THE WRECK OF THE LY-EE-MOON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2315, 8 June 1886, Page 2

THE WRECK OF THE LY-EE-MOON.

—• > .■ ; ' SUFFERINGS OF THE SIjjJVIVORS. * Reuteu's.TkleobaE. , ! , Melbourne, June 1. Early, yesterday/morning news' was received'tliat the. passenger stoaraer Ly- i ee-moon had been wrecked at Green Cape on'.Sunday evening', while oh her , way between Melbourne and Sydnoy, and seventy lives lost.' Later'news confirmed " 4 -i the storyjuid left much cause to wondor why the'accident should happen, the weather being clear and the captains "{\ . of the nimt trusted in the CojsjdHi/ t servico. -This vessel passed GabolWMa v at a quarter to eight,' when' Captain Webb is reported to have fjivenl the 'course ; which should have taken her clear of Graon Cape. He then left the deck after giving instructions to be cailed whon the steamer nearod the cape. \On returning ' to the bridge at a few. minmes to 9, h« ' found the Vessel heading straight for • the | reof. The engines were immediately reversed, but' the vessel dashod on. % th» rock with such force as to part her in Most of her passongers appeared to have 11 * " been below. . Within ten minutes of striking, the fore part of the vessel broke right away,'and drifted towards the shore, turning round oventuallyAnd lying broadsido 'on the rocks short, All the passengers . and orew on this part of the vessel clung. to the rigging and bulwarks. Heavy sea's are continually' washing over"i her deck. Shortly after the vessel beW.-.in'tbii position the'..foremast went mOond, and just touching the rocks. T»b"oikT--~ swain and three seamen made theW way ashore on the m,ast,,but shortly afterwards the topmast broke, and this means of escape was no longer available. The lighthouse-keeper, with hia staff of sea. men, tried a long ; timo without avail to throw a lino aboard. At last the boat- i swain succeeded in throwing a brass lock. with a fishing line attached over the vessel, which ..caught, and a rope was attached to the lino, pulled aboard, and ' madofust. A bowline was then attached to the rope, and ali the remaining pas* sengers that woro saved wore then pulled. i ashore by means' : of tho bowline. The J after-part of tho ship romained on tho ~ fi reefja hundrod'yards from the shore. ■ It was impossible to render those aboard ' ' any assistance, as no boots could live in the sea. Unfortunately, no rockets, or life-saving apparatus,.except ropes, "Were at the lighthouse, All the engineers and greater part of the crew and steerage passengers were lost. Among the incidents of (k wreck it is mentioned that there was jfty one lady •n the deck of the foreparts the vesßoL The third officer. (Fofcheringham),mado a gallant attempt to take her aßhoftf and nearly suceeded, when she was ityßk by some floating dobris and In addition to this lady, two other passengers died, not from drowning, but from exposure, and the exposure endured and the dangers experienced by the survivors may be gathered from the fact that although the vessel struck at 9 , p.m. those rescued were not all landed until half-past three a.m. All those are doing well,' though some are much knocked about.

One steamer passed the Cape, bound north, after the ateamer Ly-ee-raoon struck, She stopped temporarily, but was unable from hor position to render any assistance. During the whole trial, the behaviour of tho passengers and crew was exceedingly good.

The brave third officer (Fotheringham) had charge of the vessel at the time. How the vessel got into the roef, oloße under the lighthouse, so sfotl a distance from shore, is a mystery, m _ Among the passengers w»j lost' their lives was a Mr A, McGregor, son of Mr A. McGregor, of the British Hotel, ho being employed in the New Zealand Company's Office. Tho Ly-oe-moon was not insured, tho company adopting tho principle of doing their own underwriting,