The 76-ton paddle steamer was towing the schoonerJohn Bullock into the Hokitika River when the wash from another vessel caused her to veer into a sandspit. The John Bullock also grounded, but was able to be refloated.[7]
The 20-ton barge sailed from Wanganui for Patea in early September and was not sighted again. It was supposed she foundered in the gales of 9–11 September. Some of her timbers were washed up on Rangitikei Beach, where they were discovered in October.[2]
The schooner left Wellington on 8 September and was not sighted again. Some wreckage was found in the Marlborough Sounds on 14 September. The rest of the ship's wreckage was found near the entrance to the Sounds in January of the following year, but the bodies of the two crew were never located.[2]