QSA846902 1872 Statements respecting the voyage and wreck of the Brig Maria, 17 March, Colonial Secretarys Office In Letters, In letter 72:1812

H M S Basilisk Sunday 17^th March 1872

Sir,

I have the honor to forward under a separate cover the Statement taken before me at the Police Court Cardwell relative to the wreck of the Brig Maria

I regret that want of time prevented my writing to you more fully. I will write to Governor Blackall after taking the evidence of the men saved from the rafts

I have the honor to be Sir Your most obedient Servant

[signed] Brinsley G Sheridan PM [Police Magistrate]

The Under Co^l [Colonial] Secretary Brisbane

Statement respecting the voyage and wreck of the Brig "Maria" bound to New Guinea by Thomas Tate Surgeon to the Expedition

Left Sydney on Jan^y 25, 1872. Experienced light head winds for many days after starting till off the South Solitarias, when strong S.E. winds set in, which we carried with us to within 300 miles of New Guinea. The wind changed on Feb. 12 to the N.W. which appeared to have the character of the Monsoons. This wind gradually increased in violence till it blew a strong gale which lasted for 7 days. During this time we occasionally "lay to" but we generally ran before it under bare poles. On the 18^th a heavy sea struck the stern which carried away the wheel & tiller, and on the following day another sea struck the ship on ther broadside, which caused her to spring a leak. From this time till the vessel was wrecked the pumps had to be manned about 3 times every two hours to keep the leak under

In consequence of this dangerous state of the vessel and the discomfort on board nineteen members of the Expedition

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2 requested the Captain to put them on shore at the most accessible port. As we were then in about lat 20° N. long. not certain, the ship was steered for Moreton Bay. This was on Monday Feb 19 when the wind was beginning to moderate. On the following day however the wind changed to S.W. & blew so strong that the Captain thought it expedient to run North. When the wind again moderated he put in for Clevland [sic] Bay - a steady S.E. trade blowing.

On Friday Feb. 23^rd we sighted a reef in lat --- long --- and on Sunday morning early reefs were reported ahead. We were then supposed to be passing through Flinders opening. Reefs were sighted throughout the day generally bearing S.W. and W. The ship's course was, as a rule, altered to avoid these reefs, and to do so hauling sometimes N.W., N., N.E., and even E., I should consider the general course on Sunday to be N.W. Towards evening we sighted land bearing, I believe, S.W. or W.S.W. A great portion of this night we had our mainsail "aback". On Monday morning about 2.45 we just touched a reef, which however we passed over without damage to the ship; a few minutes afterwards we grounded. The tide rising we soon floated off this reef and grounded on another

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3 A great hole having been found in her stern, through which the water was rushing, the anchors were let go, lest she would drift into deeper water & founder. As it was, the ship, through the length of her cables swung into five fathoms of water.

Shortly after she struck several of the men commenced making rafts. Two were completed before she foundered & launched with about thirty men on board. Just before daybreak the Captain left for the land to get, as he said, assistance. He took the finest boat and six hands. A few minutes before she went down about twenty five men, myself amongst the number, took refuge in the rigging When the ship sank on the reef she listed so much to port that the topgallant mast heads were not many feet from the water's edge. The lives of the whole of us were consequently in great jeopardy. About an hour afterwards fifteen of us were rescued by the two boats. When we started for the shore (about 8 a.m.) eight or ten men were left on the rigging One boat carried fifteen men, the other thirteen. The former, in which I was, made for the most northern of the Palm Islands - the other keeping much more to windward. The two rafts

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4 were then nearly out of sight drifting rapidly to leeward. I consider that the rafts were they to continue their course they were then going would make land about Double Point in lat. about 17 ° 30". I have formed this opinion since my visit to the wreck yesterday when I carefully noted the bearings of the different Islands and headlands towards the N.W.

After pulling towards the Palm Islands till 3 or 4 P.M. & finding we could not possibly make them, we ran before the wind and landed on Hinchinbrook Island near Agnes Island, about nightfall. On the following morning the Chief Officer's boat joined us. They had evidently had an anxious night of it, as they had been pulling more or less ever since they left the wreck, and had encountered, like us, heavy seas & stiff squalls. We remained on Hinchinbrook Island till Friday March 2^nd. During the five days we were there we lived on shell fish & a very small quantity of mouldy bread & meat. The weather being very unsettled with heavy S.E. squalls & rain, it would have been impossible during this time to to [sic] go to the wreck.

We were not certain of our position till a party of six of us pulled to the Northern part of the Island

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