Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

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

How the Accident Happened

How the Accident Happened.

A narrative given by other survivors of the Forest Queen stated that when the collision occurred the Avalanche was slightly ahead, and being on the port tack she ought, according to the law of the road at sea, to have given way directly she sighted the Forest Queen. As, however, she held on her course, without tacking, it was but fair to assume that either from the darkness of the night or the neglect of the officer on the watch, the near approach of the Forest Queen was not perceived. It then became the duty of the Forest Queen to keep clear, and the master, Captain Lockhart, asserted that, seeing the risk of collision, he ordered the helm to be luffed and that his order was carried out. But it was too late.

Referring to the disaster, Mr. Basil Lubbock, in "The Colonial Clippers," states that the ship which collided with the Avalanche was the Forest of Windsor, of Nova Scotia, that four boats were launched safely and were all picked up by fishermen the following morningpage 167off Portland. Both accounts agree that three survivors only were saved from the Avalanche.

Another ship named Avalanche, a vessel of 692 tons, made four passages to Auckland. On three occasions she was under the command of Captain Stott, and on the fourth voyage under Captain Sinclair. She arrived first on September 2, 1858—96 days; second on May 7, 1860—95 days; third on February 7, 1862—114 days; and fourth on May 16, 1864—102 days. On the passage in 1862 she called at the Cape of Good Hope and shipped some cattle for Auckland. This vessel also made one passage to Lyttelton, arriving there on February 27, 1863.