TOTAL WRECK OF THE "CATHERINE ADAMSON," AT THE NORTH HEAD.

Colonist, Issue 6, 10 November 1857, Page 3

TOTAL WRECK OF THE "CATHERINE ADAMSON," AT THE NORTH HEAD.

TWENTY-ONE LIVES LOST. 1 [From Sydney Morning Herald, Oct. 26.) Early on Saturday morning, Sydney was thrown into a state of considerable excitement and alarm. The loss of the ill-fated Dunbar, with so many familiar friends and acquaintances gone in her fatal wreck, but nine weeks since, is still fresh to memory and most melancholy to contemplate. And now the Catherine Adamson the Queen ship of Anglo-colonial vessels, is lost also. We call her the Queen ship because she has beaten all other vessels in her ran home. She left this port on the 26th of last March, and- landed her mail on the '68th day. The time from leaving Sydney on that occasion until her return and fatal disaster was less than seven months. She was on her third voyage, an Aberdeen clipper, of 886 tons, and' was commanded from her launch by Captain Stewart, a man of great energy and perseverance, and who, we regret to hear, has lost by this catastrophe the hard earnings of a busy and industrious life. * The following particulars have been furnised by Captain Stewart to the agents, Messrs. Gilchrist, Watt, and Co.:— " Entered the Heads on Friday, October 23rd, about 9 p*in. with the wind about W. S. W. to S. W., strong .breeze ; boarded by Pilot Hawkes outside the Heads and then stood in under doublereefed topsails, courses, jib, and spanker; made several tacks when off the Reef; alter' putting abbut on port tack.struck with a heavy squall from S.W.; hauled up the mainsail and foresail, and stood towards North Harbour: wind moderating, and finding it necessary again to have more way on the ship, set the foresail, when the foresheet carried away, and from the strength of the breeze, could not get the mainsail set; and finding the ship had'little steerage way, and drifting bodily to leeward, let go both anchors with sixty fathoms scope on small bower, and forty-five fathoms on best bower; clewed up and furled all sails, and ship seemed to lay safe it the-weather had remained moderate. Burned blue lights and threw up rockets, when the Williams, steamer, coming in from the Hunter, came down and offered assistance, and tried to take the ship in tow. Sent a line on hoard with the pilot boat, but it broke in hauling the warp on board; again sent the line on board, and .believe the warp was taken on board by the steamer, but from the steamer lying broadside to the wind, and unable to

slew, she had' to slip it again. About three this morning heavy rollers began to come in from the Heads, and the ship swung stern on to the rocka, but clear 6$ them for some time; about half-an-hour afterwards the ship's heel took the rocks heavily Several times; considered it prudent to get bpats out at once to endeavour to save livesship's gig and life boat got on board the Williams safely, the remainder of the crew were getting another boat out; the captain went On board the steamer in the life boat for the purpose of getting the steamer to go closer to the ship intending to return to the ship, but the gig and life boat were both swamped and knocked to pieces alongside the ste"anier. . The steamer made every effort to get near the ship,* but could not render any_ effectual assistance, as no boat she had could live in the sea. The pilot boat had left the ship some time before the boats went on board the steamer without the knowledge oi: the captain or the pilot: The steamer than went to the pilot station, to get life boats or other means of saving the people left on board the ship. The pilots, Gibson and Jenkins, came with their boats crews, but before the steamer returned, the ship had begun to break up, and soon went to pieces." Passengers Lost—Mr. Leathes, Mr. Ramsay, Rev. Jacob Jones, two Servants. Fifteen of the crew lost, including secJond officer, and Pilot Hawkes. ; Passengers Saved—Rev, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Blair, Two Servants/ . " The cargo is now drifting on shore rapidly, and little of the ship excepting wreck is to be seen." Saturday morning, Oct. 24. Mr Leathes was the brother of Mr.. Leathes, the Secretary of the London and Liverpool Fire and Life Insurance Company. The Rev. Jacob Jones, a Congregational Minister, had accepted an invitation in connexion with the New South Wales Home Missionary Society. He was pastor of the Independent church at Melksham, near Bath, and for six years was a student at Sprirtg-hill College, Birmingham. Mr. Ramsay Was the second brother of Mr. Robert Ramsay, of Darling Downs. Mr. Pilot Hawkes, we regret to Say, ha 3 left a widow and four children. He arrived in this colony on the 26th of September 1838, as chief officer of the Lady Fitzhevbert. Afterwards, ; he commanded several English and colonial vessels, and finally,.for the Jast four of five years, has filled with considerable credit, one of the posts of pilot at the Sydney Heads. ' The Washington steamer was despatched With her usual promptitude so soon as the unhappy news reached the city. Great credit is due to Captain Greer, of the Williams steamship. He remained below to render all the assistance in his power until seven o'clock on Saturday morning, when he came up to the Hunter River Wharf. On the arrival of our reporter at the Heads on Saturday, at 8 a.m., the wreck of the ill-fated Catherine Adamson had entirely broken up, some broken spars and a few packages alone remaining to mark the site of the catastrophe. On reaching the quarantine station, he found the police boat from Watson s bay, and a boat from the Wooloomooloo, busy engaged in securing as much of the cargo as possible, great quantities having been drifted ashore by the flood tide; four bodies, apparently seamen, were also recovered, and subsequently the. body of the pilot, Mr. Hawkes. About noon the' Washington steamer returned from Sydney, having on board the Portmaster and his boat's crew, Captain M'Lerie, with a strong police force, and also a large number of merchants and gentlemen; the custom house, police, and other boats, which had also come down from Sydney, pulled out in the Jmore open water, and secured many casks and bales, which were put on board the steamer—Mr. Graham, as Lloyd's agent being there to receive them. The wind moderated considerably towards the afternoon, which induced several of the small ste.imers, loaded with passengers to visit the scene of the Wreck, the principal portion of which had drifted into Spring Cove and on the shores in the immediate vicinity. /The Washington, afcer taking on board the single females from the immigrant ship Boanerges then came up to Sydney, bringing with her the bo lies that had been recovered. The police force, under Inspectors Weale, Reid, and Mortimer, were indefatigable in preventing the destruction or loss of property scattered over the beach, ani remained at the Heads all night. The Vanquish schooner was at anchor off the Quarantine station; and on being boarded, Captain Kemp reported that he was in company with the Catherine Adamson from off Botany, and that they entered the Heads together, with the true wind at. W., but veering in squalls from S. W. to N; W.; the two vessels made several tacks together, and were so close at one time that the pilot was heard distinctly calling to the men to be smart in working the ship, or he should have to anchor. About 1030 p.m. the Vanquish, then on the starboard tack, crossed the: bows of the Catherine Adamson, and shortly after went about, when a heavy squall came on from the southward which must have brought the ship dead on a lee shore. She then burnt blue lights, and the Vanquish, in stretching into Spring Cove, passed her quite close, and found that she had anchoi-ed with the rocks close under her heel. Captain Kemp says that at this time there was not much sea on, and the wind, although blowing strong, did not prevent him from carrying all sail. In addition to the large and valuable cargo on board were four horses and two bulls, all of which were lost, with the exception of one bull, which succeeded in reaching the shore in safety. During the early part of the morning he was seen in the centre of a mass of broken spars and other wreck, struggling to make the land, which, to the surprise of ail who saw it, he reached in safety. Some MS. sermons, private diary, and pamphlets, evidently belonging to Mr. Jones, and part bearing his signature, were found and were given over to Mr. Cuthbertson. Monday Morning. The search for the remaining bodies was continued throughout the whole of yesterday, but none of those lost by the wreck of the Adamson were found. The body of a female was discovered floating between the heads. The head was gone, but in other respects it was nearly perfect. It had the appearance of having been exposed for a considerable time, probably upon some ledge above the washing of the waves, for the skin was in a manner tanned by the sun. It is supposed that it is the body of one of the unfortunate passengers by the Dunbar, which after remaining some weeks as suggested, got carried oft- again by the late tempestuous weather. During the day a large quantity of broken cargo was received, consisting of boots, hats, casks of all kinds, cloth, woollen, candles, &c. The bay, from the place where the vessel struck round to Manly Cove was closely searched, every crevice of the rock being visited, but up to 5 o'clock there was no appearance of any bodies. A quantity of cargo was brought up to town by the Washington, Premier, Aquai'ius, and William IV. steamers. A small parcel of medical works containing a letter addressed to Dr. Muller, 15th, Elizabeth-street, was picked up and given over to the police. A piece of a veneered desk, with Jacob Jones, engraved on brass, was also found. A number of wreckers were, detected in taking away valuable articles from the wreck, which were taken possession of by the Water Police, and placed in charge of Mr. Graham. The names and residences of the parties were taken. Thk Wreck.—We have been requested to state that Messrs. Mitchell and Co. have at their office, picked up from the wreck of the Catherine Adamson, a small case containing a daguerreotype of a lady and gentleman grouped with four children, and a letter addressed to " Mr. Thomas West." These articles can be obtained by any party claiming them on application to Messrs. Mitchell and Co. Inquest.—An inquest was oponed yesterday before the City Coroner, at Mre. Stone's, Queen's Head Hotel, George-street, touching the deaths of six persons, including that of the pilot, whose bodies had been recovered near the scene of the Jate melancholy disaster at North Head. After viewing the bodies,

ths jury proceeded* to receive evidence,- in which duty they were occupied up to a quarter to five p.m., wlion the'inquest was adjourned till nine o'clock this morning. In order that no undue prejudice shold bo created in the public mind, we refrain from publishing any portion of the evidence until after the close of tha investigation. We may observe, however, in connection with an opinion held by numerous persons professing a knowledge of nautical matters, that it was shewn in the course of the examination that the cutting away of the ship's masts could have bsenofno po.33ible utility; on the contrary, that it was a prudent course to k'^ep them standing, as they served to steady the vessel when the swell set in from south-east. So far as it has gone, the evidence seems t> prove that everything was done that could bs devisad under the circumstances, to save the ship, both by her own crew and the men on board -the Williams.— Sydney Empire, October 27.

Valedictory Service at Percy Chapsl, Bath.—On Monday, an impressive service was held at the above chapel, occasioned by the intended departure to Australia of the Rev. Jacob Jonss, late pastor of the Independent congregation at Melksham. The following ministers were present—Revs. R. Brirtdley, Thomas James, Poore, Anthony, Buller, Cater, May, Jones and Brown. The service (the first of the kind held in this chapel) commenced with a hymn given out, and an introductory prayer, by the Rtv. R. Brindley. The Rev. E. May then gave out another hymn, after which the meeting was addressed by the Rev. J. L. Poore, of the Colonial Missionary Society, London, who, in an interesting speech, detail«d the rise and progress of the Australian empire, and its present religious position. He stated that it was discovered by the Spaniards in 1660; subsequently the southern part Avas discovered by the Dutch, and visited by that enterprising traveller, Captain Cook, in the year 1780. He graphically sketched it as it originally was, but now as one of the most noble, dignified, and important of our colonies. Mr. Jones was about to proceed to Sydney, and he would be there cordially welcomed. "He (Mr. Poore) had travelled upwards of 2000 miles in those interesting colonies, lor the purpose of ascertaining the religious state of the population. He returned to this country with the view of sending out sixteen missionaries, and amongst that number was Mr. Jones. To show the earnestness of the people in this matter, he might state that they had subscribed in the various colonies including. Tasmania, £'2400, which they had placed in his hand to send them out men of God, to preach to them the glad tidings of the gospel. The Rev. J. Jones then addressed the meeting under great emotion, and briefly gave his reasons for the step lie was about to talo.—The Rev. W. Buller, of Melksham, spoke of the affection and esteem in which his ministerial brother was held in Melksham, and the regret that had been evinced at his departure.— 'the Rev. Thomas James offered up the Dedication prayer. He was followed by the Rev* D. Anthony, of Froome. who spoke of the claims the colony had upon this c juntry by national ties for supplying them with the blessings of the gospel. Another hymn was then sung, and the Rev. P. Cater concluded with prayer. The congregation was large, including many of other denominations.— Bath Journal.