Midas (1872/03/10)

Bunbury

Tonnage: 674 (new measurement), 555.13 (old measurement)

There are two differing opinions as to the origin of the Midas. The Royal Gazette (the official government gazette of the Canadian province of New Brunswick) of 20 July 1847 lists a barque Midas departing New Brunswick for London on 18 July 1847. Watt also gives the registrations during this vessel’s life as: No. 406/1854 at the port of Liverpool, No. 71/1858 at the port of London, No. 39/1859 at the port of Melbourne, No. 29/1863 at the port of Melbourne, No. 4/1866 at the port of Sydney, and No. 4/1870 at the port of Dunedin. While Lloyd’s lists only a Midas built in 1847 on Prince Edward Island, and not one built in 1865, this is not definitive as many American-built vessels were not listed with Lloyd’s. The owner at the time it was wrecked was Charles Clark, ship chandler of Port Chalmers, New Zealand, who had acquired the vessel in 1870. The Midas was sheathed with yellow metal, and had a deck of New Zealand kauri, presumably replacing a worn or damaged deck during a refit after it arrived in New Zealand.
The Midas, under the command of John Cumming, sailed from Dunedin to Bunbury, arriving on 3 February 1872. This had been a long voyage of 98 days. At Bunbury a cargo of timber was loaded for Messrs Connor and McKay of Dunedin in New Zealand, which included about 100 jarrah piles each 21.3 m long and a quantity of sleepers. The timber was destined to be used in the construction of a large jetty at Dunedin for use in the timber trade between Western Australia and New Zealand.
THE LOSS
On 10 March 1872 a sudden storm struck the Bunbury anchorage. This was accompanied by a violent shift in wind direction, changing from the east, through north to west and then south. At its peak the wind blew hardest from the north for about two hours from 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m., and was described as a cyclone by the press. A newspaper reported that it was ‘unprecedented in the annals of this colony’ (Herald, 16 March 1872: 3f). The crew of the Midas immediately dropped a second anchor, but this proved insufficient to hold the vessel. With seas breaking over the deck, it dragged both anchors, with 90 fathoms (165 m) of chain on one and 75 (137 m) on the other. It was blown some 450 m into shallow water. Here the barque began striking heavily, carrying away the rudder and the mainmast at deck level. The mizenmast was chopped down to try to alleviate the strain on the barque. However, the port side had been bilged and the vessel quickly filled with water. At about 4.00 p.m. the wind began to gradually abate, too late for the Midas which was later condemned as a wreck.
Two coastal traders, the schooner Wild Wave and the cutter Twilight at anchor in the port, also went aground, both losing anchors and chains. The Wild Wave also lost its jib-boom while the Twilight had its rudder carried away (see entries).
INQUIRY
A Court of Inquiry held on 17 March 1872 found:
The court is of the opinion that the stranding of the barque Midas in the Port of Bunbury on Sunday the 10th March 1872 was caused by her dragging her anchors during a hurricane of unprecedented violence on this coast. And that no blame whatsoever attaches to Captain Cumming and the officers of the ship (CSR Vol. 727/35).
Captain Cumming returned to New Zealand on the brig Our Hope (237 tons), arriving at Otago on 20 April 1872.
INITIAL SALVAGE
The wreck and its cargo were sold at auction for £255 (Herald, 27 March 1872: 2d). When the anchors and chains were being salvaged they were found to be lying bunched together, and that the Midas ‘had laid so long in loading that she had let the 2nd anchor down on the other one and the 2 anchors and 96 and 45 fathoms were in a tangle, and it took a long time to clear them and stow them…’ (Withers, n.d.). The standing rigging was also removed, but the cargo could not be recovered due to the Midas deck remaining intact.
By March 1874 the wreck had become a navigational hazard, with the added danger of many floating jarrah piles from the cargo causing damage should the wreck break up in a storm. The Government therefore called for tenders to remove the wreck. The tender of W.F. Stevens for £487 was accepted (Government Gazette, 24 March 1874: 49). Stevens, using explosives to break open the wreck, recovered 200 sleepers, 27 piles, 30 fathoms (55 m) of 15/--8 inch (41.28 mm) chain, the iron work of the windlass, about one tonne of chain plates, bolts, and other iron, 40 iron knees and 0.25 tonnes of copper (CSR 813; Henderson, 1988:104). The timber cargo salvaged from the Midas was later shipped out on the James Hammell. A substantial portion of the Midas remained visible for many years until either natural sea bed movement or port developments covered it. A report from the Surveyor-General, Malcolm Fraser, dated 17 May 1875 states:
Mr Manning’s report says that nothing remains now but certain parts which stand from 12 to 18 inches above the sandy bottom, though the bottom of the wreck is presumably 6 feet below. About 1/3 of the starboard side remains and about 2/3 of the port side. Mr Manning also informs me that unless an experienced diver is employed it will be very difficult to do more than has been done…(CSR 813/109).
James Dagley Gibbs built a flat bottomed lighter of about 30 tons from the salvaged kauri deck timber of the Midas, which was then used to take cargo to and from vessels in Koombana Bay.
SITE LOCATION
The site of the wreck of the Midas is no longer known, but was stated in May 1875 to be 365 m east-south-east of a bend in the Bunbury Jetty (Henderson, 1988:104). A chart in CSR 813/117 shows the wreck as being about 12 chains (240 m) south-east of the outer end of the jetty.