S.S. Meteor 1881

Much regret was expressed in shipping circles when it became known that the well-known coastal steamer Meteor had foundered on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.

The 33-ton Meteor was a timber coasting steamer built at Jervis Bay in 1881, 65.8 ft x 14.2 ft x 5.4ft. driven by a 16hp engines, pushing her along at 71/2 knots.
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Built by James Dent for George Dent Senior. She was purchased at Sydney by Mr. F.O. Henry. of Strahan, for the trade between Sydney and Trial Harbour.

Early days.
Under the command of Captain John Leask, she made several trips on the Launceston-West-Coast trade, and afterward under the command of Captain W .J. Taylor, who chartered her from the owner.
She was then leased by Mr. G. J. Haylett, and experienced engineer, who was in charge of the engine room at the time of the disaster, captain Richard Greene was in command, and two ordinary seamen made up the compliment. During her life, the Meteor was a busy vessel, doing a brisk trade on the North West Coast, each trip had full cargoes.

The first anyone knew of the disaster was when a notice was posted on the shipping board outside the Telegraph office.

:- Burnie. 8 a.m.   Meteor foundered about 7 miles from Burnie.

The owners of the vessel the Don Trading Co. received a similar notification from Mr. G. J. Havlett, who had rented the vessel. The wire being supplemented by the satisfactory news that no lives were lost.

Leading up to the loss.

She left the Mersey on her usual visit to coastal ports and arrived at Table Cape, she took in a full cargo of produce for Emu Bay for transshipment. Very severe easterly weather was encountered on the voyage. After arriving at the Bay and being unloaded it was found she was leaking badly.  Some of the cargo was found to be spoiled by water.

After discharging she was taken back to Table Cape and hauled onto the slips, shipwrights were employed to make the necessary repairs.  A new false keel was added, the rudder post was found to be damaged, the leak was caulked and iron works carried out, the work was completed with the application of a new coat of paint.  She was considered by those on board to be fit for sea.

Her last voyage – April 1893

8 a.m. Wednesday  - During the morning she was loaded with 301 bags of potatoes valued at 50 pounds.

9.30. p.m. Thursday - In fine order, she left port for the Mersey, Davenport, the weather was beautifully fine,  and the sea very smooth.

10 p.m. - The bar at the Cape was cleared, shortly after one of the crew Mr. Smart, went below for a piece of tobacco and heard a noise of water rushing in amidships.  He immediately informed Captain Greene.  Engineer Mr. Haylett, went to the engine-room and discovered the stoke holes making water freely.  The men were ordered to the pumps, the vessel carried three appliances on deck for pumping, these were quickly employed.
One seaman in the company of the captain started bailing out water with buckets, "in which task they all worked like trojans" feeling their lives depended on their efforts.

The captain turned the vessel believing she would make it back to the Bay, the men worked hard to save her, the pumps were kept going until the water reached the furnaces and extinguished the fires. The sails were hoisted, but not a breath of wind was stirring, and the vessel commenced drifting in a north-easterly direction at the mercy of the waves. The men hoisted distress signals in the form of torches fixed to battens in the hope of attracting the attention of passengers on a passing vessel, but in this, they were again unfortunate.

12.30pm - Orders were given for the pumping and bailing to cease and attention was directed to lessen the weight of cargo by throwing all the deck cargo overboard, hopefull giving the vessel a better chance of floating, this action also proved futile, she was filling fast.

In defiance of the perils that menaced him.

3.am - Some six or seven miles abreast of Emu Bay she had settled well into the sea which commenced to wash over her decks, she was rapidly sinking. The crew took to the lifeboat which had been lowered from her davits when it was discovered the vessel was making water.

The captain would not leave his ship, and though the crew implored of him to do so, he was determined to stick to his ship till her timbers disappeared, in defiance of the perils that menaced him.

The vessel rocked like a huge cradle on the breast of the waves, water washing clean over her. She listed to starboard and dipped back to port alternately, the ironwork shivering at every motion. The suction caused by the sinking vessel was imperiling the lives of the crew manning the lifeboat still clinging to the side of the vessel.  Captain Greene remained faithful to his post, and at times was half covered by the waves.

3.30 a.m - The end was reached when the vessels head was lifted high out of the water, and the Meteor suddenly disappeared below the waves stern first. Captain Greene was thoroughly exhausted and rescued just in time.

The men quickly hauled away from the sinking steamer.

The occupants of the boat then shaped for Emu Bay.  A heavy fog has settled low over the sea making it impossible to make out the shore.

6.30 a.m - After three hours of hard pulling, in bitterly cold, the sound of a steamer's whistle was a welcome sound, and though they couldn't discern any light, they were directed to the port of Burnie by the ship's whistle.  To compound their difficulties they were attacked by a huge shark off Blackmans Point, which was soon beaten off.

7.30 a.m - After a wearisome voyage in a boat leaking like a sieve, requiring constant bailing, the crew landed at Burnie in an exhausted state.  The seamen managed to save their clothes, but many other valuables were lost.

The vessel was insured in the New Zealand Insurance Company for 750 pounds. Those connected to the vessel said the amount will not cover the loss, the cargo was uninsured.

When constructed she was regarded as a finely built vessel, 8 years of hard continuous service with little trouble proved that to be the case.

"Rotten old Tub"

"At the time of the sinking men best qualified to venture an opinion described her as a "rotten old tub," absolutely unseaworthy: and had seen her best days. The fact of the vessel not having met her fate long ere this has been a matter of wonderment among those who had seen her recently."

Fortunately, the night was calm. Had it been otherwise it is doubtful any of those on board would have reached land.

The Meteor had escaped disaster on a number of occasions.

Feb 24 1991 – While negotiating the Pieman River if it had not been for the coolness and courage displayed by Captain Leask, the wreckage of the Meteor would have marked the graves of the whole crew.  While crossing the bar which was comparatively smooth the steamer was caught by one sea that carried her completely out of the very narrow channel. The ship would not answer her helm, was swept within 10 feet of the breakwater some 50 feet high, as the wave receded, a grinding noise was heard and the vessel heeled over to the railing, but fortunately slipped off the rock that had pierced a hole in the forward part of the hull. By great management and a certain amout of luck the Meteor fast filling with water, was brought back into the channel, entered the heads and was run aground in the river.
The cargo was brought ashore by the efforts of men running between the ship and shore, a distance of 200 yards, covered by about a foot of water, all trying to save as much of the cargo as possible. The work continued throughout the night till 2 a.m the next day, when the tide was at it's highest,  the steamer by this time was submerged to the top rail.
On the next low tide the steamer was temporarily repaired, pumped out and refloated.



For any seaman the most feared catastrophe which can happen to a vessel is to catch on fire.




October 1889 – While lying under Hunter Island disaster was averted by the quick action of Captain Leask and his crew. The captain and crew had gone below to dinner and noticed smoke coming into the cabin. They rushed on deck and found all in flames. Through quick action they got the fire under control. Captain Leask suffered burns to the arm while fighting the fire. The damage was confined to the deck, while fighting the fire a portion of the cargo, chaff, was thrown overboard while still burning.  She was returned to Formby for repairs.

Captain John Leask was born on the Shetland Islands before travelling to Australia in 1861 . He was a well repected seafaring captain and died at Port Adelaide in 1898



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