WRECK OFF OAKURA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 5, 7 January 1903, Page 2

WRECK OFF OAKURA.

GAIRLOCH RUNS POINT BLANK FOR SHORE. i -HELD FAST IN THE ROOKS. BREAK UP ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. ' SCENE OF WRECK VISITED. / The startling intelligence published in oui' coluaiLS yes'erday was necessari'y meagre, as beyond the fact that a steamer was ashore off Oikuran, no information was available, there being oo me ins of ascertaining during the night what vessel it was. That we were enabled to announce thee it as trophe was due to the f<icfc thit the Oakura bureau was connected with Dr. Walker's telephone. The public spirit an 1 promptitudedisplayed by the Misses Walker in at once facing tbe dark and rainy night and conveying to the police the pu'pirt of the meßS<ge is one for which they deserve much praice. Wei feel also greatly to the police' for their courtesy in at once acqunlntiog us with thonuws sj t'ra 1 : the public i might have tbe earliest information. <r On receipt of the ictelligf-tice a representative of the Daily News was I ono-3 de-pitched to Oakura, leaving town shortly after 3 o'clock on Tuesday morning in company wi'h Constable Lied. The night had bean daik, and before midnight heavy raintt >rme were prevalent, but Otherwise the atmosphere was fairly cloar. By the time of reaching Omata the lirst faiut streaks of dawn were visible and daylight soon followed, giving promise cf a lovely summer's day. Before reaching Oakura the dcomi-d v.ssel was seen and almost: at olci recognised as the Giirloch. It w-s evident she was lying to the south of the township very nuar tbe shore. No one atemed astir at Oakura, but after traversing the Beach Road, a wet sandy track, for about two miles, the •30ITNE OF "iHK WRECK

was reached. Severil Okato residents wt.re oa tbe spot, including Messrs T. Oorkill, Staitf, Mills, and other?, who had hurried thither on being awakened by tbe rocke's fired as signals of distress. These had commenced to be let off somewhere about 12 30 a.m., and were sent up at intervals. It was too dark f r the watchers to make out what vessel it was, and they half expected tome effort would be made by those oa board to communicate with them. In response to the rocket signals', the party on shore lit a fire to indicate there were willing hands on land to render whxt aid they possibly could, and to show how far distant the shore was, but no response was made. After watching far some time, those on land saw lights moving about, apparently on the water, after a while, these disappe&red. The watchers waited patiently till daybreak disclosed the fact that tbe vessel was the G-tirloch, and that all on boird had left wbi!e it was still dark. It was sten that the ship's boats bad been lowered, the davits being outwaid slung, with ropes s'ill hanging. Not a trace of any boats at sea was to baleen, and it wa* assumed that the crew had made for the breakwater, some of those preBent surmising (hat the boats had been steered seaward, but in the direction of M jiuroa, Although we have not been able to ascertain exactly what took place, the surmise ment : oaed abeve appears to be tolerably correct, and apparently the boatj L>ft the ship about 3 a.m , but did not arrive at tbe breakwater till 6.30, when all the officars and crew were safely landed. The place where the vessel struck is a point jutting out slightly a little south of the Timaru river, where there is a large reef. The ship appears to have been heading straight for the shore as, after striking and coming to a standstill, her s k ein is said to have slewed round shorewards, leaving the hull broadside on Io the sea. At low tide she is so

C LOSE IN SHORll! that her name can be read easily. Walking across the stony reef as far as was possible, the Gairlocb was 8. en to be firmly set as if in a vice —the waves having aparently no power to move her. A young min waded out', and, after swimming a few yatds, reached the vessel and climbed on board. There is no doubt that she is doomed to destruction, but, should the present favourable weather continue, the cargo should be saved, though possibly not undamaged by water.

HER LAST TRIP. Leaving Onehunga on Saturday, 3rd inst., with a general cargo, the Gairlooh, which was in charge of Oaptiin Austen, after calling at Raglan, left Kawhii for Opunake, en route fo>Wanganui, about 2 p\m. on Monday. She had a general freight of merchandise, including a large parcel of sugar, some flour, drain pipes, and two carriages on deck. About 10 p.m., the Ngapuhi was sighted going northward?, and the vessels greeted one another by blowing their whistles. Publicity has been given to a canard that owing to the night being so pitch black, a ollision nearly occurred between t hesa two vessels. There is not the slightest foundation for such a rumour. The night was ordinarily dark, there being no moon, but the mere fact of the vessels recognising one another shows tha 1 ; the atmosphere was fairly clear. Tha sea had a slight swell on, aad the wind was light. After pis-sing the "Ngapuhi, the Gairlocb. must have travelled several mites (probably about ten), and then B'nuk th? rocks. What course she took, and how U was that she was headed shorawards will doubtless form the subject of an official inquiry, It is stated thefc the captain and second mite were on deck during that part of the veyage when the vessel struck. The only conso'ation iu this paioful affair arises from the fact that there was no loss of life.

GO IBDING THE WRECK. Constable Lind remained in charge of the wreck until the aftereoon, when 1 he was relieved from that duty on the arrival of Sergeant Haddrell and Mr i Bedford,. Collector of Customs, who placed Mr H. Mace in charge. It is ' undercook that Mr Bedford will, if possible, hold a preliminary inquiry this (Wednesday) morning. j' SALTAGE. • Oap'ain Hood, wi'h Mr Bjdforn's'j sanction, allowed the hubour dredgu " Thomas King " to proceed to the' ] wreck shortly before 10 a.m., being,) himself ou board and taking alo thai captain and crew of the Gairloch. The ! t dredge was brought to an auchor as i close to the wreck as prudence would < allow, a boat was lowered and sa!- ( vago operations comruencad. The party , returned about 6unset. Probably a. j J mora expeditious means of landing the !( cargo will be adopted,

THE SHIP'S COMPANY. The captain, (flSccrii, crew, and stewardess arrived at the wharf, after leaving t! s wrick, io very good spirits, and none tbe woree for the trip in the open boa's, They hid pUnty of time before getting awiy fr;m the ship to secure ample coining and provieio s, si suffered co discomfort. M- Knewles,, of the Breakwater Hotil, kindly minis-, tered to their creature comforts a» d provided some "f em wi'h aa-onmo-dation, Captain Hood also ossis'irg in this matter. There were fortunately < no paseengers on board.

The Gait loch was commanded by Captain A. U, Austen. She was built in G'asgow for the Oaehunga-Waitira trade some seventeen years ago, and ibe occ siou of her first trip to the river port was marked by some excitement, a banquet being held on board, and there bring general Afterwards the Gairloch ran between Onrhuoga and New Flymou'h, and *as somewhat popular as a passenger bo .t. Since the addition of the Ngapuhi to tha Company's fleet, the Gatli ch has been employed on the coist I'otween Ooehunga and Wellington' Her 6rst skipp r was Cap'nio Mc- [ Arthur, who watt succerded by Captain Norbury, who viae giveu command of the Ngapuhi when she took up her , lutinirg.

UNINSURED. Per Pices Association. Auckland, January 8. Tbe Northern Steamship Company do not insure their vessels, bo that the loesofih) Gaiilch tj them is a total one. The value is about X 12,000, but ehe could not be replaced by so serviceable a vrssel for that sum. This is the first vess 1 tbe Company has lost; through being wrecked. Other accidents have happened but there have been no total losses. The Company can also boast that not a single lite has bean lost through accidents to tbeir vessels.

Mr Oharles Ransom, manager of the! Northern S'eamship Company, left for New Plymouth to-day, and from thence will gj to the i c?ne of the wreck to see whit can be done in the way of silvage.