A STORY PASSAGE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 476, 31 May 1890, Page 4

A STORY PASSAGE.

SCHOONER MAUD GRAHAM. HOW THE MASTER AND MATE WERE DROWNED. Auckland, May 24. After a prolonged and very rough and stormy passage up the coast, which was attended with unusual misfortune, the 80-ton fore-and-aft schooner Maud Graham, of Lyttelton, arrived in port here at 10 a.in. to-day from Lyttelton with a grain cargo. Besides the loss of her mas'.er and mate, the schooner has suflered some little damage in the way of a smashed wheel and bulwarks knocked about. It will be remembered that tho steamer Arawata spoke the Maud Graham off Cape Runaway a week ago, when the drowning of the captain and his brother was reported. It was surmised hero that something had happened to the schooner, bub she came through the gales safely, although between the East Cape and Auckland she experienced some of the heaviest weather yet seen on the coast. The schooner left Lyttelton for Auckland on the Bth insb., and had a rather rough trip up to the vicinity of Hawke’s Bay. On tho 11th inst. she was off Portland Island, a heavy NV.S.W. was setting in, and by nightfall .that day it was blowing very hard. The gale increased to almost HURRICANE FORCE, and the little schooner made heavy weather of it. She took great seas on board continually. At about eleven o'clock at night in the watch of the mate (John Fitzgerald) on deck, the master, Captain Richard Fitzgerald, not liking to go below while the gale continued, stayed on deck with his brother. The captain was at the wheel steering when a great sea came on board and washed him right over the rail. Another wave WASHED HIM BACK,

and he just managed to catcli hold of the main sheet in time to escape going overboard again. One of the seamen, W. Weeds, ran up to his assistance. The skipper told him that he had a miraculous escape, and he would remember that moment as long as ever he lived. He did nob live much longer, poor fellow, for in less than ten minHtes, while he was again at the wheel, another great body of water which came over the.schooner’s decks caught him, and washed him overboard again. This time he was never seen again. The occurrence was nob actually seen at the moment by anyone. One of the men who happened to scramble aft about the time found that there was no one at the wheel, so he took it. Mate Fitzgerald camo over a minute afterwards from the forecastle, whore he had been for a minute, und asked where the captain was. The man at the wheel replied that he did not know. It was soon apparent that the unfortunate man had been washed over tho side and drowned without hope of rescue. He was washed away while holding the wheel, and it was seen that the sea which took him overboard had also carried away half of the wheel, smashing one side clean off. The crew concluded that their captain had been drowned and the mate took the wheel. It was still blowing A FURIOUS GALE,

and the schooner’s decks were full of water, great seas breaking over the heavily-laden vessel continually. In such weather it would have been madness to lower a boat in att attempt to rescue a man overboard.

Tho mate had nob been at tha wheel five minutes before he followed his brother to a watery grave. He was keeping the vessel on her course when a terrific sea nearly buried the little schooner, and when the decks were clear the crew wore shocked to find that the mate too had gone. He was washed overboard without a cry, in fact before he knew his danger. He was never seen again.

The crew, three in number, now had to navigate the schooner up to Auckland. Two of them, Wm. Weeds andThos. Tilly, knewthecoast, and took charge of the vessel. Besides the crew there were two Lyttelton men on board working their passage up to Auckland, so that they were not shorthanded. The gale still continued with terrific force. The fore-gaft carried away. The men had to knock a hole in the port bulwarks to clear the decks of water. The crow had used up all their kerosene in pouring it over the side to break the sea. It proved successful in a measure in breaking the force of the waves. For two days the gale continued with unabated force, a terribly high sea running. It moderated on the 14th, when the schooner rounded the East Cape. She spoke the Arawata on Thursday off Cape Runaway. Two of the crew boarded her tp obtain a fresh supply of kerosene oil, having usc,d all the ojl on the sea. They deny the statement thgb Captain Sipitli offered them an additional map to vyprk up the coast. In the Bay of Plenty the schooner again encountered TERRIBLY HEAVY WATER, She was hove-to on four or five different occasions, with the sea running dangerously high. The crew rigged up a sea-anchor, and had it out over the stern. Off White Island a squall of hurricane force was encountered,andlastnight, which was spent at anchor inside Tiri.was very stormy. The crew are much relieved at reaching port in safety. An inquiry into the drowning of the two men will probably be held before the Collector of Customs, to whom the affair was reported this morning. The deceased Cap* tain Fitzgerald was quite a young man, and bad only been recently married at Lyttelton. He was well-known here, as was also his brother. ;