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black ) one0 red le ox,1 ox,. Ifli day*r.1B-rhite /hite, cd tohigh, d and logi-light rand ; riba down lightHM and f notcr.' and Ider: i reu a the rday, ad.or. ry tone,0 the in it into■■•el. irlng f the1 this urap h he idcr-droet 'K in. rater d tohing him eudt uicg iont. oper rard, id to■ptyhingl»f inlated:om-auedtheancysaptntedpanyyingiiiis-Aiinciation. put into Table Bay j and the John Heyss waa expected with a similar cargo from Adelaida.Nautical Facts and Occurmncbs.The Francis Spaight went on shore at Table BayIn a heavy gale on (be 0th January, when of tb • crew about twenty livea were lost, and several of a boat's crew that went to the rescue. The Government very piopcrly instituted in Inquiry into the circumstances connected with this deplorable event, attended as it was with such fearful loss of life. It appears by the evidence, that on the evening of lha 6th, tba weather was unsettled, and the barometers unusu-a:!y low for that season of the yesri but rain rather than wind being expected, the usual preparations for riding out a gale were not made by the shipping in the bay. During the night the gale increased. At 4 o'clock the top-gallant yards of the Francis Spaight were sent down, the small bower anchor was let go, cable veered on the best bower, to above 100 fathoms, and 90 on tbs small bower. Whilst in the act of striking top-gallant masts, the ship parted the best bower; the small bower was then viered out to tbs clench, and us soon as the clench taughtened, it broke. An attempt it appears, waa then made to make sail on the ship, for tba purpose of working her out of the bay, but without success, and aba eventually drovs down on the strand, which ahe took nesrly broadside on. It appears that ike only means of communicating with the ship at the time of her taking tho tround was by a fishing host, which happened to ba on tba beach in the neighbourhood. Oilers to the amount of £20 were made to the persona in charge of this boat attbe instance of the agent for the vessel, as also by bireself, to Ja-duce him to go off to ber. for the purpose ot bringing a line on shore, but which, alter soma delay, ha finally delined to arcapt. About this time a Mr Tayioi's rocket apparstua arrived, and ha commenced attempting to throws line over the ship by means oi a rocket. The two first attempts fulled, but (be third succeeded to far as to throw a line over the (ore top gallant stay, but of which the crew did not •vail themseives. The people on boa/d tba Francis Speight succeeded in veering a line ashore, by means of a breaker, to wbieh a line was bent on from the shore, but on hauling it ou board it unfoitunately curried away. After this a while boat, which bad been brought to the spot on a waggon, belonging to a Mr Jearey, arrived; she waa manned by hit own people, and waa sent off to the ship, for (he purpose of bringing a line on shore. On her getting alongside, a line waa thrown into ber, and made fast to the boat's thwart. Whilst in this situation, some ot the whale bout's crew called to the men on board the ship to jump into her. This they repeated more than once. The crew then rushed into the boat, with the exception of one man i the boat was then shoved off, and as they were getting their oars to pass, a heavy sea struck her * she filled, and was instantly capsized. With the exception uf one man belonging to the Ftancu Spaight. and two of the whale boat crew, they were all drowned. The man who remained ia the vessel got on •bore safe, at about four o'clock in tba afternoon. It appears thit the sheet anchor of the Fronds Spaight waa not ready lor use, at required by the port instructions, snd also that after she had parted, measures were nor taken for benching her on an eligible spot, instead of attempting to work her out. which, in the opinion of the Board ot knquiry, would have been impossible for ber to have done. Tha Francis Spaight did not make any signals of distress. At about seven o'clock the port captain made the signal to tha vessels in the ba to strike lower yards and top masts, which signal waa not obeyed. The following is a list of the persons drowned belonging to the Francis Spaight:—■ Hen. Patterson,master; Thoe. Hayden, flrat-mate; Magnus Smith, second-mate; Henry Hiatt, steward; Wm. Ryroes, cook; George Hutchings, John Smith (of Leith), John Smith (of Edinburgh), Wm. Widdee, Edw. McDonald, snd David Evans, seamen ; and John Mitten, Tbos. Beddoe, Wm. Hall, and Richard Parker, apprentices. The names of the two men who were saved are James RobtrUon, carpenter, snd John McLeod, seaman. The wreck was sold by public auction ou the besch, snd realised the sure of about £1706. Two chronometers were saved, lha mail had sot been found.
Newspaper Details
Adelaide Observer
Adelaide, South Australia, AU
Sat, Jun 13, 1846
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Sarah B.
IE 02 Feb 2022
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