WRECK OF THE CITY OF NEWCASTLE.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 1023, 19 November 1872, Page 2

WRECK OF THE CITY OF NEWCASTLE.

SUPPOSED LOSS OF TWELVE LIVES. The sad news of a disastrous wreck was brought to Nelson by the Taranaki on Friday night, the lost vessel being the barque City of Newcastle, which, it may be remembered, was for some time lying in Nelson harbor, as also at Wellington, as a coal hulk. The unfortunate ship was wrecked off Wellington head at the entrance to Tory Channel on Thursday morning at about 3 o'clock. The particulars of the affair will be found in the following narrative which has been supplied to the 'Examiner,' by Captain Wheeler of the Taranaki : —The City of Newcastle cleared out of Wellington in ballast on last Sunday evening, for Newcastle in command of Captain Bain, with a crew of nine men and eight passengars—a Mr and Mrs Fox, three other ladies, and thiee children,, On getting into the Straits, the wind being unfavorable, the captain thought it prudent to run over to Port Underwood for shelter, until the weather improved. It having moderated a little by Wednesday night, he proceeded again on his voyage, but at a little before daybreak on Thursday morning, the weather being thick, the vessel by some mischance, either from mistaking the lights, or something being wrong with her compasses, struck on the place described above, which at the time the captain thought was Stephen's Island. As the place was a high precipitous cliff rising sheer out of the water, the captain decided on sending off at once a boat with the four ladles aud three children in charge of three of the crew in order to effect a landing on the nearest beach. The captain, Mr Fox, and three more of the crew, started in about an hour after in another boat, leaving the remaining three of the crew on board the wreck with instructions to cut away the masts, then get on shore as best they could, and light a fire as a signal. After being tossed about the Straits for several hours, the Captain's boat was fallen in with off Cape Kamaru near the islands called " The Brothers " by the Canterbury, a small schooner bound for the Grove, Picton. This little vessel having the five shipwrecked men on board, was fortunately descried flying a signal of distress by the Taranaki; yesterday forenoon, as she was coming out of Queen Charlotte Sound On getting Captain Bain and Mr Fox on board, Captain Wheeler at once put the Taranaki about, and steamed back by Tory Channel to the whaling station, where he landed Captain Bain and Mr Fox, in order that they might get the Maoris living there to go out in the morning to look out for the missing boat containing the ladies and children, and also to take the men off the wreck as soon as the sea went down. Captain Wheeler then took his ship outside the Tory Channel to signal the sailors on the wreck, but there was no sign of either, nor any fire on shore. On the Taranaki returning, and when about six miles from "The Brothers," the sternpost and rudder of a vessel were past supposed to be those of the ill-fated vessel. From there being no sign of the missing boat containing the ladies and children, it is greatly feared it has been swamped, as there has been a frightful gale blowing for the last four days in the Strait.