A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 481, 18 June 1890, Page 3

A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.

THE BARQUE ALDERGROVE. CAPTAIN AND TWO SAILORS DROWNED. The dismasted barque Aldergrovs, which was spoken at sea a week ago bv the steamer Te Kapo,arrived as Sydn6yon June Ist, and presented a pitiable appoarance. Her headgear was gono, the lore topmast, the fore topgallant mast, and fore royalmasb were missing, also the main royalmast broken off, the royal, topgallant and upper fore topsail yards gone, the lower fore topsail yard (iron) broken in two pieces, and the fore topmast in three pieces. The Aldergrove had been away from Sydney over a period of four months. She took voyage on January 19th last, for Tchio, on the New Caledonian coast, with Captain Paterson in command. On February st-h she was off the entrance to Tchio Harbour. The bows of the Aldergrove were headed for the narrow passage into Tchio, and, steered with care. She gob in all right, but ran into a ship named the ZulieUa, which was lying at anchor there discharging. The Aldergrove and the Zulieka both suffeved damage. She discharged some 1,800 tons of coal and 75 tons of coke at Tchio. Al i-er a tedious experience in discharging, a fresh shipment, viz., 1,850 tons oc nickel ore, was loaded. Matters had gone on fairly well, and on March 8, the captain having written to his owners and his wife in the old country, set out in one of the ship’s boats for Noumea to c..tch the outgoing steamer for Sydney and post his despatches. He took with him as a crew the boatswain of the ship and four sailors. Off the left arm of the Tchio bar the sea was running very high indeed, and the small boat proved unequal to live in it. One towering green sea struck it and knocked overboard the captain, who was steering, the boatswain, H. Peers, and an A.B. named Thomas Higginson. A second sea turned the craft completely over, and the men were left struggling in a boiling sea fighting for their lives. Only one man was saved. The drowned sailors’ names were William Tinwell and Thomas Higginson. Within a few days of this occurrence several of the ship’s company fell ill and two died from fever. The whole crew suffered more or less. “ They seem even yet.” said the chief officer at Sydney, “half dead.” On May 9bh, the Aldergrove set sail to Bowling on the Clyde with her cargo of oro.

After clearing the port of Tehio the vessel was called upon to battle against a headwind, and right along the coast of New Caledonia, through narrow waters and between dangerous outlying reefs, she had to beat. At midnight on May 23rd, there was a heavy cross sea, and the Aldergrove was rolling horribly. A nickel ore cargo has no spring in it, and in bad weather the barque laboured and strained to an extent seldom experienced. She was making such terrible weather of it that at 2 a.m. on the 24bb (Queen’s Birthday, bub nob Queen’s weather), the main middle staysail was put on to help in preventing the heavy rolling. At 4.15 a.m., with a terrific crash, probably caused by the forestay parting, the fore part of the ship was suddenly piled up with broken masts and spars. The crew rushed into their quarters, expecting every moment to be struck by the falling wreckage. Everything but the fore lower mast and foreyard came down with all the rigging and sails. The starboard lifeboat was crushed into small splinters. The fore topgallant yard came down end on, and very nearly finished the cook, who just rushed out of his house on deck as the yard came through the roof. The night was black, and it was dangerous to move about the decks. On the following day the foreyard was secured and the wreckage pretty well cleared up. The steamer Te Kapo, bound from Sydney to Auckland, was spoken, and proffered assistance; but it was declined, as the captain decided he would bear up for Sydney, and at 2 o’clock that day the ship was headed for Sydney. Since then she has been in some heavy weather. On May 28bh she was in a tremendous gale, and great bodies of water swept her fore and aft. The main topsail was split in the blow, and the fore tack carried away. In this condition she was towed into port.