A TERRIBLE DISASTER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1576, 3 May 1887, Page 1

A TERRIBLE DISASTER.

Perth (W.A;), April 29. News has been received of a terrible disaster to the pearling fleet ou the north-west coast. The fleet was.anchored at Ninety Mile Beach, above the. Do. Grey River on. the'.;22iii),' when >a awful hurricane occurred. A. great number of the bdats were disuiastod* many were driven out to hob, and the others swamped. Score of > expert swimmers, in trying to reach the shore, sank exhausted. Oyer 40 boats are missing* of which a large proportion eank. The others drifted to dea, dismasted., It iscalcualed that fully 550 white and Native divers perished. Boats have gone from the Cossack, with stores, in search of the missing boats. One of the survivors sayn he saw the schooner Dawn sink with fully 60 men on board. The burricaae lasted fully two hours. Latest accounts received frem Perth, Western Australia;, regarding the disaster to the pearling fleet aro of x somewhat conflicting character. The fleet is reported to have been 250 miles to the north-west of Cossack when the hurricane occurred, most of the boats being well* ladep with shells. The master of the Australian reports that 48 of the craft were in Gonrdon Bay, nvmy of whom were seriously damaged. He supplied the cows with food. He reports that maoy bodies were seen floating about tho vicinity. The toUl number of boats lost is estimated at 40. Five hundred and fifty men are missing, and it is known that 37 Malays have been drowned. Sydney, April 30.

Acoounts received from ; Western A lis tralia of the pearl fishery disaster state that six schooners and: fifty luggers, representing,soo lives, have been lost. Each of the luggers contained six men. It i*i considered probable that many of the boats were blown out to sea. Of the entire fleet 56 vessels were owned by Sydney firms.!