One of the most unaccountable wrecks that ever took place on the New Zealand coast was that of the ship Surat, an iron vessel of about 1000 tons, which was lost near the Catlins River mouth, south of Dunedin, on New Year's Day, 1874. Under charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company, she left Gravesend on September 28, 1873, with a valuable cargo and 271 emigrants. She was in command of Captain Johnson, and was bound for Dunedin. The next thing the people of Dunedin heard of the Surat was on January 9, 1874, when word was sent in from the coast that the ship was ashore near the Catlins River. At that time there was in dock at Port Chalmers a French warship named the Vire (Captain Jacquemart), and as she was the only suitable boat to send to the rescue, her captain hurried matters on. She was undocked right away, and left at top speed for the scene of the wreck. When the French warship reached Catlins River on the morning of the 10th, the unlucky Surat was lying, a total wreck, on the beach, with all her masts still standing, and some of her canvas flying loose in the wind.

Confusing Accounts.

Exactly what had happened is not too clear from contemporary records, but apparently there was something wrong with the "afterguard," because as a result of the inquiry the captain's certificate was cancelled; the mate also lost his, and that of the second mate was suspended for two years.

It was at ten o'clock at night, on the last day of the year, that the Surat struck a submerged rock off Chasland's Mistake. Many of the passengers werepage 285 in bed, and the scene that followed must have been full of excitement. The deck was soon crowded with excited men, women, and children, many of them only in their night garments. The captain apparently stood out to sea after the ship struck, as she was not making much water; but as she later began to leak badly, the master decided to run her ashore. Before this, apparently, though there is much confusion in the current accounts, a vessel named the Wanganui, a steamer, passed up the coast, and there was something like a riot between the Surat's passengers and the Surat's master. The passengers, especially the women, were in a fever of excitement, and wished to signal the Wanganui for help. It was stated that there was great confusion. The captain admitted afterwards that he had produced a revolver, and threatened to shoot anyone trying to signal the Wanganui. One account says that the captain hauled down the signals the passengers tried to make to the Wanganui; that the chief mate wanted to scuttle the boat, and had to be disarmed by the passengers; and that, otherwise, confusion prevailed.

Ran Her Ashore.

Eventually, however, the master of the Surat made for the shore, with the intention of beaching her; and it was after this was accomplished that she was found by the French warship. Another steamer, the Wallabie, apparently a coastal boat, was the only boat small enough to negotiate the bar. When she got inside she found that the greater part of the Surat's passengers had been hurriedly landed, and were being well cared for at the sawmills of Messrs. Guthrie and Larnach, and Mr. G. F. Reid, as well as in all the available huts and cottages. The Wallabie took a lot of the people up to Dunedin, but most of them were accommodated on board the French warship, which, when she arrived in Dunedin, had a most motley assortment of people in all sorts of garments. The unfortunate immigrants had lost all they had, but the people of Dunedin were very good to them, and treated them most kindly.

In his account of the disaster, the master of the Surat said that when he stood inshore again after bumping, he anchored the ship in a little bay near Catlins River, and landed some of the passengers. Soon afterwards it was found that the ship was sinking, so the cables were slipped, and the ship run ashore at the Catlins River. The remainder of the passengers were then landed, and also the crew. Nothing was saved but a little bedding. The ship had on board a lot of railway iron, and plant for the Kaikoura woollen factory. Among the immigrants there were several people who had come out to work in the mill.

At the inquiry into the wreck, the captain stated that he had not been supplied with the proper charts, and the pumps would not work. He admitted that he had been drinking, and that he threatened to shoot anyone who tried to signal the Wanganui. The Court held that the captain and his officers were blamable on several points, and that their wrongful acts resulted in the loss of the vessel, the Court's finding as to their certificates being as mentioned above.

The figurehead of the Surat, an admirably-carved head of a woman, was recently renovated, and placed in the Otago Early Settlers' Museum as a memento of the tragedies of the pioneering days.

the Surat made a trip to Auckland in 1864. She sailed from the Downs on June 20, and experienced very poor N.E. trades, and crossed the line on July 25. The S.E. trades also proved indifferent and baffling, and the meridian of the Cape was not passed until August 20. Captain Dunlop, who was in command, ran down the easting between the parallels of 48 and 49 degrees with moderate but very wet weather. the Surat came south about, the Snares being sighted on September 23, 88 days out. Thence light winds and variable weather was experienced up the coast. She brought a total of 112 passengers, and arrived on October 4. Two New Zealand chiefs who had been Home for two years came on board, suffering from consumption, and died on board.