TELEGRAPHIC.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1074, 15 May 1882, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC.

UJUI'ED PRESS ASSOOIATS)if.) • ' ■ 1 i ■——— THE MINISTRY. >•; Wellington, this day> Mr Oliver has rejoined the Government, and was sworn in before the Governor at Christchurch on Friday. . • earthquake" , . NEW INDUSTRY. - , , - Wellington, this day. A slight shock of earthquake was-felt early this morning. . Patea. At a meeting of farmers and 'commercial men on Saturday it was resolved to form a licensed company, to be called the Patea Oil and Fibre Manufacturing Company, Limited, with a capital of £Booo.in, 600 shares. 250 shares were taken up. SAW MILL-LOSSES. Dunedin, this day. Guthrie & Larnach'a balanceaheet shows losses for the year of Ji24,949 due entirely to two sources, the burning of the Paraha mills and the winding up of two large branches. NATIVE PROPOSALS. Alexandra, this day, It is proposed th.it To Ngakau and ten J other prominent chiefs shall accompany - Te Wtiooro to Auckland to draw up a basis of arrangements for submission to Parliament. TERRIBLE SHIPPING CALAMITY AT TIMARU, WRECK OF THE SHIPS BENVENUE " AND CITY OF PERTH. ; SAD LOSS OF LIFE. HEROIC BEHAVIOR OF LIFE-BOAT CREWS. DEATH OF THE HARBOR MASTER. Timaru, May 14, A terrible calamity happened in the harbor to day, During the night a very heavy sea was running, and afl o'clock the ship Benvenuo broke adrift, and the crew left in open boats for the City of Perth, The latter rode by a single hawser until 3.45 p.m., when she parted, and both wrecks came within a short distance of each other. Before the City of Perth parted her hawser, all the crews left in four bouts. The mate had both legs broken by the recoil of the cable. Soon afterwards Captain Mills, the Harbormaster, with a full boat's crew, went off, and two other boats followed. Captain Mills got nn board, but soon after the hawser parted, and the three boats left for the shore. Nearing the breakwater terrific seas swamped ono boat, and the two others turned back to rescue the men, who could be seen standing up in the swamped boat from the shore. Of the two other boats which turned back to the rescue, one got swamped, a terrible sea, white with foam, having caught her When the sea passed those left wore seen stripping, The life-boat was got out and sent to the rescue, but after getting some on board the same fate overtook her. She was seen to right, and full of men, but apparently helpless, and a terrible sea kept sweeping into the harbor, and the surfboat which went to help the drowning men was in imminent danger, without being ablo to do any good, The shore is now, at 5.15 p.m., lined with agonised spectators, powerless to holp the boats left.. It is not known how many have perished, as, the boats are still heaving in the sea, and no help from tlio shore is possible, It is feared that all will be lost, It is rapidly getting dark.

The Benvenue is huh and dry at low tide.

Later. The life-boat has just come in with Captain Mills and Bill Corliss, the Harbor Board coxswain-a brave old Yarmouth boatman. Tltev are both safe, and a number of others, apparently in number not more than her own crew Four boats wore involved in the disaster, whose crews must have numbered at loaat 30 men. The surf bo;U is still out helpless, arid the life-boat, with a fresh volunteer crew of brave fellows, is juat going to her rescue, The men in the life-boat were nearly exhausted, and were carried up to the Royal Hotel in blankets, amid the vociferous plaudits of two or throe thousand people. It is now ebb tide, and a fearful sea is breaking in (he harbor. Intense anxiety is felt for the safety of the surfboat, as it is almost dark, and she has apparently lost all her oars.

6V.N. The life-boat has just returned with part of the crew of the surf-boat. A heavy sea struck her, and sho capsized, but lost none of the crew, and she had to leave the surf-boat with three or four men still on board, A fresh crew haß gone off. Captain Macdonald, of the City of Perth, was in tho accident, and is weak. Captain Mills is very muoli exhausted. The life-boat was grandly handled, the first time by Jack Mcintosh, the coxswain, and by George Finlay the second time,

. Lamst. Further particulars show that after the arrival of the lifeboat at the wharf some seven or eight men had been picked up, but Captain Mills, tho Harbormaster, died a few minutes after he came on shore, Altogether seven men, including Captain Mills, are accounted for as missing, but it is almost certain that more men were drowned. The event has quite upset the people at Timaru. The polico and others are now searching along the beach to pick up bodies. The names of the men missing are—Robert Gardner, mate of the City of Perth, D, M'Lean, carpenter same vessel, Wm. McLaren, waterman of Timaru, Samuel Wilson, boatman of Timaru, Martin Beach, boatman of Timaru, Harvey McDonald, boatman of Timaru, and Alexander Mills, Harbormaster of Timaru.

| SERIOUS GUN ACCIDENT. Opunakb, this day. A lamentable gun accident occurred here here yesterday resulting in seriously injuring a young man named Thomas Fowler. He and another named Walter , Stait were out shooting when the gun of the latter aocidently exploded, the charge' entering the left side of the face, fraotur iiig the upper ]aw, and taking away portion of the ear of Fowler. Until the doctor reports to-day, it is not known if there aro any hopes_ of his recovery. Fowler was held in high estimation. NATIVE STABBING. , Patea, this day. Information has just bean received that two Natives were stabbed by another Native at Waitotara last evening; No particulars to hand.' , ATTEMPTED MURDER, Chbistohoroh, this day. Information has just been received in town that Mr John Deans of Ricc&rton has been shot in the- shoulder on- his. estate, prejomably by poachers. r ~ '