Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wednesday 6 July 1870, page 4


WRECK OF THE COLONIST.

WE have been favoured by Captain Banks, who proceeded by the Thetis (s.) to the wreck of the Colonist, on Elizabeth Reef, with the following particulars of the trip -

" Left Sydney on the evening of Tuesday, the 23th ultimo, and

arrived at the reef about 4 p m of Friday, the 1st instant, when, tho weather appearing xcrj unsettled and threatening, it xvas /deemed advisable to get the men off the xvreck that night if possible, and with this x lew Captain Hutton despatched a boat in my charge, with a crew of four men, one of whom xxns Mi

Hawkins, late!) chief officer of the Colonist, and to his know ledge of the locality we were indebted to reach the x cssel tbnt night

" Lli/abeth Reef ¡s ol an oblong snape, with x cuetimference of about 15 miles, its greatest diameter being 1 S L and XV N XV On the b 1 segment he» the w recked bai que Douglas, about 2 miles to the M N XX of xilncli is tlio wicck of the schooner Colonist, fiom which, miM. direction, distant about ¡ mile», is the puss through wheh we cnteitd Ibis piss s about 2 cable» length in width, and carnes fiom 9 to 10 fathom» of xvatcr, which, on getting insidi, sho ils to 5 or 0

, "%Xc cntcicd the pass at ncailj low water, and proceeded

towards the wicck about a quarter of a mile, when the bo it tprounded on what I was informed wis the iii st of four coi-ii ridges, which la) between us and her Heic xvo nil got out, and launched the boat oxer with little difficult), the -sott coi al blanches ewl) unpeeluig the boat, though our xvading wasri'her deep and disagreeable Jhencxt ridge wa» moio uilllciilt, thcic being leas wnter, and the boat li id to be launched about 1(10 y uds, using the OBI s us skcids The third ridge wis the mo't difficult of all, having about 200 jnrds., oxer which the bo it wa» ltnmchccl as before rortuintclj, oxer the fourth xxe hod sufficient xvnter, and bj careful steering ¡kept the boat afloat until xvc reached the surrounding nnt,o of the ree f on its inside at a distance of about 2 cable lcngtlis from the Colonist, x\heie sex eral men from her met us x\uding knee deep, und in liltc fashion w e accompanied them back to her It x\ as then getting pretty dark, xvith just sufficient light to enable me to examine tlio \ cool's bottom, the result ol xvhich, with othci matteis which more unniedi itel) concern the underwriters, I

w11 not trouble your readers

"Hie night coming on dirk und storm), with heil x squalls and run from the IN \V, I judged it unsafe to try for the piss that night, and uns ife for the steam« to keep neir the lccH loking for us I therefore burned maroons or torches as a signal to C ipi un Hutton to stand off, w hieb w ore undei stood, though w c repeated them evci) half-hour tin oughout the night

" At 8 ii m , there being sufficient water to float the boxt along-side, x\e lind her hoisted up and secured for the night

"Towards miduight dtusc black clouds bailed up in tho

soutl-wcbt, with iiiull'rthtning and pells,of distuht thunder 'Hie wind, winch lind li|tbii*o been blowing m fitful gusts horn Hie N XX , at 1 a m chopped into the s W , xvith r linj and nil Hu /nix 01 a gale, which continued until ela)light abo loinng ol the gale thiough the xossors shrouds and nbboncd sails-the dinse ilml ness und the drenching nun, \uth tho deaiemngioir of the sun, conjured to mi nniglnauem scenes thal max hn\i rceiuicd em this de-solute leif, of ships Drenking up with no bunts left, und no loll rnmtiucted , of helpless xvrotclies olingmg with despunte teiucitx to (lie houldeis on the ridgii until the i uiug title Mu pt them me b) one awn) , and I thohght Hugill not the ¡saw '-onth X\nlcs Goxennnent, or the philnnthiophists ol ¡Viw ^o\Mi XX ales, pi ox ide some ink of sillet) for tho1 cistuwa)l

of 1 hnibcth Reef j

"On the outside of this íeef the sea Is c\or brcaUinir wililli

1 et within this nug ol suif lies nuclei placid ligoon, where Kio mitliest boat eau nile in safety, and weren good substantial nott with coppered bottom, to siixo her from tholobin, mid wcathorlioiiidid coining, to piotcct her from the weather, secure]} mooicd, x\illa all the nccessnii fallings foi ii loiugc to Hie 1 mil

I h/iibeth Reef would be lobbed of half its ilunc,cis I xpciicnic II oi es Hint the boats arc the tlrst ut líeles dcstioxed on icscls stnkmg, and «touching binidsidc on to such a i eel I um told that the first sea that boiuded the Colonist stoxo the bo it, but til tt Hie) hud tlte presence of niinel to (mil hei nnniidi itch how cn to the sen, and tims sax ed liol frein total destruction In the cn'c of the Douglas, Ibex we io indebted to n nut foi s ife t), and m the Mai) lawson, irréel eel on the Middleton Minni soim )cu> ago, where onl) twoieicliid the lind ti till the tale, all could hine been snxed had a boat been nxiiil ible xxithui tin lagoon

"The tidelnnswcung nt 1 a in , we left the wreck, the The-tis (s ) bj this tiini luivulg, tegmmd lrr position oil the pass The loft constructed lix Cniitmn deich, ot th« Colonist, we left bcluml, and the six poor tellow s w ho hud been so long on the xvreck (fort) <la)s), though fat and will fuioiiud, were light glad to shitt their qn irtcm, which the) showed on getting on board the steamer at 10 a in of ¡Mitiirehii, tlio 2nd Irom them 1 lcnmcel that oui) two i ess«Is hud been seen during thin stn) at I the reef flic (list, on the 27th ultimo, appealed tobe a whaler,

lbut métele no attempt to lescticthem, the second, a brig hoioin

sight at 10 H m of Hie 1st instant, at noon she lowortdaboat, but seemed ignorant of the entrance tluough tho pass, us the) kept sailing the boat lound the îeel on the outside, but on seeing the Thetis (s ) approach, the boat ictunied to the brig, which then hole uwii) "