WRECKS AT THE NEW HEBRIDES

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 271, 9 June 1888, Page 5

WRECKS AT THE NEW HEBRIDES-

Captain Council, (lie chief ofheer, Government agent and nine bailors of the Queensland labour schooner Madeline amvedin Sydney by the s.s. Salizie. fiom Noumea, and reported their vessel a total wreck in the New Hebiides Group. She drove asliore dming a hurricane at Tongoa, one ot the noitluunmo&t ibland.s ot the group, on April 16. The .schooner was on a labour lecruiting voyage at the time, and had on boaul 47 letiun labourers irom Queensland and four reci uitb. No lives were lost. On Api il 16lh, w hen -,he anchored orl the island of Tonga, the weather was- lino, but towards night it became thiea toning and at 11.30 p.m. a fmiou<- hurricane burst over the island. Kveiy piovision was made for the s.ifetj ot the \casel and all hands remained on deck to be leady to leave the \cshd in case of emeitfcncy. The .storm commenced horn noith-ea*-t and was followed by a sudden ;-hift to south-west, u Inch \\a,-> .so f-eveie as to cause the vessel to pait hoi cables and go ashore. She stiuek hca\ily broadside on and was tossed heavily by thewa\e on the top of a reef. For a time theie was great excitement on board, but one of the^crew pluckily jumped on the lecf and swam through the surf with a line, which was made fast on the beach. The w ork of landing the natives then commenced. The women, with their uhildien, were sent ashore tiist, and then followed the letiun labourer-* and their effects, and the captain and ciew landed at daylight, the \o-el having .stiuck at 12.30 a.m. and tilled almost immediately. At daylight the natnes came do.vu to the beach, and under lnstuiction-, horn the Key. Mr Nicholson, the miftionaiy of the island, whose kindness 1-3 not likely to be soon toitrotten, set to «oik to pa\e the stoves, etc. This was the work of two days and the vessel was then frold to Ibe mi&ftion tor i! 10, to be broken up and com cited into a chuich on the island. On the .second day after the wreck the captain and, the of the hands set out in one ot the ship's boats for Mallicolo, Port Sandwich, to obtain a vessel to land the natho labourer. The boat left the island at 8 a in., aii'l alter a haid battle with the element^, dming which it had several narrow e-capc^fioiufoundcring, lochiiigits destination at 9 p.m., having tnnelled under sail a distance ot 70 miles m 11 hours. The t-clioont r La Pauplnn was charteied by the captain t v Mallicolo, and she s-et out iniP'oihato!^ lor Tonga, where she embarked the. "lupwiLcked peo[)le.