THE QUETTA DISASTER.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 458, 29 March 1890, Page 4

THE QUETTA DISASTER.

LATEST FROM THE WRECK,

Some additional information concerning the disaster which befell the British India Company’s steamship Quetta is contained in our newspaper files received from Sydney by the R. M.e, Mariposa. The rock upon which the Quetta struck is reported to have been discovered and buoyed. The rock lies south-east by south from the wreck at a distance of half-a-mile. Soundings showed three and a-quarter fathoms of water, which at low water would be 16fb. A telegram, dated March 18th, has been received by the 8.1. and Q.N. Company relative to the position of the Quetta wreck. The divers report as follows : The vessel is lying right over on her beam ends on the port side. The masts, funnels, rigging, and deckhouse are intact. The deck appears to be sound. The hatches are off. One boat is in the port afterdavits. The hull on the starboard side has a huge clean-cut hole, two plabas, and in some places three plates, in width, extending the whole length of the ship’s bottom from stem to the engine-room, commencing about three plates up from the keel. In this space the plates, the framings and everything are clean gone, as if cub out. For aboub 30ft abaft this the 3rd, 4th, st'n and 6th plates are badly bulged and dented, the ends of the plates started out having drawn over the rivet heads. Then abaft this, and extending to the mizzen rigging, the keel and the bottom are badly scraped. The divers are of opinion that, pwing to the ship’s position and the strong tides, it would nob be possible to salvage any of the cargo at a payable rate by divprs’ work. They consider it would be necessary to blow the starboard side out with dynamite, and thus release the cargo. The vessel’s hull is badly twisted, and lies on a very uneven bottom. The divers saw no bodies, bub found a small parcel of letters and books belonging to the late Mr Archer.