11th Tune. announced in our extra on Wednesday morning, the dredger Anding sank in the river ently on Wednesday morning between the British Naval and P. and 0. buoys. Tt appears that Capt. J. P. Roberts had made preparations for moving the wreck on Tuesday by taking up some of the moorings, when alittle before midnight the tide came up with an extraordinary rush and carried away the chains by which she moored. She first of all fouled the steamer Pectan, but. fortunately without doing any damage. The wreck then drifted over towards the Old Dock and from there came up with the tide until she fell alongside of H.M.S. Duphne. Clearing the Daphne, she then drifted across the dowa alongside of that vessel. Captain bows of H:-M.S. Archer, finally sinking;
P. Roberts was on one of the pontoons at the time and went down with the sinking wreck but was fortunately rescued by the laodah of the cargo-boat belonging to Messrs, Wheelock & Ca., which was alongside, There were about 40 coolies on the pontoons, four of whom got on board the Archer; up to about 10 o'clock on Wednesday morning the River Police were under the impression that the rest had been drowned, but it then. transpired that they all succeeded in getting on board the cargo Doat, so fortunately no lives were lost, as was at first feared.
Since the Anding was moved from Boyd's Dock to above the Pootung Wharf on the 27th of April, she has been floated several times and moyed about eighty feet nearer to the bank of the river into shoaler swater, until at last the bow of the dredger was in 16 ft, of water close against the bank, which at that place is steep to, and the bow end of the in-shore pontoon was on top of the bank in eight feet of water at low tide. The stern was farther out in about twenty fect of water. In that position it was impossible to get the deck above water, and it was therefore necessary to move the dredger farther up the Pootung shore to where the bottom is more shelving. 'The chains were shortened up for a lift of four feet, that being all that was possible account of deck obstructions, and on 'Tuesday night, the pontoons' being pumped out to float the Anding, everything; was in readiness, and with four anchors an chains in position no difficulty was anticipat ted in dropping up along the bank above the Ewo kerosene wharf. In the morning the tide had been moderate in height and force, but at night it came up with a rush, rose rapidly and soon forced the dredger slowly along. All went well until as the water rose the stern worked in towards the bank and the dredger was parallel with it. Just after, the chain to an anchor on the shore parted and the bow began to come towards the river. This caused the chains to an anchor off the end of the Pootung Wharf, which hada long scope, to break, leaving two anchors out which dragged' through the ind. Captain Roberts at once let water into the pontoons until their decks were awash so as to sink the dredger deeper, and sent his launch for a tug-boat. "He expected to drag into shoaler water higher up, but the dredger sheered diagonally across the river, just clearing the bows of the barque Alice Mary and moving across the tank steamer Pectan, A collision took place, but no damage was done. The pontoons swung alongside and continued to drift by the Old Dock and the stages above it. Captain Roberts endeavoured to get a hawser fast to one of the stages or steamers, and that failing, he hoped to buoy up at the mouth of the Soochow Creek. The dredger was then moving slowly, and men were put to work at the pumps. Later an attempt was made to hail the Daphne, as it was seen the dredger was drifting foul of her. There was a collision close to the end of one of the pontoons, and the same thing happened farther up where the Archer was. The pontoons, while swinging alongside appeared to hang over, and with four coolies Captain Roberts was passing the bight of " hawser through the ring of the buoy, intending to make it fast, when the pontoon sank. Captain Roberts had just time to throw off his rain-coat when, with four coolies, he went under with amass of broken timber and wreckage, and was nearly drowned before he got to the surface through it. Their escape was a marvellous one. He and the coolies were got on board the Archer, and then came ashore, he walking home to keep himself from a chill. The tug-boat arrived just before the 'Anding reached the Archer, but too late. 'After the collision, the forward half of the Pontoon filled and sank, canting the Aredger to such an extent' that, the other pontoon shot out from under the timbers crossing it, while, immediately after, as timbers and chains gave way, the damaged pontoon shot aft and upwards, breaking the chains, screws and a lot of timber attached to the wreck. If it should be imagined that such work should not have been undertaken at night it is only necessary to remark that the fact that at this season the night tides are from one to three fect higher than the day rendered it necessary, as to avoid floating the dredger at night more water would have had to be let into the pontoons than could be pumped out with the means available in time to float them on the day tide following. There seems little hope of raising the wreck, and she will doubtless have to be blown up by dynamite.
Roberts, who has been working practically The accident is especially hard on Capt. night and day for months past, to sov all his plans upset in such a manner, just as they were on the eve of success.
12th June.
We are now able to give some more details, and partially correct the account given yesterday morning of this accident. he moving mass,—and it must be remembered that it consisted of a large steam dredger some forty feet wide witha pontoon on each side of her " hundred ind fifty feet long, and a mass of timbers, chains, etc., etc.—was seen from the Daphne, some two hundred yards off, by the Quartermaster of the Watch, having aemall tug in attendance. As she closed down on the Daphne, a hail was heard, but the Quartermaster thought it was addressed to the tug. Captain Galloway was writing in his cabin at the time, and he heard a great noise being made by coolies chattering, but he took no notice of it. It must be remembered that it was a very dark night, with heavy rain falling. At 5 minutes to 13. tremendous bump was felt, which made the Daphne tremble all over; there were two mote blows, and Captain Galloway went quickly on deck, and found the huge, shapeless mass dragging itself along the port side of the Duphne, accompanied by a small tag with her port light. burning brightly. A voice said: Can't you give us something to hang us and Capt. Galloway, though he knew that there was nothing in the ship strong enough to hold such a large body, put his helm hard-a-port to bring the Daphne's stern nearer the voice, and had a line have towards it, but it missed, the distance being too great. The Duphne's men, who had turned up promptly, boomed the' mass off with spars, ete. Captain Galloway now saw that the mass must foul the Archer, and had his men ready on deck to afford any assistance that might be necessary, On board the Archer, the drifting mass was seen when ahead' of, and before it struck, H.M.S. Daphne, and the hail of "Ship ahoy was then heard. 'The Petty Officer on watch had time, we learn, to turn out the Officer of the' Day, as well as the Executive Officer of the' ship, and both of them were on the forecastle at the time of the collision. It no doubt, seemed to those on board the pontoons that the accident might have been averted, by the use of the Archer's helm; but. the officers of the Archer axe of a different opinion, and conder it " piece of very good fortune that the accident was not very much worse, and that their ship is not now in dock. If the Anding, pontoons, ete., had got ap as far the junks, the loss of life and property would probably have been very large.
Capt. Galloway, with his telescope, watched the mass strike the ulreher, which staggered and heeled over to starboard about ten degrees. 'The mass seemed to strike her fair and squire across the bows, about half being on each side, and was then tripped up by the tide,' the up-tiver side of the mins going up higher and higher, until it all" but concealed the hull of the Archer, the tide forming a sort_of boiling heap over the down: river side. 'Thinking that the archer w gone, Capt Galloway called all his boats' crews away, as he thought it was a second Onwy disaster, but with a loud noise the mass collapsed and disappeared, and the Archer was seen to be sife, Those on the Duphne saw lights moving about on the Archer before the mass struck her, so that there is no question about its not having been seen in time. No amount of starboarding or porting on the Archer could have prevented the collision, and if she had veered cable, she might have gone on top of the P, & 0. steamer.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.