FURIOUS SOUTH-EASTER IN ALGOA BAY. NINE VESSELS ASHORE. A DAY OF DISASTER AND EXCITEMENT.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 310, 24 October 1888, Page 3

FURIOUS SOUTH-EASTER IN ALGOA BAY. NINE VESSELS ASHORE. A DAY OF DISASTER AND EXCITEMENT.

Fjuday, August 30th, was in truth a day of almost unparalleled disaster and excitement in Algoa Bay. When darkness fell over Port Elizabooh on the previous ovening, there were eleven sailing vessels riding ut anchor in the Bay, and by eight o'clock on the evening of tho following day nine ot the.se vessels were helplessly ashore, all of theui being stranded within a distance of about half-a-mile. Probably the total value of the nine vessels ashore, with their cargoes, would at least amount to £100,000. It became pretty ovident before dusk on that some nasty weather might bo expected. Late in the evening the wind had developed into a gale, and during the night some very heavy gusts swept across tho Bay, and set the windows rattling and a few slates flying in Pert Elizabeth. x\b 3.30 a.m. rockets weio fired from the Port oilice ub a signal that tho services ot the Brigade we: e requhed, for it seemed that the Geunan brig Dorthea had a tew minutes previously shown distress, lights,aud had commenced to dritt. She grounded at 4 a.m. on the .North beach, about a mile from the Railway station. Fortunately for tho satety ot tho dew she was lightly laden, and was ablo to get within perhaps twenty or thirty yaids of the dry sands t There t>he heeled over right on to her side, and icmained Dimly in that position, tho crew being got ashoic without much diihculty by aid of the rocket apparatus and a boat. The weight ot the vessel, combined with the toico of the waves cruhhed in the bulwaiks of tho fide on which she was lying, bub othenvi.se, beyond a torn sail, she did not look much the worse for the disaster. 3STo other vessel iollowed tho Dorthea ashoie until about nine o'clock. The gale was, however, steadily* increasing in violence, and the Dorthea was within a few hours to have an extraordinary number ot companions in distress. At live o'clock in the morning the wind, as registered at the Hill light house, was going at the rato at about 53 miles an hour ; at nine o'clock this » ate had mci eased to 66 V mileb per hour. The iirst instance of less of life occurred at about half-past eight, when a boat t, crew attempted to proceed to the tug John Pa tore on. Just as tho boat wab approaching tho tug, the latter huched heavily and stiuck the boat, and tho collision and hea\y roller that caused ie, combined, threw tho boat head over heels — if we mighc so express it in shore parlance. Anyway, her stem went over her stern. The crew were, of course, thrown out, and the tugs Koodoo and the John Paterton, between them, manacred to pick them all up with the exception oF one man. This untortunate individual \\a& clinging to an oai, but left it to swim to the Koouoo. He sank, and was not .seen again. The Belgian baique Ihei Emmas, about half-an-hour aftei wards, began Co dritt, bub was brought up atjain for a short time. Then she rapidly drifted on to the beach, a\ here she gioundecl at 9.40, about 200 yards nearer the i ail way station than the Doithea. The gale was at this time at its height, and one vessel after another parted fiom her anchors and drifted on to the beach, where by this time an immense ciowd of persons had collected. Between 9 o'clock and 2.30 in tho afternoon, seven vessels went ashore. They weie tho barques Jane Harvey, Wolseley, Elizabeth Stevens, Lada C. Boschotta, and the .schooner Natal. Then there was a cessation of the disasters until 6 p.m., when the Norwegian barque Andreas llus, which recently visited Auckland, was stranded. It was then, of course, getting dark. The water boat and the powder hulk, and one or two fishing boat& also diitted on to the beach, from which, however, they can probably be towed without having sustained any serious damage. The piincipal interest and excitement during the day was centred on the British barque Wolseley. She had been chitting a great deal in the early part of the morning, and soon after 10 o'clock ehe came down on the JJrei Emmas. She struck the Drei Emmas on the stern, which she smashed. \t tho same moment the foremast of the Wolsblcy came crashing down with all ics hampei. Thema&tandyardsscemedto oreak •\nd fall like match-wood, the noise made being easily heard from the shore. The Y/ol&cley proceeded some thirty or forty yards further, where she settled down, and it was soon made very clear that the was fast breaking tip. The main-mast soon followed the foremast over the .side, and then the crew, about a dozen in number, took refuge in the mizzen mast, as the back of the vessel was broken, and tho waves were breaking in enormous volume and with the greatest violence all over hor, especially over the tore part, of which there was soon very little lett beyond the frame-work. Of course, the position of the crow, crowded in the rigging of the mizzen mast, had now become a veiy dangerous one. It the mi/zen ma.st went the way of tho other two masts, the crew would in all probability have been drowned to a man. The efforts of the Brigade were therefore turned to the saving of these men. Unfortunately, tho Brigade had for some time very bad luck in firing the rockets. Several of them went about thirty yards, and then plunged into the water, where, after a few ricochets, they finally buried themselves. Tho position of allairs at this juncture was extremely distressing. Not more, perhaps, than a handled ya"ds trom the shore there were a dozen men clinging" to the mast of a vessel that was rapidly going" to pieces, and sinking deeper and deoper into the sand. The waves were frequently washing with great violence completely over these unfortunate people, although they were in the rigging at some height from the deck. And these helpless creatures weie being literally bombarded with iion rockets, and heavy projectiles trom a mortar, while a great concourse of spectators were gathered on the beach within almost speaking distanco of the vessel. The captain was on the beach nearly demented, for his two boys were, we believe, among those in deadly peril on the vessel. At last a line was carried by one of tho rockets, and placed very nicely across the cross-tree of the mizzen mast just over the heads of the men in the rigging. But rc&cue was appaiently as far away as ever, for the line got' fouled in some wreckage, and could not be drawn on board. It was ultimately got free, but then the crew appeared to be powerless, from some cause or other, to haul it in. One of the crew either jumped off, or fell off the vessel, and the spectators fervently hoped ho would be able to reach the beach. He appeared to have a rope round his waist, and the idea prevalent among the spectators was that he intended to reach the shore by means of the rocket line. This line was hauled in as quickly as possible ; men ran so far as they could into the sea so as to be able to catch, hold of the man if he came near thorn ; and one individual I very gallantly went into the wate;4. I horseback. His horse got k'nockod over,

however, by a wave, and. both horse and rider had to swim for their liveß. The brave fellow who left the vVolseley never came near those who were anxiously looking out on the beach to rescue him, but he was fortunately hauled back on board of the vebsel. The rocket lino broke afe the same time, through the strain puo on it. Another line wassubsequently fired across the Wolseley, but again thocrew in theriggingappeared to be powerless to haul it on board, with the endless line attached, and finally this second line became fouled and broke on being hauled in by the Brigade. Happily, in the course of the afternoon communication was established by a rope between the peoplo on the Wolseloy and the Drei Emmas, which was near, and by means of a basket the crew of the Wolseley were trans! erred to the Belgian barque. The crew of the several vessels were brought o(I' when tho weather moderated, and no one from any of the_ vessels were drowned, the only life lost being that of man from, tho lite-boat. When tho mail left tho Cape it was feared that there was not the least chance of either of these nine vossels being floated again.