The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931)(about) |
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Wednesday 13 April 1904
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THE BARQUE ETHEL.
ATTEMPT TO REFLOAT HER.
The tug Euro returned on Monday even- ing from a trip to the barque Ethel, which was stranded near Cape Spencer^ at the beginning of this year. The Euro left Port Adelaide on triday last with gear on board for the Ethel, and arrived et^ her destination on Saturday morning. It is the intention of the owner to make an at- tempt to refloat the Ethel, and Mr. Maiden, of Sydney, has been engaged to do the
work.
Mr. Maiden proceeded to the Ethel
in the Euro, but on arrival affsouth-west I swell which was on was too great to enable communication to be made with the barque. Mr. Maiden, however, was landed at West Cape and he walked to the ship. The fol- lowing morning the Euro proceeded close up to the reef and an attempt was made to establish communication. Three rockets were tired from the shore to the tug, but they were not a success and a boat was sent to the ¿lore.
After a long tussle the men man- aged to get through the surf with a line to the barque. A 2-in wire hawser 200 fathoms long was then hauled ashore hy a team of horses on the beach. The line was run through a leading block to the barque and then taken to the winch, and after a good deal of heaving the hawser was got on board and passed throuch the haw- ser pipe. The Euro then steamed seaward and a three-ton anchor, which was fastened to the hawser, was dropped. Another hawser was paséed on board the barque in the same way and two one-ton anchors were dropped. .*
Everything is now in readiness for the hawsers to be hauled tight, and when this is done some ' of the ballast will be discharged, so that when the oppor- tunity comes the vessel will be all ready to be hauled out into deep water. A 12-ft. sand bank has formed outside the barque, but as it is very loose and of a shifting nature it soon washes away. The vessel is about 200 ft. from the waters ed_e, but as the beach is very steep there is four I fathoms of water close in. The Euro also
landed a quantity of gear at Marion Bay in connection with the salvage work. , A' telegraph operator was taken to Cape Spen- cer and telephone communication between that place and Marion Bay- has been re-
stored.
While putting out one of the line* in the boat some of the men had a narrow escape from being drowned. When rowing to the shore, «wing to. the sea which was on, the boat was capsized in the surf, and it was with 'great difficulty the men were able, to get ashore- . .