A BARQUE ASHORE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 16 July 1907, Page 2

A BARQUE ASHORE.

ON THE ROCKS AT CAPE TEIUWHITI. ' j CAPTAIN AND SEAMAN MISSING. Per Press Association. .Wellington, July 15, News has been received that the barque Woolahra, 042 tons, which left Wellington yesterday, bound for Kftipara and Sydney, is ashore in the vicinity of Cape Xerawhiti. Thi> Woolahra struck the rocks about 300 yards off shore at midnight during a heavy rain storm. A lifeboat was swung out, but was smashed by a falling mast. On the advice of Captain Anderson, the officers and crew stuck to the ship for some time. At the end of four hours, all on board, with the exception of the captain and two able named McNaughton and King, left the ship in a dinghy, which came to grief on a rock about 100 yards off the beach. Some of the men swam from there to the shore, taking with them a rope, by means of which the others were hauled ashore.

Subsequently King and McNaughton jumped overboard and started to swim to the beach. King landed safely, but McNaughton stopped on a rock half way, and has not been seen since.

The captain declined to leave the vessel but it is not yet known whether he is still alive.

A SURVIVOR'S NARRATIVE. NIGHT OF ROUGH EXPERIENCES. ASSISTANCE .DESPATCHED. Per Press Association. Wellington, July 15. Two men, who had walked to Island; Bay from the scene of the wreck, wyre Parsonson and McPhec, who were amongst the first to get ashore. Parsonson told the story of the night's experiences in an exceptionally concise manner, whilst McPhee dropped in an occasional word. He said the weather was fine trom the run out from Wellington yesterday; morning. Along the coast, during the afternoon and evening, a; fresh breeze was blowing, and late at night the wind freshened, and a still more heavy sea was running. Towards midnight a rainstorm came along. "We, MoPhoe and I, were having watch, below at the time, and don't know just how it came about, hut at midnight we heard the. cry 'Breakers ahead,' and then the ship struck. She had struck several times when we reached the deck. We swung the. lifefboat out ready for lowering, so that" we could leave the sEip at short notice, but Captain Andresen advised us not to leave the ship, but to stand by until daylight if we could hang out that long. We decided to do so." Continuing his story, Parsonson said tho niizzennmst was carried away at about 1.30 o'clock. This misfortune resulted in the smashing of the lifeboat. The crew got a dinghy over the side ready for escape, and then all hands, excepting McNaughton, who was forward, went into the aft cabin. The ship at this time was laboring heavily, and the sea was breaking over aft. The barque had apparently slruck upon a ragged outer reef. The next incident that impressed itself upon the mind of the narrator was

the carrying away of the foremast, which occurred at about four o'clock. The mast snapped off just above the

The barque had been making a list to starboard all thetime, and as this

became more and more accentuated, it was decided to take to the boat and get ashore. About 5 o'clock the dinghy was lowered. The launch, the only other boat left, was "deemed too heavy to swing off and handle under the teireumst'anees. Just before the men took to the boat tlie spanker-gaff was carried away.

When the boat was successfully low-' cred7 everybody on board got into her excepting the capfain and two A.B's. (McNaughton and King), who stayed on board with the captain. The latter was urged by the men to abandon the wreck, but he could" not be persuaded to do so. lie declared that he would stick to the barque to the lastThe following were the men who got

into the, dinghy, so far as Parsonson andMcPhee could remember the namen: Mr Foote (chief ollicer), Go(V (second mate), Jorgenson, s'fylius, Moore, Dickson, Parsoiison, McPhce and another A.T!., the cook, two hoys (Joyut.nlld Fclton), and the cabin boy. 'the dinghy, after getting over about 200 yards of water, struck on an inner reef. The men who could swim landed on the beach, which was about 100 yards away, and those who could not clambered on to the rocks. A line was passed from the scene of the dinghy's wreck to the shore, and all hands then got to the 'beach. About this time the vessel began to break up badly, so the two A.B.'s who stayed on the barque with the captain decided to make for the shore, and undertook the difficult task. King reached the beach in pretty good, condition, but McNaughton stopped half way, King's last sight of his shipmate being when McNaughton climbed on to the intercepting reef. This left the captain as the only man on Hie ship, and he, with' McNaughton, was the only person missing. The chief officer, having called a muster on shore, the crew then (just after 5 o'clock) spread along tile beach and called in stentorian tones for McNaughton, but there was no response. The barque had her ibaclc broken, the jibboom iiad carried away, and she was nil but gone when Parsonson and McPhee. started on their long and rough walk to town.

Concluding his statement, Parsonson said: "Wo exhibited lights and flares, and fired rockets during the night from the ship. We also soaked a straw mat-

tress with kerosene and set fire to it as

i signal, but we saw no ship. There was no help from the shore. When we got on to the beach some of the men scattered over the country to look for a house, but none of us succeeded in finding one.

McPhoe find I left the party just before daylight, and the crew were then in good health. I do not think any rescue party can pet round with help by way of the beach, for during our walk we Kad on one occasion to wade up to our breasts through water." Tlicss two sailors were looking none the worse for their rough night's experiences, and were making for the Duco to go out with the rescue party. The Woolahra was an iron barque of !)74 tons, built at Sunderland in 1875 by Messrs Osbourne, Graham and Go. She was owned by the Woolahra. Ship Company, of Sydney, and her principal dimensions ; were: Length 202 ft 4in, .beam 53ft Gin, depth 20ft 4in. The wrecked barque was a well-known Australian trader, and had just completed the discharge of a cargo of Newcastle coal for S. Brown, Ltd. She was on her way to Australia via Kaipara, to load another cargo of coal for Wellington. The tug Duco was despatched for the scene of the wreck soon after midday, and in addition the Marine Department have sent pack-horses along the coast form Island Bay, laden with refreshments for the shipwrecked crew. During the time the Woolahra was on her last voyage from Newcn.Hle to Wellington a mnort w«° oir<»:htcd fhr: she had been wiwkml ve-v Knipa»n. This report proved to be incorrect, b"t the fate of the vcwl ha» apparently been scaled this tiniG.

THE OFFICERS' STORY. A BROKEN-HEARTED CAPTAIN. GOES DOWN WITH TITS SUTP. Per Press Association. Wellington, July 15. The mate and s°o(md mate of the Woollalira state that the captiin wanted to «tick (o the shin until daylieht, and when the crew left he was in the cabin, with three. f»ct of water around liitn. He seemed heart-broken. As the men unhooked tho davit falls.

of the gig and shoved off, the ship was breaking to pieces. They could hear] the plates cracking. A seaman named McNaughton kept in the fore part of the ship, hut when the crew were leaving one of his shipmates dragged him out of the forecastle. They reached the bulwarks just as the gig broke loose, and jumped for it. McNaughton was never seen again. „.,,,,„ As soon as a landing was enacted, the mate mustered the men and found that the captain and McNaughton were mis-

Some of them went inland a little,, and discovered the McManemin homestead, where they were treated with K reat hospitality. Being refreshed, they commenced to walk around the beach to Island Bay and the city. When thev left the ship lay poundinn on the rocks. The port side was buckled in) like a carrot, says the mateShe looked as if she had been sawn in two. Captain Andrcsen was 40 years of age. He leaves a widow and four sons. He was for fourteen years master of the har<|iic Elizabeth Graham, and had been on the Woollahra 18 months. The following are the names of the survivors:—Footc (first mate), (lough, (second mate), McFie, Parsonson, Joreenscn, Moore, Dixon, Knisch, Mylius, King, .Toynt and Fclton (seamen); Pabst (cook), and a cabin boy.

VESSEL SMASHED TO MATCHWOOD The tug Duco steamed around to Terawhiti this afternoon. On the beach in a little inlet four miles south-east of the cape, stood the shell of the barque. The stern was almost high and dry. A little distance away was a piece of the stem, with the stump of the jibboom pointing southward. This jetsam was all that remained of the Woollahra. The wreckage was being pounded by heavy combers, and the beach was strewn with wreckage. There was hardly anything more ftian three feet in length. Everything had been smashed to matchwood. Received 16th, 12.38 a.m.

Sydney, July 15. The Woollahra was partly insured in local offices.