WRECK OF A STEAMER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2853, 10 August 1895, Page 4

WRECK OF A STEAMER.

Sydney, August 8. The steamer Catterhuu struck on Seal Rocks at 2.30 this moruing, and sank in fifteen minutes. A boat which landed at Forster contained thirty Chinese, including sixteen of the crew, and the following white men : Dr Copeman, A, W. Langfear (second mate), Mr Crane, and Captain Fawkes (the pilot). The other boats, containing the captain of the steamer and other officers, are missing. The Catterhnn left Sydney last night for China, via way ports, in charge of Captain Neil Shannon and the following officers: —W. P. Pinney, mate; Langfear, second mate; Harold Leffler, third mate ; A. Anderson, surgeon ; J. H. Harper, F. Wilson, J. W. Adams, and A. Wolsterholmo, chief, second, third, and fourth engineers; R, Manning, chief steward; W, Jackson, quartermaster; three Chinese quartermasters, and a Chinese crew of 44. She carried as passengers Messrs R. Fraser, T. C. Crane, iCopeman, and Anderson, Captain Fawkes, Mesdames Mathias and Loring, Miss Loriug, and 16 Chinese. Tugs have been sent from Newcastle to the scene of the wreck. Later. A tug has just returned. She reports a high sea and no sign of the vessel or the boats. The Catterhuu had 81 persons on board, all told. Accounts are conflicting as to the number saved, and it is variously stated at from twenty to twenty-five, but the latter is certainly the limit. A young Victorian doctor named Smith joined the ship at the last moment. The hull was insured in London, and the general cargo was insured for between £20,000 and £30,000. Those chiefly interested are the Derwent, Tamar, Canton, and China Traders. There was £IO,BOO in specie on board; five thousand was shipped at Adelaide, and the rest belonged to Chinese passengers. The gold was insured. There was one bag of mails from Wellington and two from the Bluff. The following statement has been obtained from Mr Crane ;—We cleared the heads at 5.30 last night, followed by a south-west gale, high, broken sea, and rain squalls. All went well until twentyfive minutes past 2, when the passengers were aroused by a severe shock, quickly followed by a second shock. The captain quietened the passengers, telling us we were only struck by a sea. Shortly after we were roused out by order of the captain, and told to go on deck. The ship had a strong list to starboard, and heavy seas were breaking over her fore and aft. The position was appalling, for the ship was evidently settling fast. Officers and crew had already succeeded in getting out the lifeboats, but the efforts to lower them were greatly impeded by the tremendous seas which continuously broke aboard carrying the boats in again. The port lifeboat was swept off the davits. A noticeable feature was the coolness and discipline of all on board. The captain, chief and second mates, and Captain Fawkes were swept over the bridge, and the same sea smashed the cutter to pieces. The sea was then level with the rails, and breaking clean over the poop. The starboard lifeboat was successfully launched, ann a moment after the steamer gave a sudden lurch to starboard and disappeared. The starboard boat subsequently picked up all the survivors. Captain Fawke states that just before the ship disappeared he with the captain and chief officer was swept off the bridge. He saw no more of his companions, and was thirty minutes in the water before he was picked up. Dr Copeman was in the starboard cutter when he was swept away. He clung to a spar, and then dropped into the water till picked up by the lifeboat. After examining the wreckage the boat proceeded to Charlotte Bay, where a trading cutter conveyed them to Cape Hawke. Mr Langfear, who was in charge of the bridge, refuses to make a statement. After striking, the steamer continued her course for some distance. It is supposed that she struck a sliding blow on the edge of the outer reef of rocks, ripped open her side, swung off at a tangent, and went ahead till she filled with water. Off the outer rock there is a depth of twentyfive fathoms. The Mararoa, which has just (11.20 p.m.) arrived, saw nothing even to indicate that a disaster had occurred.