LOSS OF THE SHIP ERIC THE RED OFF CAPE OTWAY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 295, 25 September 1880, Page 2

LOSS OF THE SHIP ERIC THE RED OFF CAPE OTWAY.

AN EXOITIN'G STRUGGLE F )R LIFE. four drowned. The va ions Mel murne papers <ontain 1.0 gthy aecounts of tin* disastrous wre'k ■ f ihi - vessel The Eric the lied was a wooden ship, d *ys out from Ne.v York, aol her carg > consisted ablest entirely of A’meric m exhibits intioeiel for the Melbourne Ex ob tain T ie ship, th-* c iptain states, was not in si wed for a do lar. Capt Aden cm only account f r bis disus'd* by a luzi over the land, which deceived him as to his distance from tne Oiwaj light’. His star - meiit is to the following ffjet : —H) ■as on deck on the of S 'plcmher $ fr mi hal -past, ten to h If-pist e'ev-o. and nude the Ouray Ight exactly s lie exp-ct d. Ho shaped his c-mrs , and lire minutes before t e ship struct lie jit pu i ii s disl i-ce from the I ght to be ab m six inl'es, Ida headers shoving eu’ bv noftli. Ii i took his b firings o i the char , oid came out t iron ,-h ih-* Co up mi n w-y Alien she struck. He coni I not tin leista id bow anyone had been save I, for i • re i minutes scarcely anything was hangr,g tog iher, and the se i was r Ting over the mizoii ton; he nev r saw anything like ii in ais life. Tim see n ■ is thu cb-scribe.g by th ■ Captain “ .Inst .s I was coming thronra tin* eonij aoi.m- a ay, ther<* was a motion whi h seemed i« me as if something li d 3 ruck 'ln* si)ip, but an instant aft'-rwar s I knew that I v\ as ..shore. I jumped up ami saw by the light that the ship h ul struck but was stdJ moving ahead, and when she struck the secon I time, the snoe|< and son c icried tho man away from the wheel and broke the wheel-ropes. T men ih"n c died out for the boa's an i I said, “ The boats are no use, boys ; get the wheel-ropes and bull the tilb-r bard np ” Tins was cbm**, but tlie next wave she took carried away In r rudder, and the sea made a clean breach right oyer her st m Then she comm nee ito break up, and i i twelve minutes’t me there was not <i vestiga of her to be seen to cling to. Tlie men bad got the covers ent away from the port quarter bot, but the sea can e in and swamped her. The sea was wash ng over us, and the niisi-ntoiniiast, ca ne down wiih a rash, die cards -md varylhing with it, but for-mutely not a living soul was' h:t by any of th--* falling timber, A s soon as Ifo cd o.i f tha tlier' •vas no hope, I said to No I Sewi-U, the owner’s son, who was acting as third m -te, ‘•Stick by me and ling to th s mize--mast with which I went overhoar 1 when it broke awav. He di Iso It raw oft’

■everythinsi I had o*» me wi»h th * -.xce of my shirt an I drawers, and S -w 11 a "1 I went off on the miz nin i-<t. 'l'ho m in m ist had' broken a wav prev onsly. Bore going o'erhoirl, I inqabed for Mr Vaughan, and some of the men toj 1 me tliat‘fv* h;u| gone overboard at 'lie same time that, the niize on -st hr ike away. Tin* miz imia*t on. win h Sewed an 1 I wer liogiiig then drifted away. Win n t e mainmast broke off the ship broke in two, and tin* fore part went cl-an do a n Th s coed mate and one of the men were dm on the iniz nmast wbh m •. We Iriftd muni ja every dir cfio •, with the g.* ■ : ling over tis for an hour and a ha f. The -c "ip was iiele-crihable. [ ed]*! t i A r ed Sjwe'l to ha'g an” iev n-al ti nes '•lit tho sea broke his hold, m I as lie w.i----r fti g a-way I let g • ith my rig t nan iad Ir e l to grasp h m, b ( ,t the -ma carried me away, tmd 1 went down nn-'er the spar. My leg got caught in a rope ari l came no again on the opposit si.le of the sp r of wh'c I ' a.n dp, hoi !. I th 'tight S.-Well h ‘d g.aiu down, bat i: 'Seem* he go w sired a v av, and neee fed pi catch* in hi- o vn c os' o to ich e el'-.ng, an i I’ki ii di i' !i o . <s ■ I o . to k ros “ie ho-, a n ro L e|e ;r v-eck g . I saw 00-n- div. . ae aw ,y. ' w„*!v ■ *.r ‘he ellmen ou tee top of t ie -iwck-huuse il^.run^

about, end Ji said Mo ,th-i second m>te, u .Tliii is iii.r salvation .if .v«* c-in t • i 'X* ' \ ~ there" T-.-e second mvte said that lie C"ii| i not got In til' 1 wreck-lee, n'ul.l sai l, “Well, v\e may as well drown in nying to go t! ere ns run in here an 1 be drowned,” and I start'd off. Hj would not come. Win n I let go my drawers slipped down and entangled my leg-;, and I sa >k ; but while under water I c eamd o ;e <»f my legs, and mi coming up latched hmd of sooie timber ih it ms close at hand and man gel to release my oiner leg Toere was a pie'-e of clear water lief ween me mid he floating deck, and as 1 started agai r the s■ a struck me, an I I sank. 1 thought it was H over, hot on coming up I goho d of a squ re royal v i.rd t at was float-; ing iboiigaud after n smiga li tie I swam from th t to ;h -d ck house wre kag' . Tnete wore ,11 men on this wr-ck gi. J.ist as I goi tiiere. we espied a steamer approach! g in the disrance, and they

■•a led to her and th sig.oils w< re heir I, Tnere . ere 23 mr of £7 s ved. .Toe f.nn. in i) niH-n g were 'ho steward ; Oeoj-ire; * \ L) fli ship’s carpunt r ; Gjorti<Si ver an dilu seama i ; a d Air Vaughan one of the fi.is-i e gers. Nea-ly all those who’ w. re saved w-re more or 1 -ss injure One man h.d lliree lingers torn off, another had time ribs stove in, and the rest vi-rc bruised or he ten nonet. I hnl my !. ft, fon., bi Jv injured, m 1 my whole body is bruised, and bl ck and blue. I lost eviuythuig I hid, and it w;s i mere chance tint.l hid not m' - wif • and fam y on b aid vvif.ii im j . My papers, i ,sira mencs, and what money I In I ou hoard, nee also losyas I h-d no tine to I >o!< them up when the sh p struck.