THE EARL WEMYSS AND ARDENCAPLE COLLISION. 16 Persons Drowned.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 330, 2 January 1889, Page 5

THE EARL WEMYSS AND ARDENCAP LE COLLISION. 16 Persons Drowned.

That was a most distressing collision boLween the two ships Earl Wemyss and the Avdencaple. Bofch ships had jusfc sot the S.E. trades on September Bin about 1 South. The trades were ires>h. The Ardencaple was from Liverpool to Calcutta, and the Earl Wemy&s was homeward bound. It was night-time, and the Ardencaple crashed into the other ship and nearly cut her in turo. Sixteen persons on board lost their lives. The captain (Colquhoun) of the Earl Wemyss &ang out "Men, look out for your lives," and with that turned to run aft to get out his wife and three children, and almost simultaneously his eldest girl was running along the poop towards her disconsolate father; but before the father and child met the ship gave a heavy plunge and sank stern first. The surviving port of the crew of the Earl Wemyss were taken on board of Ardencaple and afterwards fcranserred to anoth er ship, all but the captain and fhe mate. The forepeak of the Ardencaple was full of was full of water, and the crew protested that if the bulkhead grave way she would suddenly founder. The captain and mate, however, determined to stick to her, and they succeeded in executing one of the most remarkablo feats ever known in the history of navigation, namely, sailed that 1700-ton steel ship safely in Pernambuco three weeks afterwards. Referring to the courageous conduct of the master (Guthrie) and mate (Camei'on) of the Ardencaple in sticking to the ship and bringing her safely into port, Admiral Sir G. Elliot, writingof the affair suggests that ".it would be a gracious act on the part of the Board of Admirality to grant to Mr Guthrie a commission for the rank' of commander, and to Mr Cameron one for that of lieutenant in Hoy Maje&tv's navy." l(