Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), Tuesday 14 March 1899, page 5


QUEENSLAND.

THE LATE HURRICANE. FULLER PARTICULARS. GREAT LOSS OF LIFE. TREMENDOUS DAMAGE. Brisbane, March 13.

Later telegrams from Cooktown state that the Warrega brings the news that 400 lives were lost during the recent hurricane, while 80 boats were wrecked. The

A.U.S.N. Company has received a wire from Cooktown stating that the Warrego had arrived and reported having searched the islands and reefs, and found that 87 boats, five schooners, and a lightship had been wrecked. The Warrego found 36 boats and three schooners anchored in Flinders Bay. Of the schooners lost two will be the Sagitta. owned by Messrs. James Clarke and Gutridge Brothers, and the Silvery wave, owned by Mr. James Clark and others. The two white persons on board the Sagitta, who are reported to have been drowned, were Alfred Ontridse, of Messrs. Oubridge Brothers, of Brisbane, and Mr, Harrold Outridge, his nephew, and son of Mr. Arthur Oucridge, head teacher of the Mundah State school. Captain Murray was also on board the Sagiita. There were also three white persons on board the Silvery Wave —Captain Edward Jefferson, managing partner, John Nicholas, «on, -of a wharfinger at Thutsday Isjand, and Andrew Atdow, son of j Mr. Atlow, fruiterer, of Brisbane. | These it is feared, are amongst the lost. There i^, however, no definite nerw-s chat the uj-owned include 'Mr. A'ttlow and Captain Murray. There were 10 boats attached to the Sagitta fleet, and a nomlber of them *were built in Bris-1 bane last year. It is thought that all the 10 boats 'have been lost with all hands. There were 16 boats attached to the SQ-1 very Wave fleet, and probably these also have been lost. The two vessels were I owned entirely by Brisbane people. The schooner Olive appears to be quite safe with all od board, and proba&lv ail her luccers have escaped. i The Telegraph Department has received advices chat Messrs. A. and H. Outridge, R. B. Murray, E. J. Jefferson, J. Xieholas, E. Attlow, Captain Lowell, and two other whftc men went down wrih the Sagitta. Four men were drowsed from the Channel Bock lightship. A colored man reached the shore" -<rit3i two women. The beach is strewn with dead fish, snakes, and birds. The telegraph office and all other buildings at Mnsgrave were blown down by the severe cale. Cookfown, March 13. The steamer Warrego arrived at 12JO this moraine with 400 colored men and 11 whites. She reports that SO boats and ■tSie lirihtAip are total wrecks, and are piled up on all parts of the beach. The steamers Victory and Wlute Star are in attendance. The Warrcgo cot 160 cases of sheJl from the Olive, a schooner. Farther •particulars are expected shortly. Tab hurricane dale first from the south-east by east, and Changed during tJie storm to east, north and south-west, then to we£t, ami finally died away between north and east. T3ie natives arc fourrujg tiieir dead at Bathurst Bay, <w!ierc there is a i forest of sunken Juggerc. The masts of the Silvery Wave sunk at 5 o'clock on Sunday morning. The pale raged all Saturday night and Sunday morning, extending from 'Howick's Group to Channel Rock. Am the islands jiave been searched, and ail disabled vessels towed to places of safety. The blacks on the mainland buried the white men's bodies, which were all mutilated by sharks. About 330 colored men asd '20 whites are missing. The total is not qnite certain till the various ."hips" articles are overhauled. Six schooners. 60 odd luggers, and 20 diving boats were wrecked. The coast tribes aoted humanely, but not aH of the tribes •would go near the corpses. The steamer Victory has gone to search all the islands to the eastward, and the steamer White Star is going north-east of the Barrier. All who arc sunnosed to be, alive have been rescued. The channel j lightship is supposed to have sunk at her moorings. Four men perished with her. j Thursday Island, March 13. No definite news has yet been received here of the late hurricane, except from "the Crest of the Wave, which was dismasted. ' Mrs. Porter, wife of the oantam oS the Crest of the Wave, relates flxat tie schooners Sagitta and Silvery Wave ■B-«m anchored sear the Crest of Che. Wave. After the storm burst on them the position of the Sagitta was dangerous to the Silvery Wave, as the anchors were dragging. Guns were filed by the vessels at intervals to warn each other of their positions, but Mrs. Porter fancied that the Sagitta shipped her cable and got away. Both the Silvery Wave and the Sagitta had disappeared during the night, as we? as the lightship. Xo news lias reached here since. The vessels working in the vicinity between Claremont and Cape Melville *"ere the Olive with 16 luggers, the .Sagitta with 10, the Crest of the Wave with 14, the Silvery Wave with 15, the Aladdin with 15, and the Admiral, a tender which belongs to what is usually called the Clarke Combination. Besides these were the Tarawa, belonging to the Queensland Pearl Fishing Company, with about 18 luggers and a tender, the Wai Weir, and •Xleg 'Merriles. belonging to Messrs. Bowden and Doyle, and 14 luggers. The figures are only approximate, but are Eomcwhcrc near the mark. Over 100 luggers altogether must hare been working in the vicinity, besides seven larger craft and two tenders. The Tokio Maru is due here to-day from the south. She may bring some news. With tbc exception of one Kquall on Monday last, which lasted half an hour, nothing out of the ordinary has been experienced here. The greatest anxiety prevails fierc, so little being known of the effects of the iiuricane and as to the safety of the schooners and lugg?rs. Cooktown, March 13, 11 p.m. During the gale the barometer on the schooner Olive recorded 29.60 to 29.10. A Malay who was aboard the Silvery Wave came ashore on a plank before she went down. Thirteen porpoises were found 15 ft. up the cliff at Flinders Island, where they were driven by the high sea. The damage caused by the hurricane is estimated at £40,009. or £50,000. Thursday Island, "March 13, 11.30 pjn. Except for on occasional j>rivate telegram from Cooktown no particulars have been received of the pearling disaster. Telegraphic communication lias been almost completely cut off during the past eight days wich the ESontb. A lugger is reported to ihave been swamped at Jlarley, and several lives lost. The men on the pearling boat*> here arc very anxious for uews of the damage from the ourricane. They are looking forward to the arrival of the Tokio Mara from the South in the hope that she may bring shem particulars.