SHIPPING DISASTERS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8368, 26 February 1907, Page 5

SHIPPING DISASTERS.

A GREAT OCEAN VOYAGE. THE FATE OF THE CARNARVON CASTLE. Received February 25, 9. 53 a.m. FREMANTLE, February 25. The Carnarvon Castle, which was lost by burning on January 31st about i 800 miles south of Cape Leuwin, was bound from Liverpool to Melbourne, full of general cargo. She was in latitude 42 south, longditude 104 east, when a fire was discovered amidships, in the hold. Anderson, the cook, who first discovered the fire, states that the captain ordered the covering to be taken off the main hatch, and the cargo to be jettisoned. The deck between the main hatch and the gallery was torn up in two places, and water was pumped in by means of buckets and pumps. "The fire," says Anderson, ''seetir-id t<j come from the lower 'tween deck. All hands fought the flames until ten o'clock that night, but they gained so rapidly that the whole 'tween deck between the bows and the mainmast was one mass of flame, and the heat was so terrible that all hands were driven to the after deck. All were more or less severely burned. The captain then said it was hopeless to try and save the ship, and ordered us to man the lifeboats and get ready to leave. In each boat were placed jars of water totalling 25 gallons for our boat and 30 gallons for the captain's boat. The boats stood by the ■ ship all night. The vessel was wrapped in flames from stem to stern, and from deck to truck. About midnight the mainmast fell against the mizzen, and carried the mizzen topgallant overboard. By daylight the ship was smouldering, clouds of steem rising from her red-hot ashes. When it was seen that it was impossible to board her again, the captain gave orders to shape a course east by north by half-north, and to make the best speed for Cape Leuwin, about 1,100 miles off. Each boat was 22ft long by sft beam, and was lugger rigged. Our boat made i considerably more headway than the captain's for the first six days, and we had to put back several times to keep company with her. The weather was moderate. There was a stiff blow from the north-east. On the night of the seventh day a strong breeze sprang up from the northward, and in the morning we could see nothing of the captain's boat. We were put on rations. Two pounds of meat made a meal among eleven men. Two condensed milk tins of water were allowed per man per day. After separating from the captain, we encountered a strong i south-west gale, and hove-to for forty hours. With great difficulty the boat was kept from swamping. The wind continued for the next two days from the same quarter, but not so hard, so we were able to make a fairly good run. On the night of the eleventh day a south-west wind strengthened to a gale. All our bread was spoilt by the seas, and we had to heave-to. Starvation was then facing us, and water was running short, each man having half a milk tin per day. We had now only meat to eat and biscuits sodden with salt water. We then began to drink salt water. Berin was taken ill, but recovered. I too used to drink eight or ten mouthfuls of salt water every twenty-four hours, and owing to taking only small quantities was none the worse. The weather moderated until three days before we reached Fremantle, when there was a stiff south south-west wind. Just before we got this breeze we were becalmed for a day. A shark was swimming round the boat for three hours. We sighted the smoke of two steamers, but they did not see us. At four o'clock on Sunday morning we rounded Rottnest Island and started to run across to Fremantle. We were entirely exhausted then, and as we climbed on to the wharf we fell down. We suffered terrible privations thrdugh hunger, .thirst, loss of sleep, and continually wet through. Not one of us closed our eyes for at least three days and nights. In the gale on the eleventh day we several times thought we were lost, and almost gave ud hope.'' The boat which reached Cape Naturaliste contained sixteen men and the captain, who experienced terrible sufferings. Owens and Higgs died of exposure. The captain and a boy are very ill. Received This Morning, 1.12 o'clock. PERTH, February 25. A Government steamer will proceed to Cape Naturaliste to bring the captain and crew of the Carnarvon Castle to Fremantle, the men being too weak to travel by road. 3 A message from the Cape states - that another apprentice died, to-day, 3 as the result of exposure. i A member of the mate's boat states that all worked splendidly anc coolly in the trying voyage to Australia. Occasionally one of their number would lose heart, and the resl would do their best to cheer him up. They had the last sup of water a few hours before they sighted land.

another;vessel wrecked. ■ Received Last Night, 9.28 o'clock. ATHENS, February 25. The Australian-Lloyd steamer Imperatrix, from Brindisi to Bombay, with a crew of 120 and twenty passengers, was wrecked at Cape Elaphionisi, Crete, in a gale. A warship rescued eighteen. The rescue work is being continued.

CABLE NEWS.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright,