'Mary Warner', 1894

The 65-ton schooner Mary Warner foundered off Kiola in a storm on 20th April 1894. This is how the Sydney Morning Herald of 25th April 1894 reported the incident:

THE LOSS OF THE MARY WARNER, ARRIVAL OF THE CREW IN SYDNEY.
The Mary Warner, belonging to Sydney, foundered Kiola on the South Coast…The shipwrecked men arrived in Sydney by the Kameruka, and the master of the vessel gave the following particular of the disaster - Captain F Cooper said the Mary Warner left Botany on 12th April for Beagle Bay (South Durras) to load a cargo of timber for Sydney. On the way down the coast she had to put into Jervis Bay the following morning, owing to stress of weather. The weather having moderated, she made a start the next day, and when she had reached Beagle Bay it was found that the ketch Muruna which had been freighted by Captain Cooper to load timber for Kiama and Wollongong, was in the bay loading, and as the Mary Warner would have to wait until the Muruna cleared out, I proceeded on to Batemans Bay with a strong N.E. wind. I anchored in Batemans Bay till Sunday, 15th April when I weighed anchor and went on to Beagle Bay arriving on Monday night. 18th April Started to load early on Tuesday morning, and when finished on Wednesday night the Mary Warner had on board 34,000ft of sawn hardwood, some dressed and some in its raw state The vessel then lay in her mooring waiting for a favourable opportunity to get away, the wind then being E.N.E. fresh, which continued to blow from that quarter until it reached a gale on Thursday, 19th April, with a high sea The crew, while the weather lasted, was ashore, having landed in the ship’s boats. I stayed on board, knowing that if the vessel parted from her moorings it would have stranded on the beach had the gale continued. I started on the return trip to Sydney at 6pm on Friday evening, the 20th instant, the wind then being N.W. and the course I steered was N.E. by N.. When the vessel was abreast of Kiola which is seven miles north of Beagle Bay, and about 3½ miles off the land, I found that she was making water. That was at 7.30pm the same night. The pumps were at once started, and the crew and myself worked as well as we could to save the vessel but to no avail at the water came in rapidly. I then ordered the boat to be got ready and launched in readiness. I tried to work in shore, but owing to the wind being so strong from the westwards. I could not do it. Eventually the vessel became waterlogged, and would not stay or wear. I dropped the main sail and all aft canvas, and then she would not pay off. The bowsprit was awash when we left her. We hung on till we had no time to spare, and then proceeded in the boat about half a mile from the ship and scarcely 30 minutes had elapsed before she sank, going down head first at 9.30 pm on the 20th instant. Concerning the details of the accident Captain Cooper said that when the vessel was found to be making water, the crew and myself broke up the cabin floor from the sternpost to the bulkhead, and there was then no sign of water, everything being as dry as a bone. We went forward again and found that the water washed over the forecastle floor, and on returning aft found it showing in the cabin…Both crew and myself landed at Bateman's Bay at 12.30am on the 21st instant and came on to Sydney. There were ten of us altogether. The Mary Warner is owned by Mrs. Annie Cooper, of 31 Sussex Street and is insured by the South British for £700 The primary cause of the leak, Captain Cooper said, was probably the straining of the schooner in the bad weather while hanging to her moorings in Beagle Bay.