Queanbeyan Age (NSW : 1867 - 1904), Wednesday 19 August 1874, page 3


DISMASTING OF THE SHIP CHRYSOMENE (From the Empire) There appears to be a singular and inexplicable fatality attached to the career of the new iron clippers of the present day, trading between England and Australia. During the past year, nearly a dozen ships have been dismasted in voyagetyto thel colonies; but these disasters do 'not inany measure confirri'the Plinisolliahn idea of rotten ot( n~ei.worthy shipsji But the fact of the' Dal?ini To'wer, Cambridge'shire; Johnr Kgerr,, Loch Ard, Loch slaree, 'Britisih, Admiral, Southern Belle,'Ro:?R ?irell and' one or two' Sot~hers, and lastly, the- Chrysoironie, which', came into Port, Jackson?io Saturdny; nearly all being nowiron' clipper 'an'd on their mnaiden voyages,'rendersd the mattdr so' anomalous that it cannot thil .to attract the serious attention of underwriters; for there must be something wrong either in overmasting, or faulty iron. And when we are told that the

floatini wreck of the Chrysomene, which was towed into port, was the loftiest.,vessel in the world, points to :overmasting as being the primary cause of the disaster which has overtaken her. The Chrysomene'is a ship of 1774 tons register, commanded Ly'Captain Browning. She was.launched in December last from Potter Brothers' yard at Liverpool the builders of the celebrated clipper Thomas Stephens,-to .the order of H.. Fernie and son--and the ship was looked upon as;a rival to the British Admiral,, anrd iboth ' builders and owners were: much concern ed: in their. respective p.assel -started on thdir ocean; race reached i hoMel)urni : after a. good withii on day of e ch`otherw . The Bi-ig ``Andiral; inifidiis `:drased :at' andl a lse?b i'asi?reiste a Meand sther.tedc;! resh" tnfortnight .afterrvaiads, aid iitt e entliul fatis bit; tod'well) krll' /n. F 1 lie COH8slsom ene reached rle ifgurne) afto5,,,ae good. $ voyage, ,,ut; gotwithout accident, as ,the ::iron .firetopmnnast"ewstsiprung, andi' walsii wdiel i'i erigiifs at Mel'ourne ,ic i,'he.s ijtili?li e* eprooeeCedt .to Newca:stle under home; c.harter, and havinng tal? on bthird 2786 rtois cD}iý siillorltfi)lff,fSii? ?' t'rancisco on -the; 29thi: July,;" and:on: the following'day-a sea aiiin' luamedil John Connolly, while'securing.the anchor, ,was washed intoAhte sea Rand ,loste; A. boat's crewi searched "forhin fdr ltbout' ani' houri[',;:'The ,voyage o.om-ienced with iestrong breezes fiom 'south-west an'd'west t'sbu'th' durii'g the night... Throughout the:30tlt the wind was :flying into: all, qua,-,' tors with thick : rainy wealthei- .On the 31st, :at:?iioon, stood southwardi with the wind at'{east.. At 6. p.m?? it vee?ed to souLthgast. Wore' sliip and sto~d to no thi-east, and is t;'he gale increased ,the ship's canvas was propotlitonately reduced. The "atmosph eiobiecame,so .thick that,, the clouds quite obscured the ship?raurnd& she'. began to take ink large 'quaiitities :of water. ,;By 10.30, p m. the gale increased <with amazingirý pid-: ity till it attqiied the force6f a lirf? ricane,:? accoinpani.edi , ithi, fluriQs, `squalls, the sea;rising ,.to -an: enor: mious" heigh't; `and brieakinigiac':'r'oss the,i deck,, cuttip g ,off communica:tion with the cabin iand fore: part of. the"ship ?:': "~t-"1Vi'pbm3 ''in.anacged bto .get,min thejlpwer .tnizentop-sail.and foretopmat-statysail·:l The. night is ,dbscribe'd' s`. a siis" 'frightful one; th.e si":'ollijgl, over ethe vessel .as if she °was quite destitute of buoyancy.: Just"pevouibss t' daylighlt two tre..neuudolis, squalls, following :\each otherlintquick:succession .struck the sihp,?and for fiilly live' mirutes slihe wias - almost ,entirely ,unaer,iwater, only . her- bhws,~ and :poop b-being visible.'' Ho vet-o• ai 'violent lurch partly .einpt d hler ;decks and in a little tune st ruggled free again, but the wdik of ruin ' had:coirnenced for the fort6to0piastbilioale anid thll over. the port side;: the ship at: the tifi baeing (in the sterboard tack. The fall of the.:topmiast took, with .it the foremnast off by the deck. One ininute lateri, Mid tli InmahRIlast came down ;with' a tremendhous crash, falling over the port quarter: Th'e mainmast `buist"in thei aftei hatlch, anid liuried ,itsolfin -thb cargo. 'he ie:man atopgallanit yard .pierced the quart?ideck, iti'd tiire ini it 'a hlit;,e..gap, though wlich ,sea Rifter: sea rrolled dovwn- and it wais only witlh?the'utinost exertion's of 'tlf ciraew thtit tle -,cavi;., was .rblocked up w`n canvas.- : TheIaJing spars rendered: i.theascene o.n deckaid. is iinporsible: todescribe." Mixed~ipji In .rthedebrii -\i~ere brokei- sparis, the whole-of ,thelishiipsboat's, some _of- tlhi 5bnitrieluced- tmniaflliwood, andii thibbtiokskiil hik aahed nto and fro on (tlie deck'i.The' mizentopmastýa rias, 'aii lc 'aiiy' by the fall of the mainmast, and itf.hung by its -gear from the-imnizenmnast, Its 8otipnuAllatteilrg;i 1a~libut the Sit cam,, in ctaitl? i hily pulled lown thoe mienmast, which biroe of lieve w1ith the' poop dlck, fellT ,ftrand:-flie'n roiled into the sea ¶l.~ie effcixt~ of the. :rew1wereusol esy they - couldkdo: little else'thinni u?itiy'wi- ytlih'iWreck the spia'a fdr'ji 'ymiMts.A There was only left-a -:spare- woden foreitop. mast, 'spare wooden', mainr, which the crew afteiWards con?et :ed irtod] iiry;tfQit eutting the main Sard, 96 f 'tld~in t6wn, andi using tne skid.qrfor yardi, niad---to them! wias attached thr.ee topsails. The: pumps were brloken beyqnd thei possibility of repir, nrnd scarcely a vestage of anyttin?. abo.vo deck remained; all thi chart'mind clothing in the saloon being destroyed. The gale continued till tho.e4th, and up to that time the sh!ip:lary rolling helplessly ,,with the sea ,sweeplng over. The ordw comniemicod to rig jurymasts on the klhinc4 the ship essayed to reach Sdn ey, ight and mbd~nritoe .li'z;4i s i' pte~'ailing. The galo commenced .ut'.'east, ?wont to somith, nndifinislihe-dof at west, and appeare te haive be'tio?f a cycloiiic nature, as the Rouparell experiencod it from7, almost the ,opposito

points. The Crysomone, at the time of the disaster, was 200 miles south-east of Newcastle. She now lies at anchor at Neutral Bay, and presents a most singular appearance -her telnporary spars looking ridiculously small in comparison with her gigantic hIull, and it redounds to the credit of Captain Browning and his officers that the ship has at last been brought to 'port. '-lt is not, of course, yet known-:ho~v o-by -whom- the. ship will.-bere, 'mentioned: tlh'at': the' :ipp'eraship •Ethilpin,-~ iowif oCin m. po -wasdsis nimasted off the coast .some years s:ince, and Iwase supplied with ,iron ifasts from the A.S. N?r; cmpany's' works and it is not only a credit to the company `lbut lhei colonyto fi~nd that the .spars have w; li.ttood gale after gale without tlie:faintest indication:of '~eakness.? ' ' . : :