WRECKS AT THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 272, 13 June 1888, Page 3

WRECKS AT THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Captain Connell, tho chief ofneer, Government agent and nine sailors of the Queensland labour schooner Madeline arrived in Sydney by the s. h. Sahzie. from Noumea, and reported their vessel a total wreck in the New Hebrides Group. .She drove ashore during a hurricane atTongoa, one of the northernmost islands of the group, on April 16. The schooner was on a labour recruiting- voyage at the time, and had on board 47 return labourers from Queensland and four recruits. No lives were lost. On April 16th, when »he anchored oft" the island of Tonga, the weather was fine, but towards night it became threatening and at 11.30 p.m. a fuiious hurricane burst over the island, livery provision was made for the safety of the vessel and all hands remained on deck to be ready to leave the vessel in case of emergency. The storm commenced from north-east and was followed by a sudden shift to south-west, which was .so severe as to cau.«e the ve=sel to part her cables and go ashore. She struck heavily broadside on and was tossed heavily by the wave on the top of a reef. For a time there was great excitement on board, but one of thejerew pluckily jumped on the reef and swam through the surf with a line, which was made fast on the beach. The work of landing the natives then commenced. The women, with their childien, were sent ashore first, and then followed the return laboureift and their effects, and the captain and crew landed at daylight, the ves=el ha\ing struck at 12.30 a.m. and filled almost immediately . At daylight the nati\e^ came do ami to the beach, and under instructions fiom the Rev. Mr Nicholson, tho missionary of the island, whose kindness in not likely to be soon ioi gotten, set to work to save the stores, etc. This was the work ot two days and the vessel was then sold to the minion for CIO, to be broken up and converted into a church on the inland. On the second day after the wreck the captain and ihe of the hands set out in one of the chip's boats for Mallicolo, Poit Sandwich, to obtain a vessel to land tho nuthe labourer. The boat lett the island at 8 a in., aivl after a hard battle with the elements-, dining which it had several narrow escape froinfoundcring, reachingits destination at 9 p.m., having travelled under hail a distance ot 70 miles in 11 hours. The schooner La Dauphin was chartered by the captain at Mallicolo, and .she set out immediately for Tonga, where she embarked the shipwrecked people.