THE WRECK OF THE AURORA BOREALIS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2307, 29 May 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE WRECK OF THE AURORA BOREALIS.

The wreck of thi;,Anrora Borealis is famous for the sinYnded rescue of her crew. The rescue is one of the giandest achievements of our lifeboat service. Javmim, the Ramsgate coxswain, bended many a dating enterprise in the cause of mercy, but he never did a more striking thing than when he picked the ten wen ried Danes out of the rigging of the ill-fated collier on that bitterly cold January morning. The Board of Trad in their grant to each man, showed what their own countrymen thought of the lifeboat heroes, and the King of Denmark in his gift showed what was thought of then 1 , by the countrymen of the rescued.

The Aurora Borealis was a small barque of 236 tons, hailing from Rihe, a port in Jutland. She was commanded ,by Captain Smith, and was on her voyage from Ncwcastle-oh-Tyne to .Messina with.a cargo of coals, when, at :half'-|'ast four on the morning of.Sunday ■6th January, .1867, she .went:-.ashore ; near the Trinity B ;acon on .the Good■:wius, on tlie south cast'-spit jof'the *sands.'\.-f'i: '*{ *"'' '":*'■: "%'?■:: '■' ■/:; / /.,,

;:; ;It :'Th'c"reiiad been/a heavy: full-;bf snow, and on the Saturd.'iy.a;. gale sprang -'..up which/did immense/damage all. round the coasts.:'-. The flight was-in tensely' tfold^nd'lh&blM '.abbut : :so thickly■;,» t-Ctimes; .as;:to:, hide ;:ftTOly,...;ai^ by; the ■;w'iiid;do'wn;on;i^ i:-.was\-iu';dan^ fc . w of dis:. tress;;'wh.ivli;'w.ere iiie; ; G.ufl';l^^ .rochets, ■vHfe)raat<mM;t^ i-yXhis";' w .lial {!" i |asV- "eitjy en.'.- "oii ■S:itnft|ay;:;iiig^ l-Jliatd;-- - "on.ljr;.--"- j u'^fc; :froin ; ■ one 'rescue,-wc^^ ; the; iibiit'.gbt ■■q'« t.'iil ( : sfsnp\Vrßt6rni iwas so . thicik ttiat; iiothi i)o.; iJotio, and ■ she : returned;ito : w;;|t:fp¥;daylislit. 'At .■.-eiglit'' imthe*ni6rrii ! i« : ;the"'gsile..was : still ng,--'.J'« 11 fxtv _i if,, befitj^^ls' ltLunchetl, jaken ;fonnd;tiic. : Aiiro^ the sand jyith..the. #a 'mak'ingV;.a;;'clean ;breach;oyer her, distress i:m Hying, ■ but.tlii're wer^ip.signs tot Wtodercbyer\o^ ? : >;'reckJ was inX'the;'centred $ mpis. sea, ;-;,fl;w; l so that the:,;:aski;bf; : ;%tremely.difficullv.>.; : 7'^

took th'! ; :;)ifeboat:well lip to wipd waid -and .-;th<r n ■castpff.kid'with :saif lip arid cable' i;';idy;dbwn she came :pn.to;the;' Wlef'.go Janftsixty yards ofcable were run out. ■But before the wn 3k could lie reached ■ there came a hujio billow which crashed iiddwii" on to the ;;arulsw(>pt her oyer a'hundred prds'td icewiird.j\ Ihits-y.jilio.- .first'.;;attemjit Tailed;. : ]ou -,■'. %!;!?■s*' teetli; of tiie;.wiiid and;cast'oli.' ;s> w nr#^ .'critical moment'- thy .warn: 'Sized her ■and swept ;;a)temptfailed.;an ; .i.the:rising,t;ide.l)a(l "driven the y Danes from';the. deck; .'and :iiilhe biting sleet "they 'had i-lashed a ; .sj(iir iirt the mizen-. shrouds and were .clinging to it.and -wiitching and'dreadfailure.'-"?';''' 4 '--;' ■ ; :: ;■'•■-■; ..'■■■■'; ';;i;The men shipjie'l their oius, : but they ■ : were; wrenched otiv, of their hands by and, nsth:- sail v was useless in. such a tempest, leeward, and was "again;picked up by i o; commanded'' the-; : Aid. ;;Again;;he; with' :Jier;intp the -■y{nd.' , and a«aiu;sL'(shot-dowl on:'her

;feiriind.- ; As flip sliip.'.ij. rope ;was;tbrbwn, imt y i he.. distance, was too' great, arid, for: th« v third jtime';;there >as;.;a ;.,miss:; ■ ' At.d all the- "-while the'

:-waves : ;wi!re .boiling tound,'. arid" the. wi.nd, ; was .howling .:ynd- actually "/shear-" ;ing off the foauf'cr'ists in Wfbrce. ;■' ;;;;:Tlie'fourth'atteiiii)t/was';difierently manned.; -Tlie -steamer tried'to ■tow ;the.boiit to the .ship, 1 .; Imt the danger /proved.too great; ,mid,.lifter 'rolling J'ftbout with her guirwiile's.'.uiider .water the.calile bad to bc-cut, and both tug and boat went a w.y down the wind"! "And now thedeks burst up, and ■ tho sea was black with coal dust and pieces of the foreeaiitlu wers forced off and borne about by the billows. The danger was pressing, and a fifth attempt was made. Simpson brotHit the Aid close down, and tried to fire 'a line from the'mo-tar, but before he could do so th(!stt;i,mer was seized and actually thumped 'down on to the saiid by the angry a-a. The tug was hacked ■ out of peril, and 1 hen the boat was picked up, and awuv they went for the sixth attempt' ".We won't go home without them." said the men, • The story of the rosette has been so well and fully told 'oy the Ito. John Gilmore, tbe. rector of Holy Trinity, Kamsgate, in his "Storm Warriors," that wc cannot do better than quote the last trial from that stirring record of lifeboat work on the Goodwins, It is so well known as a reading that were fe not to do so our account would, seem to be but a bald and feeble abridgement. The quotation is from the chapter "Victory oa Death." At last one of the men proposes a plan which must ii-.deed prove rescue to the shipwrecked or death to all. " I tell you what, my men, if we are going to save those poor fellows there

is only one way of doing it—it must, be i a case of save all or lose all, that is just it. We must go in upon the vessel straight, hit her between the masts, and throw our anchor right over upon her decks." " What a mad-brained trick j" says one. " Why, tho boat would be smashed to pieces." " Likely enough; but there is one thing certain, is there not ? and that is that »ve are never going home to leave those poor fellows to perish, and I do not believe that there is any other way of saving them, and so we must juso try it. And God help us and them." Not a single word against it now 1 What, charge in upon the vessel in that mad rage of sea! Victory or death indeed I Most of tbe men on board the lifeboat are married men with familiesloved wives and loved little ones dependant upon them. Thoughts of this, tender heartfelt thoughts of home come to them. ."Well, and so we have, .and have not those poor perishing fellows also got wires and little ones, and aro they not thinking of their homes and loved ones as much as we are thinking of ours 1 and shall we go home, having turned back from even tbe greatest danger, without having tried all it is possible to try; go home to our wives and little ones and leave them to perish thinking of theiis? No, please God, that shaHnever be said of us.": ■ Such thoughts as these pass through the"-minds; of some of the boatmen. And what think the poor nearlydrowned crew, of the unfortunate ivesself;,'--'.■■.'."";-.'"'- .-"'". 'There, they are, clinging to the loose and shaking rigging, a few feet above the boil of the hungry and raging sea, Tliey have seen effort after effort'made and effort after effort fail;. they have watched the men dp more than they , ever, dreamt it was possible for'.men to do; and they,have watched -the...: lifet boat: live and battle with ■■ seas .with which; they never'.thought it possible ■ a boat'cbuld for one moment coptend; I time'after''tim'e'.they.have thought the boatmen were drowned ,as they saw \ the huge curling waves break over the ,- boat, swainp : it,-bury it in the weight of. their; falling volume'/ of, water, 1 and , for hide.all .from view.; [ they -have'been watching the men per- ; seyereln; attempt after attempt,; when ,- they thought that fjom sheer exhaits- : tion it would be impossible for them, to I make another effort for their rescue/ * : -With equal, wonder and admiration :' they, watched tho noble 'efforts 1 of .the ■'' steamer, marked how nearly she was ' wrecked,;and when she failed gave up , all as lost; deciding in their minds that inVsueh a' rush of broken sea, strength of tide and gale of wind, that I it is impossible for the boat to reach I them or for them to be saved, and all but one gave up all hope. When the '■ captain said in despair, " The life-boat t cannevormake another effort." this man answered, V I have sailed in 1 English ships; I have often heard of .. their lifeboat workj and I know that j they never leave any to perish as long . as they can see them, - and they will I not leave ns," ■■"'■■''.'■ V ;":'.'-' :.. :.; I ; ; '.'And, look! here she comes again! I Oh. God help them I God help them!" ( Yes,'. liere she comes, again ;. the a steamer has hastened to tow her,, into \ positien, ..well: to ; windward of the wreck; "And here she comes again," ■ ...Once more the boat heads, for the r wreck—this time to do or to die ;■ each man knows it, each man feels it. They ■ are crossing the sterir of the vessel. f " Look at that breaker—look at l that breaker. Hold on, hold on! it will be ■ alLbver with us if it catches: us; we ; shall be thrown high into the masts and ; shaken out.into sea in a moment! '. Hold on all! hold on!.'. Now it comes! , No; thank God, it breaks ahead of us, ' and we hive escaped.; Now,., men'; be. , teady, be ready!" Thus shouts the '■'■ coxswain. Every man is at his station, ' some'with ropes in hand ready to , lower the sails, others by the anchor, , prepared to throw it overhWd at. the , 'right moment. -. Round past the stern r of the vessel the boat Pies, round in the 1 blast of the gale and i he swell of the \ sea; down below, round she comes. ' Down foresail! The ship's lee gunwale is under water, the boat shoots forward I straight for the wreck, and hits ( . the lee rail with a shock that almost , throws all the men from their posts; and | then, still forward, she literally, leaps on board the wreck. Over! Over with s the anchor! It falls on the vessel's [ deck. All the crew of the vess-I are in j the mizen shrouds, but they cannot get I to the boats; a fearful'rush of sea is j. chasing over the vessel and between j them and it. Again and again the , boat thumps on the wreck as on a rock, j «'ith a force that almost shakes the men from their hold. ) The waves soon lift the boat off the ( deck and carry tev away from the vessel. " Is even this attempt to be a ', failure 1 No, thank God! the anchor , holds; veer out the cable; steadily, my j men, steadily; do not disturb the t anchor more than you ca« help; we ° shall have them them.now I We shall I have them, All will/be well. Ease ; her a bit; ease h'.uy See how sho | plunges; a little more cable. ; Now for the grappling iron-quick I throw it over that line. Th-re you have it I" And they haul on board a line; which had been made fast to a cork fender i and thrown overboard from the wreck j early in the day, but which the boatmen had never before been able to i reach, i They get the b&at straight ball! in

slowly upon both ropes, eheerto the crow,'« Hurrah, mates 1 hurrah!" All is joy find excitement, but at the same time steady attention to orders. Now the boat is abreast the misen rigging, opposite to where the men are clinging. " Down helm, the boat sheers in ; haul in upon the' ropes men, handsomely, handsomely." Tlie boat jumps forward, hits the ship heavily with her stern, crashes off a large piece of her forefoot. The men aro for a moment thrown down with the shock. Two of the boatmen spring on to the raised bow gunwale,-and seize hold of the captain of the vessel, who seems nearly dead, and drag him in over tho bows. Two of the sailors jump on board. "•Hold on nil! hold on !"

A fearful sea rolls over them, the boat is washed away from the vessel. The anchor still holds; they sheer the boat in again; they make the. ropes fast and lash the boat to the shrouds of the wreck, thus verily nailing their colours to the mast. No! they will not be washed away again until they have all tne crew on' board.

A sailor jumps from the rigging, the boat sinks in the trough of the sen, the man falls between the boat and the wreck; a second more and the boat will be on top of him, crushing him against the rail of the vessel, upon which the keel of the boat strikes and grinds cruelly. Two boatmen seize him, leaning right over the gunwale to do so; they are almost dragged into the •water; they are seized m turn by the men in the boat, and all are with difficulty got on board. Up the boat (lies and crashes against the spar lashed to the rigging. "Jumpin, men, jump in all of you. Now. now!" In they spring and tumble falling upon the men, and all rolling over into ..the bottom of the boat, All are now on board. ■" Herrah ! cut the lashings, then ;■ she falls away from the wreck. Gut the cable! quick with the hatchet! All gone,.all gone I Up.foresail!" The-seas catch the boat and bear her away from the wreck. Away she goes with a bound,,.'(lying through the broken water. ~ The, heavy wind fills the sail;: they are. fairly under way. and with the. precious freight for which they had fought so long and so gallantly safely on. hoard. Thank God ! thank God!., all are saved at last—saved at last.. '■'■■'-j '.-■;"-■