TERRIBLE" BOAT ACCIDENT ON THE MANUKAU.

West Coast Times, Issue 288, 25 August 1866, Page 2

TERRIBLE" BOAT ACCIDENT ON THE MANUKAU.

TEN PERSONS DROWNED.

(from the southern endss, Aite. 15.)

One of the most melancholy boat accidents we have recorded for some time past was reported in town yesterday, caused by the capsizing of a ferr-y-boat on the Manukau. during the heavy weather of the previous morriing. The boat contained twelve persons, two of whom, the only survivors of the sad occurrence, arrived q.t Onehunga yesterday, and from them we learn the following narrative of the- ovent :— -The ferry-boat Mystery, . plying between Onehuriga and ■ Awitu,. , a .distance of about fifteen miles, left Garland's Creek, Awitu, at 11 a.m. on Monday, having on board ten passengers, and the body of George Westfall, abushman, who died suddenly at Awitu on Friday last., The remains were being .bropghj; up for interment, and wef6 accompanied by deceased's wife and family, consisting of three children, deceased's wife's sister (Mrs Reynolds), her husband, and one child. The other passengers were Mr Spaulding, grocer and draper, Onehun ga ; Mr Lucas, carpenter, of Parnell ; and Mr Murphy, bushman, of Onehunga. The morning was .gomewhafy rough, owing to. the strong N.W.. breeze-blow-ing, and the sea presented every indication of an increasing heavy swell as the boat left the creek for the open channel. The ferry was in charge of" a boatman named Henry Mitchell, and a youth named Thomas Reed, both residents at Onehunga, and is a small centre board yacht of about three dr four tons burthen. The boa.t ran well with the tide, but owing to the tempestuous sea took in large quantities of water, and the boy was kept engaged in baling her. After crossing the Papakura channel the tide turned, and the cutter ran snug to the wind, which was, blowing in at the time, feiit still continued to ship heavy seas. In this manner several miles of the distance had been run, and the south channel reached in a few tacks. About two o'clock in the aftemoen, rtß tile Vessel Was making d northerly .Course" arid shipjtiiig .Water freely, a. sudden puff bf wiritl aiid tieaVy [ sed cbiillug Bdncui'r'entl^ she. went down stern firs,ti the, sea having filled her^aft and displaced the.ballagt. .„ The .vessel, being; of. & centre-board liuild, quickly i ! o^e lo the surface again on her side, after the greater part of the ballast had be^n capsized. The passengers clung to ( the,ma3tp and topes, , and ,witji the except) on "pi: Mrs WestfdU iiixd family, who were lying sick in one corner of the boat, at the time of the occurrence, those on board kept afloat by this means for some time afterwards. The bdatiilari; H eflry Mitdtltiil, Was the first to sinkv having the use df one hand only, the result of i^, guiA accident some ye l ar& agd. The spectacle, at this time, can be more readily imagined than ; described- v Seven h,un\an bein'ga. .were, hanging between life and, etehiiW) with no probability of rescue from their perilous position. Mr Reynolds, his wife and child, clung togpther, grasping the bponitfppe and standing <m 4he j jb'j .with a poi'tieA only of their btktlcs above water. In this position they remained for more than an hour, the seas breaking over them continually, and threatening to sweep them into oblivion. At length, the jib gave way, and unable longer to hold on by the rope .and battle with Hie" Waves, husband, Wife* aiid child sank beneath the Waves. The others still continued their hold of the sides, mast, arid sails, which lay a feW Feet from the" surface dt the water, The boy crept on to the hull of the Vessel, after leaving the mast, and secured for himself a good position, although the seas were constantly Washing" ovef the wreck. The itteri Lucas arid Murphy were the next to succumb, losing tlieif strengh, or failing through cramp to continue their hold of the ropes and sustain themselves above Water during the heavy rolling Beas which continued to strike them furiously. Mr Spaulding and the boy were now the Only p'ensons clinging to the wreck ; the boy, as we" have said, clinging to the hull, and Mr Spaulding maintaining his hold of the peak, which was raised a short distance above the water. The seas, however, were breaking so heavily over him that little hope of life could be entertained. Finding it difficult to keep above the waves whilst at the peak, which had settled below the water, he changed his postion to the hull, and stood on the mast, still several feet under the water. In this position the two held on to the vessel, whilst it drifted with the tide some miles, and brought them nearer land. Not a sail could be seen to render them any assistance, and their only hope was in being able to grapple with the waves until they should reach the bank or flat running between Papakura and the south channel, some three or four miles distant. This they were providentially enabled to do, and in the evening found themselves high and dry on the bank. No time was to be lost in bailing the vessel and preparing her for the return tide, although little prospect presented itself of being able to prosecute the voyage that night. They accordingly bailed her by means of an empty butter case, anchored her, and remained on board for the night, in the hope of being able to signal assistance on the following morning. In this the unfortunate

voyagers were not disappointed. At daylight yesterday Mr Spalding hoisted a white cloth on the mast, which was soon afterwards seen by some fishermen and Mr William Graham, a settler at Awitu, residing on the beach about eight mites' from the vessel. Mr Girahdni and thS fishermen at once proceeded to the spot, w,hich they, reached between 9 and 10 o'clock. The cutter was then talten iri tow and bi'dught on to dnehunga, where it was beached shortly after noon yesterday; and. information of the occurrence brought to Auckland. The bodies <Jf Mrs Westfall and her three children; aged respectively three, four, and six years, were found under the deck of the boat, where they had crept for shelter from the weather just before the acci-. dent. T'ke bodies were; taken .out an<| conveyed to the ftoyal Hotel, to await a coroner's inquest. The coffin contain- [ ing the remains of the husband, which were intended for interment, was last seen by the surviyors pf tbe wreck drifting away with the tide, and has not, of course,, been recovered. • Tlje : other, bodies have likewise to be recovered as they are washed ashdre with the tides. A siDgular circumstance in connection with this painful event is that Mr Westfall, whose body was on board, had died very suddenly on Friday last, about tfye same hour as , his cqnip^uipn Page fell dead in the shdp of Mr \yatfc-M cheniist, OneHunga, under circumstancea already narrated in these columns. 1

A number of relatives and friends of the deceased persons went from Auck- ! land yesterday, to learn particulars of the accident and to identify the bodies ; amongst whom were the sisters of the deceased.; Mrs .Westfall, whose grief, eri seeing the corpse, &urrounded by ,the" three ciiildreri was indescribable. The husband was an old 58th man, and well known in town. Lucas leaves a wife and five small children to mourn their irreparable loss. His home was in Parnell, but he had been employed for some time past at Shalders's bush as a sawyer. Murphy also leares A wife and two t children in Qriehtingdi; having been at work lately in Messrs. Arrowsmith and McTier's bushes at Awitu. Reynolds, the other man drowned, with his wife and child, ha.d also been working in the^bush, and w^s on his: way to attend tnc funeral tif Westfall. .