WRECK OF THE NORTHERN STAR.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 190, 24 March 1893, Page 2

WRECK OF THE NORTHERN STAR.

As we anticipated last week the hull stranded on tlio South Kaipara Head is that of the barque Northern Star 327 tons, an Auckland owned vessel which left Hokianga with a cargo of timber for Wellington about a month ago, The logs picked up have been identified as part of her cargo. The bulwarks, counters, and stern of the vessel are all gone. Part of a ship's boat, and two large spars, believed to have belonged to the Northern Star, were picked up at the mouth of the Mokau river, 140 miles south of where the hull stranded. The vessel herself was uninsured and will therefore be an entire loss to her ownars, Messrs Stone Bros, effected an insurance over the cargo in the Now Zealand Insurance Comoany for £SOO, bo fore the barque sailed. The Northern Star loaded at aratapu some mouths ago and was then under the command of Captain Bushell. Her Auckland owned career has not been an uneventual one. Less than two years ago she was purchased in Auckland by Captain Gregory O. Norris (now of the brigantine Anthons) and two others, being then registered here. She left Auckland with a cargo of bricks and other dead weight for Nelson, but put back about a. week afterwards, leaking, having had a narrow escape from foundering in a gale. She was then discharged and repaired. Her ill luck still pursued her, for, some time afterwards., about the middle of last year, she was dispatched to ! ocky Island, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, fora load of guano for Auckland. On her return voyage from Rocky Island to Auckland, she had a most unfortunate experience, her passage lasting live mouths, during which she had to put in at a West Australian port, short of water and provisions. She arrived at Auckland from Cocky Island on ihe 11th December last, discharged her guano, refitted, and sailed hence on the 13th of January in ballast for Hokianga to load baulk kauri timber for Wellington. At Hokianga she loaded up with a full cargo of timber, including a deck load of kauri logs, add left Hokianga Heads on the 20th ult. for Wellington. Captain John McKenzie was in charge. Since that time nothing has been heard of her. She doubtless fell in with the thick of the recent easterly weather and S.E. to S.W. gales, which were experienced on the North New Zealand coast.

The master of the Northern Star was Captain John McKenzie, a native of Nova Scotia, about 7S years of age, having formerly been master of the Auckland owned iron barque Presto. His brother is master of the brigantine Eillari Donan, of Auckland, and his relatives reside at Waipu. The following is a list of the officers and crew who sailed in the vessel :—First officer, M. Chase (native of Liverpool, England, aged 36 years) ; second officer, D. Stimulative of Wangaroi aged 21 years) ; cook and steward, 11. Reilly (late of H.M.s. Kingarooma a native of Belfast, aged 24 years) ; A. B’s, A*. Pearson (Norway, aged 45 years) ; J. Barry (Queenstown, aged 38 years, formerly in barque Kathleen Hilda) ; James Gibson (Chester, aged 30 years) ; M. Hegglan (Ireland, aged 2-1 years. This is the second timber laden vessel from Hokianga that has been lost at sea within the last three years. The former vessel being the barque Kentish Lass which left Hokianga in June, 1890, for Sydney and was never more heard of. In February, 1891, the barque Rose M. left the u aipara for Melbourne and never appeared again. The wreckage of a large vessel of about 400 tons has come ashore off Black Rock, Ohuka beach, Raglan. The wreckage is a portion of the vessel’s bows, near the keel, the deck beam being 22 or 21 feet wide. The timber is American pine, and is fitted with copper bolts. [From the latter telegram it would now appear to be beyond doubt that the unfortunate barque struck the shore near Raglan and then drifted off again and stranded at Kaipara. as the wreckage washed ashore there tallies with what has been found to be missing foom tiic hull of the Northern Star-]