Led Astray: The Wreck of the Queen of Nations, 1881

The clipper Queen of Nations ran aground after hitting Black Rock Reef, Towradgi, on May 31 1881.  The extract below describes the incident from the newspaper of the day.  Most fortunately, loss of life was limited to one crew member, despite the quite dire circumstances of the event.  It appears that the ship’s master misinterpreted lights from burning slack coal piles at Mt Kembla and Mt Keira for the lights of Sydney, and directed the ship accordingly.  It has been suggested that the accident may have been related to the ship’s cargo which included large amounts of liquor including several thousand cases of spirits.  It was well described by the Illawarra Mercury at the time.

Illawarra Mercury (Wollongong, NSW  1856 – 1950), Friday 3 June 1881, page 2) (extract)

Wreck of the Barque Queen of Nations

On Tuesday morning last, the inhabitants of Wollongong and other parts of this end of the district were startled with news which was as undesirable as it was unusual.  Immediately after dawn it was noticed from Belmore Basin and other points of observation that a large vessel was ashore just on the north side of the Black Rocks. Captain Houslar, the pilot of the port; Mr. F. R. Cole, Sub-Collector of Customs; Senior Sergeant Ford, and other gentlemen soon arranged to proceed to the disaster, but meanwhile the third officer of the stranded vessel reached town and announced her to be the barque Queen of Nations, bound from London to Sydney with general cargo.  The vessel got ashore just at the mouth of Towrodgi Creek, about 200 yards on the north side of the Black Rocks, and less than a mile south of Bellambi Reef.  The nearest house to the scene of the wreck is that of Mr. Henry Hicks, which perhaps is not more than a quarter of a mile from where the vessel lies.  Mr. Joseph Wallace, who resides on a higher elevation on Mr. Hicks’ farm, observed the top of the stranded vessels masts as soon as he rose at daylight, and being an old ‘salt,’ he knew at once what was the matter.  He and Mr. Hicks lost no time in proceeding to the scene of the disaster, where they found the Queen of Nations hard and fast on the sand, stern on to the shore, from which she was about 100, yards distant at high water.  The vessel’s mainmast had gone over the port side, and was hanging thereto with ropes, sails, and other gear, the foretop mast was broken off, but hanging aloft.  Otherwise the foremast and mizenmast were apparently intact, two sails still remaining spread on the former….  

It may here be stated that all hands on the vessel were twenty six, she having no passengers.  Of this number one was already drowned, as stated, fifteen or sixteen remained on board, and the others had reached the shore.  It may also be remarked that in the first instance, after the arrival of persons on shore, a line was tired to them from the vessel by means of rockets, and thus a rope connection was constituted between the ship and the shore.  About 10 o’clock the men expressed a desire to land, and had the long boat pulled as near the ship as it was safe to take her, a line also extending from her to the beach.  After considerable delay and peril to the men passing from the vessel’s side to the boat hanging on a rope, all hands except the Captain and Chief Officer got into the boat, and made for the shore.  For a short time then the scene was anxiously exciting.  The boat with its living freight of more than a dozen souls was tossed about almost as would a feather in a whirlwind.  As soon as the boat let go from the ship some hundred willing hands on shore commenced to pull at the rope that extended to her from that direction.  No sooner did they do so than the rope parted, as was feared, and the boat and those on board of her were thus thrown upon their own resources. At one moment it would appear as if the boat would be carried out to sea, and, in the next, as if she would be capsized in the surging surf, which perhaps might mean death to all on board.  By dint of perseverance, for dear life on the part of the men, the boat was kept endways to the breakers as far as possible, and by jerks, as it were, approached the shore.  A rush into the surf to meet the boat was made by the crowd, several persons having lines to hand the men.  In a very short time the boat touched the shore, and all hands jumping out of her, they were soon out of the surf and danger, being greeted by ringing cheers from the crowd on shore.  So ended the most perilous and exciting incidents connected with the ill-fated Queen of Nations after becoming stranded……

The Queen of Nations is one of the White Star line of ships, and has been trading to these colonies many years. Her register is between 800 and 900 tons, but she carries from 1400 to 1500 tons.  She is an Aberdeen clipper, and having been built in 1861, is 20 years old.  She was in the China tea trade for some time, but of late years she has been a regular trader with Australia.  In the present instance she left London on the 23rd February, and therefore was 97 days out when the mishap occurred to her.  Captain Bache (formerly of the Strathdon) had charge of her and all appears to have gone well until Monday night.  The last observation taken was on Sunday, when the vessel was found to be about 130 miles from Sydney.  The sun being obscured, no observation could be taken on Monday.  On that night, or early on Tuesday morning, the fires of the burning coal heaps at Mount Keira and Mount Pleasant were noticed.  It is also understood that the Wollongong light was seen.  Owing to murky weather, however, it was difficult to make out the position of those lights, which are said to have become lost to view after a time.  The lights having been seen by those whose watch it was, the Captain and Chief Officer were called on deck, the result being, we are informed, that orders were given by the Captain that the course of the vessel should be north-west by west.  Very shortly afterwards she bumped heavily on what proved to be the Black Rocks Reef, which runs out a short distance from the land.

She continued on her course, however, striking -the reef several times, the heaviest bump being just as she was leaving the rocks.  This caused | her mainmast to go over the port side, breaking off the fore topmast, and carrying away the other gear with it.  Anchors were let go, and immediately afterwards she struck the sand and became fast, as already described.  Had the vessel struck on the reef instead of grazing over it as took place, she would have been smashed to pieces within a very short time.  She struck the reef about half past 5 o’clock, and an hour or two there would have broken her up, with perhaps the loss of all hands or nearly so.  As it, is, the vessel is in as good a position as well could be selected in an open sea.  And as it happens the place is exceptionally easy of access.  Towrodgi Road, which is quite level, and leaves the main road a short distance on the north side of the Fairy Meadow Public School, leads as directly to the wreck as if made for the purpose.  The spot may also be reached by the beach, either from Wollongong or Bulli, by pedestrians or horsemen, unless Fairy Creek and other such streams which now are full almost, to overflowing should break their bars so as to interfere with traffic in those directions. 

The recovery of most of the crew did not end the drama of the shipwreck, which later had its curious moments.  The Illawarra Mercury of 3 June 1881again describes events:

Thus ended the rescue of the crew of the Queen of Nations.