STRANDING OF THE ELGINSHIRE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2327, 10 March 1892, Page 2

STRANDING OF THE ELGINSHIRE.

News was krought to Timaru yesterday morning, at about 9 o’clock, that the steamer Elginshire, 4579 tons, was ashore about five miles to the south of the town. It appears that the Elginshire left Oamaru on Tuesday evening for Timaru, where she was to have been loaded with frozen mutton, and during the latter part of the night a thick fog set in. About 5 a.m. a man named Hill had his attention attracted to her as she was making in towards the shore, a little to the south of where she came to grief. Mr Hill rushed as far into the surf as he could with safety, and called out to those on board. They heard him, and asked where they were. He told them about five miles south of Timaru and warned them to keep seaward. The vessel was then headed seaward. He saw very little of her until about 7 o’clock when he heard her firing minute guns He then reported the matter to Mr Godfrey Ellis, who rode into town and gave information at the Harbor Board office. Early in the morning the harbor master, who expected the steamer, put out to sea in the tug Mana, but the fog was so dense that he neither could see nor be seen. When the news of the wreck reached Timaru, therefore, the tug was away to sea, and Mr Bullock, agent of the vessel, accompanied by Mr Clulee, got a boat and went in search of the Mana, with the view of sending her to the Elginshire’s assistance. At about 10.30 a.m. the fog cleared off, and the Mana was found. She was at once despatched to the scene of the accident, and shortly afterwards she reached her destination. Strong hopes were entertained that the steamer could be floated on the midday tide, but the Mana tugged hard at her, and her own engines were kept hard at work, without any appreciable result, and there she remained within a short distance of the shore opposite Normandy bridge, lying on a reef with about 8 feet of water in her. The Mana returned to port about 2 o’clock, and at 4 o’clock she again left for the derelict vessel, but it is not hoped that she will be got off. Two tugs have been telegraphed for to Dunedin, and it was expected they would arrive in time to make an attempt to tow her off at 11 o’clock last night. We of course had no opportunity of ascertaining the 'result. The vessel was in charge of Captain Miller, . and so far no account can be given of how she happened to get so far out of her course as to come ashore. She was a magnificent steamer, but it is not known whether she is insured or not. By last account she was stranded on a reef with her bows to seaward, and her stern about half a mile from the shore, and as there was a strong surf on, communication with the land was impossible with the appliances at hand. Yesterday afternoon she jettisoned her ' coal in the hope that she might be able to get off at midnight, but the opinion of those who saw her was that she was in a hopeless condition. For more reasons than one the accident is a very serious matter for Timaru. Of course Timaru is in no way to blame, the accident was dug to the fog and bad navigation, but these facts cannot be made known by cable. All that will be made known is that she has been wrecked at Timaru, and consequently the port will suffer through it, besides the inconvenience of having to wait until another vessel arrives. It is inconceivable how in a dense fog her commander should have come so close to land, but “hugging the shore” appears to be a favourite pastime on the New Zealand coast, evidently with the, view of saving coal.