STOCK
PRELIMINARY NOTICE.
Commercial Horse Bazaar.
HORSES AND CATTLE.
Ex Creole, from Launceston, daily expected.
WRIGHT, ROBERTSON AND CO. have received instructions from W. H. Clayton, Esq., to sell by public auction, on arrival,
The Cargo of the above ship, Consisting of Heavy Draught Horses and Mares, Working Bullocks, and Produce.
Full particulars of which will be duly announced upon arrival. -Otago Daily Times, 26/9/1863.
SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE
Considerable fears are entertained as to the safety of the brigantine Creole, which left Launceston thirty days ago for Otago, with stock and a number of passengers on board. It was feared she has been wrecked on Swan Island. The following is from the Launceston Examiner: —
Information has been received from the Superintendent of the lighthouse on Swan Island to the effect that on the 29th ultimo he found washed up on the beach, a bowsprit, jib-boom, windlass end, topmast stay-sail, wire jib-stay, chain bowsprit shroud, chain bob-stay, and iron caps. The articles were all entangled with each other, and appeared to have been but a short time in the water, and to have belonged to a vessel of 200 or 300 tons burthen. The windlass end was painted green, and the varnish on the sprit and jib was fresh, and a little chafed. The bowsprit apparently came out of the vessel whole. No maker's name appeared on the staysail, which was made of American canvas. The measurements are as follows: Length of bowsprit 28ft, circumference 4ft. 2in.; length of jib-boom 31ft, circumference 2ft. 6in; length of windlass end 2ft. 6in., circumference 4 ft. We believe that, from the description thus given of the wreck washed ashore, there is every reason to suppose that it does not belong to any vessel sailing from Launceston. -Otago Daily Times, 28/9/1863.
TOTAL LOSS OF THE SCHOONER CREOLE AND THIRTY-ONE LIVES
(PASSENGERS AND CREW.)
(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) Port Chalmers, 6th Oct., 7 p.m. The Victor, brig, from Melbourne, is at the Heads. The Lady Denison, brig, was towed up. Passengers for Otago: Mr. and Mrs Nicholson and family, Mrs Solomon and family, Misses Haggitt. Cargo mixed produce.
She brings Tasmanian papers two days later than the Emma Prescott. She leaves no doubt of the loss of the Creole; Boat, oars, and life-buoy with name Creole, was picked up, and boxes with Captain and passengers' names.
A party has been organised to proceed to the wreck, but there are no hopes of finding survivors.
No appearance yet of steamer Geelong, three days overdue.
Sailed This Evening: Isle of France, Royal Exchange, and Titania.
With reference to the loss of the Creole, we have the following further particulars: — The following telegram from Launceston was posted in Hobart Town on the 26th ult.:
''Reported here that the schooner Creole has been wrecked near Waterhouse Island. The beach for miles is strewn with cattle, hay, &c, oars, lifebuoy, bedding, and other articles, with Captain's and ship's name on have been found. The above has been known among the inhabitants of the North Coast for the last three weeks, but has only been just reported."
In reference to this the Hobart Town Mercury of the 26th ult., says: —
We find that the brigantine Creole, 131 tons, Captain Fluerty, cleared out at the Launceston customs for Dunedin, on the 25th of August, and passed through Tarmar Heads on the morning of the 29th August. The following is the list of her passengers: Mr and Mrs F. A. C. Townley and child. Miss Bain, Mrs Green, Mr Henry Clayton, Masters Clayton (2), Mrs John Rattray and infant, Master Rattrays (2) Miss Rattray, W. Weymouth, Mr James Dean. Her crew comprised seven men, and eight who were shipped as grooms, and their names were entered on the ship's papers as follows: — Crew: Norman Clarke, John Cooke, Richard Mortimer, Thomas Smith, William Wilson, Thomas Joyce, W. Dewar, Robert Thompson. Grooms — Samuel Clewar, Frederick Gibbs, J. Lamont, Wm. Coleby, John Wilson, Thomas Green, and Andrew Stevenson. The Creole had, therefore, thirty-one souls on board, all of'whom have, it is feared, perished. The cargo was also a valuable one, comprising 200 fat sheep, fifteen heifers, twenty-five head fat cattle, twelve cart horses, 160 bls hay, 100 bags bran, 600 bags mangold wurzel, 50bags do, 50 bags carrots, and 50 bags oats, shipped by H. Clayton; 1 horse shipped by Jas. Dean; and 15 packages furniture, shipped by Mrs. Rattray. The Agents for the Creole were Messrs J. McNaughten and Sons. Waterhouse Island is situate about 50 miles to the north-eastward of Tamar Heads, and we are informed by those who have visited that quarter, that the coast is rocky and precipitous and the means of communication with the mainland extremely limited. It is probable that the unfortunate vessel was driven on shore during the night of the 29th August, at which time we are aware very heavy weather prevailed. The register of the weather from Low Heads on that day stated the wind to be strong from the westward, and squally, the barometer standing at 29° 20. It is extremely doubtful whether in the event of a sudden casualty on such a coast, so large a number of persons could be safely landed, and the time which has elapsed since the period of the wreck, almost destroys hope. Vessels are continually passing and repassing within sight of Waterhouse Island, and a shipwrecked crew would be almost certain to succeed in attracting attention by means of signals; besides this however, the inhabitants of the North Coast have known of this wreck for the past three weeks, and would not fail to make search for the survivors, whose names would assuredly have been included in the telegraphic information above given. Terrible as the conviction is therefore; we cannot bring ourselves to hope that one has survived out of the large number of souls on board the ill-fated Creole to tell the tale of her disaster. We must certainly say one word in reference to the gross carelessness of the authorities in not providing adequate means of communication between these isolated beacon stations along our coast and the main land. It is only a fortnight ago since a notice appeared in these columns, in reference to the finding of portions of the wreck on the beach at Swan Island on 9th August, and although there is a lighthouse-keeper and staff at this station, the letter announcing the fact was not dated until three days after the wreck was discovered. Nor did information reach the public until the 9th September, when the letter to the Master Warden was published in our shipping columns. In cases of maritime disaster, immediate communication with the authorities is essentially necessary, and sure some means could be devised by which information of wrecks on those isolated and dangerous promontories could be forwarded to those stations in reasonable time. -Otago Daily Times, 7/10/1863.
Some sensation has been created here by the intelligence of the wreck of the schooler Creole, bound from Launceston to this port, and having on board a large number of passengers coming to join their relatives in the province. Large quantities of wreck have been washed ashore on the North coast of Tasmania and the island adjacent to it, together with passengers' luggage, carcases of sheep, &c. But as not a single human body out of the thirty-one onboard has been washed ashore — nor any portion of the ribs or other ships' timbers, except those belonging to the deck house, some mystery is felt to attach to the real nature of the disaster. It is known that on the night after she left Launceston, the Creole must have encountered a fearful gale; and as the vessel had open hatches, on account of the presence of live stock on board, it is conjectured that her decks must have been swept and the vessel have subsequently foundered. -Otago Daily Times, 17/10/1863.
The Townleys' father, Frederick Augustus, died of tuberculosis before reading the news of his children's demise. It seems likely that they were on their way to join him, or at least visit him before his death. For Amelia; wife, mother and then widow, it would have been a tragic time.
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