and Captain Savory passed close to the latter, expecting a boat to put off, but he received no communications whatever. It is feared that Captain Savory has seen a large ship on her beam ends, probably a vessel outward bound from an Australian port. The only large vessels due here, which might be in that locality, are tho ship Lady Jocelyn, now 84 days out from London, and the three-masted schooner E. O. Clark, which left Melbourne for Auckland on the 22nd ult. Sketches drawn by Captain Sarory and by his officers favour the idea that the object is I a large vessel of perhaps 2,000 tons register lying either bottom upwards, or on her beam ends, about 13 miles distant from the mainland, abreast of Motu Pea, and until some further information is received concerning the same, a feeling of most painful suspense is sure to prevail in the public mind.