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White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

Death Of Captain Mills

Death Of Captain Mills.

Captain Mills, about whose safety the keenest anxiety had been felt, was lying at the bottom of the boat. He died, however, before he could be carried home. Scarcely, however, had the lifeboat discharged her crew when attention was drawn to the state of the surf boat, still riding at anchor, and threatened with instant destruction. In spite of the terrible warning they had received in the fate of their predecessors, another crew was found to man the lifeboat. It was now quite dark, these tragedies having occupied the whole day. The lifeboat succeeded in getting some of the men from the surf boat, and again capsized. She, however, got safe to shore, and made a second trip in absolute darkness and succeeded in bringing off the remainder of the surf boat's crew.

The City of Perth was later refloated and towed to Port Chalmers and docked for repairs. She then loaded a cargo of wool at Invercargill and sailed for London on the 13th April, 1883, in charge of Captain McFarland, making the run home in 86 days.