STRANDING OF THE MAFFRA A TERRIBLE VOYAGE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 272, 13 June 1888, Page 6

STRANDING OF THE MAFFRA A TERRIBLE VOYAGE.

A Mii.uoikn'B tolegiam -<iy^ : — The ferlioonor Mail'ta, fioni the Uippshmd Lakes to Melbourne, -with a cargo ot bulk, and tallow, went, ashore on Friday night dm ing a gale. Allhand.s >veie <»a\ ul. The vessel went ashore during hi<_>h tide, and is iiow high and dr\ . The Mattra whs a j-choouei of 47 tons, owned l>y the (UppsLund Shipping I'ompany. Neither the \e-r-el nor «,ai'j;o was in.-uu'd. Her ciew consisted of I'efer lloldm (ma'-ter). OV>i<\ (mate) and Hans Hanson, A. H. hhe left <!ipp*land Lakes luM .Sunday, and reached Cnpv SchaneL on \\ ecliieada.N t-veninp. Head uind.? then •set in, which obliged her to ta'-k backward.^ and torwaids till Fiiday nioi'iun^ without making any headway. On the fc ime evening wa*: beating up for the Head& under reduced cuina^ in the teeth of a north- westerly gale. The ni^ht wa* dark nith heavy >([iuil!^ of rain, and the three men weio woin out. N\itl) the continuous watching nf the la-b 48 hours. Tin 1 \eshel btood in tow aid* the land to go about, when the wind suddenly chopped lound and blew ■with redoubled fun from f ))r .south, and in a moment (he boom, fotesail, lores tayfeail and inter jib \\eic blown awa\. As theie whs no spate cam a- aboaid ati attempt. \\a?» made to we.ir. and this I tailing, both the anchors weie let go. The port cable instantly parted, and as the ; starboard anchor could find no holding | ground the ve-sel chitted light into the ! bieakor-. The men then could do nothing but hold on for their lives. '■■ Sea after sua bioke on board, sweeping away everything movable and threatening at every moment to capsize the \e.ssel. In this disabled condition the schooner passed throituh half a nulo ot broken watet to the beach, wheic the -'tern struck iii^t , carrying away the stempost and rudder; tlien a hea\y sta lifted the vessel oil again and ca&t lier hioadsidoon the saurl, leaving her hard and fast, but bumping heavily. It was lull tide, and each roller made a clean breach over the hull. b\n" two tctrible houi^themen remained on board, fearful ot (ho \es.-el breaking up. The receding tide then enabled them to leach the beach ■safely, win re they laj down in the fei rib growing rankly in ihe \ieinily, drenched ami miserable, till morning, j At daybreak, at gieat lisk. the men j boarded the seliooner, irot their clothe.ashore, and paying out two haw%oi\s from thu bow and -.tern made lur fa^t on to a kedge in tlie a:ind.