William Gifford, On May 13, 1877, the barque was beached in a sinking condition about a mile from Toetoes Bay, Southland, and subsequently became a total loss, there being no loss of life. The barque was almost completed loading at Oamaru when she developed a leak, and sailed for Port Chalmers to have repairs effected. Owing to an adverse wind, the William Gifford was blown away from Otago Heads and a course was set for Bluff. The crew were continually at the pumps after leaving Oamaru on May 11, but despite their efforts the water gained until there was a depth of 11.5 feet in the hold. The vessel would not steer and became unmanageable, so was run ashore to save both life and property.The William Gifford, No. 70,188, was a wooden barque of 232 tons register, built at Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in 1850, and her dimensions were; length 105.6ft, beam 25.6ft, depth 15ft. Captain J. Bishop was in command.
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