WRECK OF THE MINERVA EMIGRANT SHIP.
July 5, 1850.
Early on Friday morning last,
the booming of
several successive heavy guns,
and the discharge
of rockets and blue lights
from the outside
anchorage-told the inhabitants of
D'Urban, that some
disaster had occurred in the
bay. Although
barely one o'clock, a.m.,
numbers were soon
hurrying towards the Point, their
worst fears being
realised on arrival, by
observing through the
gloom that a large ship was on
the reef at the
extreme end of the bluff, on
the opposite side of
the channel. Boats were
speedily put in
requisition, and a nearer view
obtained, but it was quite
day break before it became
certain that it was the
Minerva, a large
teak-built East Indiaman,
that had only anchored in the
bay two days
previously, which was in such a
critical and
dangerous situation. As it was
known, that of 267
emigrants she had brought from
England,
not
more than 40 had been landed
the day previously
the greatest excitement
prevailed as to the
ultimate consequences to those who
remained on
board. Immediate endeavours,
under the
direction of Port Captain Bell,
were made to open up
a communication with the crew
of the ill fated
ship, and at length a line was
successfully
carried from on board to the
shore by means of a
barrel to which it was
attached. On this a large
hawser was then bent and
properly secured to the
masthead crosstrees at one
end, and to a huge
detached rock at the other.
Slung in a travelling
cot formed out of a
strong barrel, a sailor
soon descended the line in
safety, and was
reconveyed with messages to the
ship again,
sufficiently demonstrating to the
anxious passengers and
spectators a secure though
necessarily protracted
escape from the scene of
destruction to which
they were exposed.
It was about the same time
that a volunteer
crew from the Henrietta barque, lying in the
bay, were capsized in the boat
as they were
coming to the rescue. Many of
the sailors
succeeded ded in righting the boat
amidst the surf, and
regaining the seats, but three
of the number were
long struggling in the waves.
Fortunately two were driven on
shore and
saved, although sadly hurt and
almost exhausted,
the third sunk and was seen no
more.
Another line in the meantime
had been
brought from the Minerva by the life-boat
provided for such emergencies,
and which on its
passage was actually dragged
from its perilous
position when it struck upon
the edge of the
outer reef, by a crowd of
sympathlizing
spectators who rushed through the
waves regardless of
consequences, and seized the
boat for this
purpose. The rope being made fast
on shore as
before, the boat returned for
the first cargo of the
passengers, and the
opportunity was taken by
the Government Emigration
Officer, Mr.
Macalroy, to board the vessel and assure the
emigrants by his presence of the
facility with which
a landing might be effected.
The disembarking
now proceeded with great
activity. Such, how
ever, was the violence of the
sea beating upon
the reef that almost every
successive boat upon
striking was immediately
filled with water, and
the greatest exertions
combined with the greatest
coolness on the part of the
boatmen was
required to keep them from being
capsized.
Two of the ship's boats were
soon bilged and
rendered useless, and one surf
boat alone was
left to land upwards of 150
emigrants still
remaining on board. With what
anxiety were her
several trips observed both by
the spectators on
shore and the unfortunates who
had yet to trust
themselves to this perilous
means of escape. On
one occasion three sailors
were washed com
pletely out of her, and thrown
by the violence of
the breakers into deep water,
two, however, were
almost as immediately cast
back upon the rocks
with fearful violence, but
saved by those around.
The third, less fortunate, was
swimming for
upwards of a quarter of an hour
amidst the waves,
exciting hopes and fears in
the hearts of all who
witnessed this accident of the
most painful
nature. After striving
ineffectually to regain
the reef, Mr. Fusteer, the
third mate of the
Minerva, turned
his head to the ship and
made for the still water under
her lee, spars,
hen-coops, and life buoys were
thrown him from
the deck, and he succeeded at
last in seizing one
of the latter, and was hauled
on board almost ex
hausted, by the line attached.
On board the vessel Captain
Moir superintended
the disembarkation of
the emigrants,
whilst Port Captain Bell, at
the head of a
resolute and persevering band of
volunteers, received
them on landing. On each trip,
just at the
point of greatest danger along
the line of the
outer reef, men were stationed
with ropes at
once to cast into the boat,
for all who would to
cling to them, and throw
themselves into the
water, others rushed to the
head of the beating
boat and either lifted her
bodily into a
safer position, or dragged out
of the water
contained in her, the almost
lifeless women and
children.
At length, all the emigrants,
of whom up
wards of forty were children,
being landed with
out loss of a single life, Mr
Macalroy, along with
the acting health officer of
the port, who had
accompanied him on hoard,
returned to the shore.
Two more boats, full of
sailors and officers of the
ship completed the
disembarkment. The first of
these was the bilged life boat
which had been
hastily repaired by Captain
Glendinning of the
Gem, and sent
again to the ship. By this a
party of the sailors
endeavored to make the shore
but were upset at the reef,
and were all
precipitated into the water.
Individuals in all
directions were seen swimming
and floating amidst
the roaring waves, a rush of
the spectators on
shore towards the spot was
made, and by
exertions almost superhuman the
whole were dragged
out of the water, some
seriously injured, and
three nearly drowned. To these
latter of course
immediate attention was paid.
Every means
were adopted for their
resuscitation, and success
at length crowned the efforts
that were made to
restore them to life. In the
last boat came
Capitain Moir and the Surgeon
Mr Prentice; of
the former, we must say, his
conduct on board
during the painful proceedings
of the day was
calm and collected, and after
the expression of
their own losses and
sufferings, all the emigrants
were unanimous in expressing
regret and
sympathy for the situation of their
late commander.
To the port boat's crew,
including the well
known names of Archer, Hodges,
and Viney,
much of the credit is due for
the manner in which
the landing of the emigrants
was effected under
the circumstances of such a
heavy sea and surf
breaking upon the rocks.
Within the next twenty-four
hours scarcely a
vestige of the ill-fated Minerva was to be
seen, the waves having washed
everything away
with the exception of a few
beams and ribs
connecting her keel, with the
timbers of her bow
or head. During the next ten
days also, the
shores of the bluff; of the
inner harbor, and of
the back beach, were strewed
with the remains
of the cargo, emigrants'
chests and stores of all
descriptions. These as they
floated in or were
washed up, were removed to
beyond high water
mark, and a police,
judiciously selected, placed
in charge; still numerous
robberies were effected
during the nights of Saturday
and Sunday.
Several sailors and
others are in custody as being
implicated.
The public sale of the debis
and the right of
beach takes place on Tuesday,
at the bluff, and
in the meantime, a most
exciting scene occurs
daily in front of the custom
house at the point,
where all the floating and
cast up things are
brought to as a depot, and
where the desponding
owners are in constant attendance,
selecting,
identifying, and seeking for
their own, among
the numerous damaged and
disfigured chests,
packages, and clothes,
displayed for that
purpose.
