AUCKLAND: The steamer Atua, which arrived from the Islands late last night, brought the full story of the wreck on Jarvis Island of the American barquentine Amaranth, the crew of which reached Samoa on September 14 in two small sailing boats, having covered 1140 miles.
They had a chart, a chronometer, and a sextant, but the food taken with them from the wreck was quite exhausted. The Amaranth loaded coal at Newcastle, and on September 6 struck the rocks on Jarvis Island - north-east of Samoa. In two hours she was a total wreck.
The crew took to the boats at 10.40p.m., and stood by all night. The vessel having gone to pieces, they landed next morning. They waded through the surf to the forward part of the vessel, which was head on to the outlying rocks, and obtained canned provisions. No water could be obtained. Next day the crew left the island, and made a hazardous attempt to reach Samoa.
One boat contained the captain, his wife and child, the second mate, three seamen, and the cabin boy. The other boat had the mate and five seamen. The boats kept company till noon on the second day, when it was agreed that the captain, having the faster boat, should push ahead with all speed, as it might mean the safety of all hands.
On the seventh and eighth days out the mate's boat encountered heavy rain, which filled the water casks and probably saved the lives of the crew. Apia was reached just in time, for both provisions and water had given out. The captain's boat had a similar experience, and reached Pago Pago the same day. The captain's son, 18 months old, stood the voyage better than anyone. Mrs Neilson, the captain's wife, came through the ordeal remarkably well.
• Early on Saturday morning a 10-inch pump, capable of shifting a large quantity of water in a very short space of time, was successfully transhipped from the tug Terawhiti to the steamer Tyrone, aground at Wahina Point since September 26. The ship presented a scene of considerable activity as the preparations were being made for refloating her.
By 9a.m. a heavy swell was dashing against the vessel, and it was evident that the sandy beach on which her hull had rested since she ran ashore was being rapidly washed away from under her, leaving her huge bulk resting on rocks at bow and stern.
One large rocky pinnacle had pierced No. 2 hold at the first impact, and as the vessel sank the rock rose higher within her hold, ripping a hole big enough to drive a dray through.
It was known that the hull had sustained minor damage elsewhere, but the salvors were sanguine of success up till Friday evening. By that time a very heavy sea rolled in towards her stern, and Mr Morrison (Lloyd's surveyor) states that he could see the waves rushing between the stern and the cliff, thence beneath the hull and out to sea, carrying the sand with it.
Those on board the vessel spent a bad night on Friday, and after making a careful survey of the ship next morning Mr Morrison realised that the damage which she had sustained during the night would cost more than she would be worth even if she was successfully refloated.
Meanwhile the seas were so high that it was found impossible to escape from the ship at the stern as they had hitherto done, and all hands, to the number of 25 men, clambered over the bows, taking two rope ladders with them. Ropes were let down from above, and by that means they all got safely up the cliff between 11a.m. and noon on Saturday. - ODT, 6.10.1913
