["Miscellaneous", The South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), Saturday 29 September 1866, page 6]
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Public feeling has no sooner recovered from the disastrous events of a few months back at the Semaphore Station and Glenelg, when several lives were lost, than another fatal accident happens in the same locality. In broad daylight. in sight of the people on shore and the people on board the Coorong, that steamer cut the mail-boat in halves, and one of the pilots, together with one of the crew, disappeared beneath the waves. At present it would be wrong to make any comment as to who was to blame, for there are proper authorities who will investigate that in due course; but having our shipping reporter close to the scene of the catastrophe, he has furnished the following particulars, which may be strictly relied on: The Coorong arrived from Melbourne a few days back, and not being commanded by Captain McLean she was taken into harbor by Mr. Pilot Allen, who likewise piloted her outwards yesterday afternoon, and reached the anchorage without the slightest difficulty. Here it is customary to pick up the contractor's boat from the Jetty, and land the Immigration Officer, the manoeuvre being rather a delicate nautical one if not properly managed. The boat left the jetty earlier than usual, for there was a brigantine in the offing flying a "Jack" for a pilot. On getting ahead of the steamer the lug was taken in, and the boathead reached under the mizen, but very slightly. The Press boat was late in starting, for the weather looked dark and [?louring]. It was about half a mile to windward of the steamer when a squall came down, requiring the close reef to be taken in. While engaged in this operation the reporter looked to leeward and saw fragments of wreck, from which the steamer was rapidly heading. In a moment the fact was evident that the boat had been run over. The Corsair shaped a course straight for the men, who were seen clinging to its fragments, and at the same time the Coorong's boats were lowered away with the utmost speed, and pulled to the scene of disaster. The Press boat rounded-to between Abram Manson and the coxswain, but did not succeed in reaching either. The ship's gigs being under more command from having oars instead of sails picked up the coxswain, Edward Amory, Wm. Abernethy, and Abram Manson. Young Ring and Mr. Harvey hung on to the steamer, and were hauled on board. McPherson, the pilot, was gone, and so was James Abernethy, the brother of the man mentioned above. The boat was a very fine one, and had kept the lead of the Gulf ever since she was launched. In every respect she was equal to ordinary work, but not equal to the stroke of the Coorong's stem when going ahead three miles an hour in a heavy sea way. The boats aud steamer remained on the spot for some time, but there were no traces beyond a floating cap of the unfortunate men, therefore the wrecked crew were taken on shore and Captain Ashton took charge of his steamer. Pilot McPherson was a man of about 45 years of age, who had been in the service about three or four years, and had his family residing in a cottage on the beach. The agony of the poor woman and her five children at the loss of their mainstay may be better imagined than described. The grief of the man whose brother was lost from his side was pitiable. The gale continued, but the Press boat reached the shore in safety with the survivors. The promptitude of the relief given by Captain Ashton and the officers of the Coorong cannot be too much commended.
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