WRECK OF THE SURAT IMMIGRANT SHIP.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 37, 10 January 1874, Page 7

WRECK OF THE SURAT IMMIGRANT SHIP.

Ux tlie morning of Friday, thy 2nd inst., tch'g.ums were published in Dunedin, announcing that tlie ship Surat, with 27b" immigrants on board, had gone ushore at Catlin's River. The news created considcrnble excitement in town, as the el>ip carried a valuable cm-go, and i s the second to this port of the New Zealand Shipping Company's fleet The statement that the puFsengt-rs were safe allayed all apprehension ior the livc< of those on board. A iew houis after tlie receipt of "the telegrams, tl c French war ship Vire sailed ficui Port Chalmers for tho scene of the wreck, having Captain Thomson, Harbour-master and other gentlemen interested in the ship, on board. Cuorain Jacaue mart deceives the greatest credit far the prompt offer "of his shm to tne Provincial Government for tiie conveyance "to Port of the immigrants. It appears that about ten o'clock on New Year's eve the SSurat shuck o.i a submerged rock some icilcs irom Catlin's river her speed earning her over. When the Surat first struck, there was the most intense excitement onboard. One of the passengers says that when the *e«eel bumped on '.he rocks a considerable shoe" was felt a id us the ship went over- the rock a noise was heard resembling the rumbling of iron ra >ks being moved about. Some of the passengers state th-it tlie pumps wcro never Bounded, in order to attain whether the slim vasm.kmsany water or not until long after she passed over the jocks, lho h tie buy in vvl,Kh tne vessel anchored on the following inorniiig 13 called Bloody Tack ; . liny. wwtufe Nearly all the passenger' e utcWnts are to the effect that, after the Surat .fuck, and before .he was beached, the.c was <-on*iderable coniuu.n and disorder on bou.d. Attempts on the part of the passengeis to Mg n:..l me p.isbing steamer Wanga.iui weie stopped, revolves wereproumvd, and violence threatemd. The water gained notwit li.landing the worlung of the pumps incessantly by* .ho o.ew a, d pußso»g,re, m- luuu.g the married women and girls, all of whom took *e»r turn u t the work. When it was do.ermincd to beach ,he vessel and the boats were lowered, the men behaved most creditably, according to the accounts wo have heard. The wom,n, child, en", ani old men wciemitKi boas beiore the otle- men followed; there were no accidents, j ilot 11.-yuard, who is aho Harbor Master at Port Mol ". neux and Latlms river was of great assignee in pointing out the beet place to beach he eh.p, and in landmg the passengers and gett n° them together. The passengers also speak weli°of the .& carpent.r, whose name „ Lodge, the sailmnkor, and a seaman named Donovan Dr I.ghe also made him-elf most useful, both on bo id during the t:u:e when great confusion, and excrement prevailed and

after the passengers wore landed. At oho time some of the- women nro snid to huvo been almost frantic wih excitement, wavin» their shawl* end handkerchiefs, and making all tho efforts in their power to attract the attention of those on board the Wanganui ; and a few of the male passengers had a great deal of trouble to endeavor to cilm them and get them be!ow. The excitoment did nit hist long, and when it was over all tho ptssengera are reoorted to have become remarkably culm. There was no moonlight, and rain was falling nearly , * f . Ume - TIltJ Passengers appear to have suffered a great deal of hardship. Very few of them managed to got ashore with more than the clothes they had on, and tlie majority of them were in bod when tho vessel struck, and wlien tho confusion be-au, a few had barely clothe* to cover them. In landing, some of them ran a great risk o"f Josmg their lives, and most of them reached the shore cold, wer, and miserable. The scene on board the Vire, on her arrival at Port, was ii ounous one. Tho decks were crowded with men, women, and children, who all boro some evidences of the hardships they had lately gone throiuh. The women and children were riressed'in anything that could kep them warm, and mest of the youngsters hud pieces of grey blanket wrapped about, them. Soin-j of the gi-ls had no'covering tor their heads, and a few of the men appeared to bo wearing nothing but oilskin.}. On the passage up, every attention was shown to the passengers by the officers und men of the Vire. lhe burnt has been valued at about £23,00 J, and it ii rumoured that an insurance had been effected over her for £15,000 before she left London. Her cargo has been valued at £100,000. The ship and cargo have been purchased at auction by Messrs Gnthrie and Larnach, Dunedin, for £7050, and that iirm with'tlie fleet of steamers and lighters at its -lispoyal, and h.tving the advantage of a siw milling establishment in the ncighborhoo i from which laboiynaterail and machinery, Is procurable, is taking most energeti« measures for the discnarge of tho cargo, and, if possible to get off the ve f sel. Large numbers of men and supplies of provisions have also been sent down from Dunedin. The Mayor of Dunedin, Mr A. Mercer, nromptly inaugurated a Su.-at Relief Fuid, and .i committee of which lie arid Mr S Reeves, are chairmen and treusureis, was appointed at a public meeting called' by him. °

Mr Paul has been appointed collector for Dunedin, and the-up-eountry Mayors liavo been asked to co operate with tlie city in the matter. The following subscriptions have been acknowledged ; Hon J. Vogel, £20 ; Kennedy Family, £10 lOj ; Bishop Morau, £5 ; Rev! W. C-jleman, £5 ; Messrs Contell & Moodie, £5 ss ; Kcv. Dr Stuart £2 2s ; Mr 1). Pnns (Christchurch), £5 5s ; his Worship tho Mayor (A. Mercer, Ksq ), £5 ss. The Sub-Committee which made the necessary inquiries reported they " did not think it necessary to include in their report the losses sustained by the single men uud women, though they regret to say vary heavy losses have accrued to most of them. The Sub-Committee hud un interview with the heads of thirty-seven families, who have each sustained heavy losses, more or leesj — in short, it may be said these people have lost cvir/thing they possessed. Tho loss by the married people we coi: pute roughly to amount to £1800, and adding to this^nnount tho loss of property of the unmarried immigrants of, s.iy, £700; the totnl loes would amount to upwards of £250°. Your Sub-t. ommittcc c.mnot conclude their report without expressing their admiration of the prompt and straightlorwnrd statement* irmdo to them by the several persons examined. So tor from desiring to eiu"geiate then- losses, there was evinced a manly independonee'of spirft and in one or two instances, a disinclination to accept assistance. It is leported that ut the oUlcial mquiiy some s>trunge revelations will be made.