Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Saturday 31 May 1884, page 5


ARCHER AND TALDORA COLLISION.

At an early hour yesterday morning a col lision of a serious character, involving conside-rable damage to property and jeopardy to life, occurred in Moreton Bay between the Q S S Company's steamer Taldora, Captain G F Potts, and the steamer Archer, Captain James Lowrie, belonging to the same company. The little steamer Taldora, which is 126 tons regsiter, cast off from Messrs Parbury, Lamb, and Raff's wharf, Eagle street, at half past 10 o'clock on Thursday night, bound for Port Mackay, with about 180 tons of cargo, consisting of piles for a new wharf at Mackay, a quantity of maize, and general merchandise All went well until reaching the Pilot Station, which was made about half past 2 o'clock yesterday morning. There was then a moderate south-south-west breeze blowing. The sea was com-paratively smooth, but the sky was darkened by rainy looking clouds When the Taldora had got between Cowan Cowan Point and Comboyuro Point the mast head light of an inward bound steamer was observed a short distance ahead Captain Potts kept on his course, but a few minutes afterwards the steamer, which proved to be the Archer, was observed to be in such a position that a collision was inevitable Accordingly the engines of the Taldora were promptly reversed to full speed astern, but notwithstanding this the two vessels came together with a tremendous crash that shook the Taldora, which, it will be re-membered, was heavily laden, from stem to stern. The Taldora struck the Archer stem on, fair on the port quarter, crushing tlnough two of the saloon cabins, and

rebounded with the force of the contact. The second steward, who was asleep in his cabin at the time, was completely involved in the wreckage, a plate of iron from the vessel s hull being rolled round him, so that he had to be dragged out by his shipmates. Strange to say, he was unhurt, beyond a few scratches and a severe shock. Had all the four berths been occupied at the time there is no doubt that the result would have been very much more serious. On the Taldora the effects of the con-tact did not result in any serious injury to those on board. One of the crew was sent spinning out of his bunk and picked himself up among the chain plates, having sustained a few slight bruises and cuts, while a second was hurled from one bunk to another before he was aware what had happened. When the vessels ultimately got clear they remained by each other for about twenty minutes, when finding that there was no immediate danger to either, the Archer resumed her passage, and the Taldora, after landing three pilots at Bulwer, started back to Brisbane for repairs. The Archer, unfortunately, took the ground outside the West Beacon ; but succeeded in floating off with the midday tide, and berthed alongside the wharf of her agents in the afternoon. The

Taldora had her stem completely smashed and her bows stove in on both sides, leaving a large gap of V shape, extending fully 6ft. towards the hold, and from the figure-head to the water line. It is fortunate for the Taldora that she is fitted with a watertight bulkhead beyond the damaged parts, or she might not have regained the wharf so easily. As it was considerable difficulty was experienced in bringing her across the Bay. She had to be driven at a slow rate of speed and stopped at intervals in order to bail out the water that was coming into her fore compart-ment. The Taldora was moored alongside the Municipal wharves soon after 12 o'clock, and the discharge of her cargo, which, by the way, does not appear to be much damaged, was at once commenced. She will be repaired with-out loss of time. The Archer had a hole driven in her port quarter fully 15ft. in length, and extending from the hurricane to the main deck, a space of 7ft. Five berths and a linen locker were smashed almost to fragments, and the inner walls of the cabins thrown violently on to the saloon table, smashing the globes of the lamps suspended over it. It is roughly esti-

mated that it will cost about £400 to repair the damage. The Archer will commence dis-charging her cargo early this morning, after which she will be moored in the stream, when tenders will be called for permanent repairs here. The repairs can be made in the stream, and when they are completed the vessel will be warped into the graving dock to be cleaned and painted. The opinion has been ex-pressed that had the Taldora at the time of the collision been going at her full rate of speed she would have struck the Archer

amidships, and nothing then would have saved

either of them.