AN ISLAND WRECK.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3711, 15 January 1891, Page 2

AN ISLAND WRECK.

SIXTEEN NATIVES DROWNED. The following Particulars of the wreck of the Schooner Julia Pryce at the Islands appears in the Auckland Star of the 7th inst.:— News of a terribly disastrous wreck of an Island trading vessel, a well<known Auckland schooner, came to hand to-day by the s,s. Richmond, from Rarotonga. The loss of the vessel Julia Pryce, a very well-known craft, at one time running on the Auckland coast. She was a little topsail schooner of 41 tons register, built at Mahurangi in 1871. She was formerly owned by Messrs H. Russell and A. Rugge, of Auckland, but for the last couple of years she was the property of the natives of the island of Aitutaki, near Rarotonga. in the Hervy group.

The news to band states that a few weeks ago the Araura, as the natives renamed Julia Pryce, had been totally lost off Aitutaki. She was close "to the shore when a heavy gale came on, and in one of the squalls she was capsized, probably having too much sail at the time. She sank at once, and it is stated that all on board, consisting of sixteen Aitutaki natives, were drowned. The disaster was witnessed by others and the news was reported at Jttarotonga while the Richmond lay there. The wrecked schooner had a rather eventful time of it during the last few years. About five years ago she was driven ashore at Mahurangi, but was got off afterwards. When she was put into commission for the Island trade she made several trips between here and Rarotonga. In May, 1888, she was wrecked at Aitutaki in i hurricane. The natives of the Islands bought the wreck for a few dollars, and after working at hpr for nearly a year managed to get her pitched up to go to sea again. They setit ter U D to Auckland aboutayear ago with a fruit cargo. She was then in charge of Henry Nicholls, au Island trader. Qn the return trip to Aitutaki from here,' when between Eorotongaand Aitutaki, Nicholls disappeared. It was reported that he fell overboard, but it is believed thai he was quietly helped overboard by hia native crew, who had a grudge against him. Since then the Araura, as the natives called her, after the ancient name of Aitutaki, bad been

witli Tahiti and elsewhere, manned by a big native crew and a native " skipper." She was not a seaworthy craft,