THE '' PRIDE OF THE YARRA" TRAGEDY

AN EPISODE IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF OTAGO.

Anent the many shipping disasters which have occurred of late in and adjacent to New Zealand waters, it will be interesting — not only to those persons now living who may remember the sad event, but .to the young of this generation — to re-record the dire calamity which, in 1863, befel the Rev. Mr Campbell (principal of the Dunedin. High School) and all his family, when, after a long voyage from England, they were just about to set foot on the shors of their new home. It was on July 4, 1863, between 5 and 6 o'clock in the evening, that the steamer Pride of the Yarra, a email iron, screw boat, took. on. board at Port Chalmers from AQr to 50 passengers for Dunedin — there was no- Tailway then, — some- joining Her at- the jetty, others alongside the s.s. . William Miskin (which had just arrived ' from Invercargill), and one family, consisting of sine- soule? from on board the ! ship Matoaka, which hadi only the pre- , vious day arrived from ijoodon. At the hour of starting it- was dark, and, the evening being peculiarly dull, there was a difficulty in exactly estimating the number on board, or in recognising the persons of whom the living freight- was composed y "but such was the number generally Nbelieved to have started. The majority were on deck, but the ladies — including Mrs Campbell, wife of the Rev. Mr Campbell (principal of the HighSchool, Dunedin), ,who was one of the Matoaka's passengers — sought what proved to oe the fatal shelter of the cabin, along with her husband and five young andt interesting children, attended by two maidservants (Fanny Finch and Mar* Roberts). In the same place was seated a Mrs Henderson, an engaging young person, who had arrived in the colony by the Chili on the occasion of her last passage, and who had only been lately married. Its other occupants were several gentlemen, all of whom, were saved with the exception of one, who came to be recognised as a. Mr Sonierville, a station-holder- of Wanganui. The night being an unpleasant one, some of the passengers of the William Miskin and others — five altogether — squatted themselves in the partiallypeevtpied hoM, the hatches being left off. In the cabin there was a light, and the party 1 in the hold had also been furnished with a candle; those in the foreeabin (if any) were " in darkness. Thus freighted, the Pride steamed, going at her usual speed, and she had the reputation of being the" fastest boat^in the port. Captain Spence'was personally, in charge, and at the wheel was an experienced and steady steersman ; and it so happened that one of the Port Otago pilots was a passenger, though, of course, not interfering with the guidance of the vessel's course. As she steamed on parallel to Sawyers' Bay the lights of the Favourite (steamer) were lecognised, as that vessel was on her way down to Port Chalmers from town, and as the two vessels approached the Favourite seemed to he steering right down upon the Pride, and occasionally keeping so much of a starboard course that her port lights were concealed. This course being apparently preserved, the Pride's helm, was portedr, and she was kept well over tv the starboard side of the channel, which at that particular place was defined by a bluff rocky headland ; but there appeared still more necessity for porting the helm, and " Port !" " Hard a-port !" were alleged to have been the orders. A collision being now almost imminent, there was a cry of " For God's sake reverse the engines!" and, simultaneously with this, they were reversed — but all too late. Both vessels going still at a considerable rate of speed, the Favourite ran stem on to the Pride, catching her at a point about a thirdi of her length, fro^i. the bow, or nearly on a Jine with her maefc, listing her over to port, and cutting: right through her -port side. Tbi£, wa& -the collision, as said to have been eeen from the deck of the Pride of the Yaxtfa.

The Favorite, which, -was a paddle-boat, principally employed in towing, was, ashas beea described-, on- hen way fromr Dunedin Bay, where, late in the evening, ©he had towed up a barque. She was in charge of Captain Adams, and steered by C. Murray, both of whom were on the bridge, where the wheel was etationed, and it was a coincidence that on board of her also there was one of the pilot's staff, who was a witness of the accident. According to the description given, no lights of a steamer ahead were seen from the bridge, and it was a cubject of remark among those on beard that the Prid-a of the Yarra did not eeem to have paeeod, when, suddenly, from amidst lh~ darkness, her lights gleamed forth — a masthead light, and what was apparently the light of her furnace or small cabin windows. She was at the same moment recognised by the puffing- of her high-pressure engine, and so close was she that, as had already been perceived from her own decks, a collision was seen to be inevitable, and. before the orders to stop the enginas of the Favourite had effected any material change in her speed, the collision was an accomplished fact. Such at least was the account given. As the water was heaTd to rush into- the Pride of the Yarra'-s hold, and as the deck was felt to subside below the fickle surface, the crowd on deck advanced, with all the rapidity which love of life could inspire, to the point of attachment of the two vessels. Here also the hands of the Favourite approached, to rescue the many who were claimants for assistance, and who- were struggling hard to get upon the safe side of her bulwarks. There was hurry and confusion not a little, of course, hut\alL the haste that

could be used was needed, for down and' ] down still was the motion of the vessel, and, with the exception of the first few who caught the Favourite's bulwarks, all were partially immersed, and becoming more deeply immersed as the Pride was sucked head foremost into the dark yawning gulf. And, naturally, as the crowd pressed-forward to the only place of hope', their aggregate weight depressed the boat still more at the very point of danger, aggravating the critical character of their position, until at last all were floundering in the water, and were only saved by catching hold of each other as, one by one, like a chain of living links, they were drawn over the side of the Favourite. While this was going on the Pride had gradually turned, co as almost to be abreast of the forepart of the Favourite, and some of these who were nearer the stern were able to save themselves, as the majority had dome in the scramble at the bows. Of those in the hold^ one I young- man from -Port Chalmers, who had all in* effects and some amount of money with him-, was one of the firet out, and" yet he w*& up to the neck in water, and was only, like many more, providentially saved-. The worst situated, and, as it proved, the worst fated, were those in the cabin. Captain Wikon, of the William. Miskin, and Mr Thom«s Kingston, . who-, were here seated, just succeeded in making their escape as the water was running in breast-high. A lame gentleman, 'captain of the cutter Alpha, who was near the door, was also pulled out "by Captain Spence. But the family of Mr O.mpbell, happy in the knowledge of their arrival at their new home, and so unhappy in their fate at the very threshold — they must have been pressed down and suffocated by the rush of cold, drilling, choking water, under circumstances of agony from the contemplation of which the mind must withdiraw overcome with utter horror. Cribbed, cabined, and confined, they had not even the drowning man's hope. So thorough was the surprise, and

so sudden the sealing of their fate, that it is said no cry or screara of despair wa6 heard to rise from the lips of the fated family. Another moment, and the Pride of the Yarra, and all within her, dead or dying, went down, only a few dark objects — come said swags, some thought men — being seen floating over the scene of the disaster. One man at least was said to have got separated from the general rush, and tx> have floated off, crying weirdly for "Heln! oh help 1" and courage was given him by' those on board

withj.romiees of help. Lines were thrown to him and over - him, but there was nocapacity to - seize them"'; - he gave one more, but a weaker ory, and. wlten ths Favourite was so shifted as- to approach the poeition from which the sound had'

come, the people* peered down- upon the- - blank f-ace of the blaik water, but nothing could be eeen. After half-an-hour's delay all who were rescued were taken to Port

Chalmers, and towards midnight they were reshipped to Dunedin by the Golden Age. Meet fortunate it was that the two boats clung together even for the short time they did, though it was not more thaai three or four minutes. Had they driven apart after the first concussion, who can say how few there might have been left to tell the tale?

Next day (Sunday), 11 bodies of the unfortunate sufferers by the accident were

recovered by the aid of a professional

diver named Watson, whose services were the Harbour Department and the police. Ho was assisted by another diver named Wheeler, from the Heads. Mrs Campbell's was* the first body to be raised to the ' surface — the features placid and little changed, the hands as if crossed upon the : bosom. ' Then rose the body of a hand- j ; some young women (Mis Henderson), even I yet more lSe-like. Next came the broader | figure of an aged and bearded man, and, I as it rose, the attention of the spectators I was momentarily directed to a young man who, with the words "My father !" I fainted away, and fell up/in the steamer's i j bridge. The body of Fanny Finch, who '< was 'in' the service ot Mr" Campbell, a-bd ! who. was one of a large family who werepesseagers by the same vessel (the ship Matoaka), came next ; and she was followed' by t&e dead forms of two of her youthful charges^an infant and- a -little boy „—b ath, so Jair, ! so young, and absolutely so life-.fake that it was difficult to believe they were not :in full life, as they appeared to be. Poor Mr Campbell, whose family, with himself, 'had thus perished in one fell swoop, eeemed by his attitude to have mostrealised what had come upon them, stretching out his arms as if alarmed 1 and stunned by an impending danger. The old maidservant of the family (Mary Roberts), a second boy, andi another child completed the sad catalogue. It was a glimpse of the light of life ajnid its shadows to see the rough-and-ready diver retire to a secluded comer and weep bitter tears over the young and the fair whose dead images he had rescued with apparently unshaken nerve from their first terrible grave.

The body of a twelfth sufferer by the collision was recovered by drags of the harbour boats at no great distance from the wreck. It proved to be that of a carpenter named Hammond, and was prob-. ably the man whose cries for help were heard from the deck of the Favourite on the night of tlue calamity.

THE INQUEST.

The inquiry into the causes of the accident was opened in the long-room of the Provincial Hotel, Dunedin, at 3 o'clock in the- afternoon of Tuesday, July 7, the bodies having previously been brought up to Dunedin from Port CHalmers by the steamer Golden Age. Dr Thomas M. Hocken (coroner) conducted the inquiry, with the following jurors: — Messrs John Cargill (foreman)' R. B. Martin, Tickle, A. M'Landress, John Bourke-, John Switzer, James Smith, F. J. lluss, Oliver,

A. L. Thomson, Alexander Cummins, Driver, and 0. H. Gillies.

The inquiry was continued on Wednesday, and then adjourned till Friday, so as to allow an opportunity of attending tin public funwral on Thursday. It' was con< tinued on the Saturday and Monday following, '^vhen "The jury found that the deaths of Thomas Hewett Campbell, Julia M. Campbell, Edwardi Hewett Campbell; Duncan Ernest Campbell, Muriel Campbell, Lilian Campbell, a male infant (Alfred Campbell), Mary Roberts, Fanny Finch, Eliza< beth H. Anderson, Charles Sommerville f and William Hammond were caused by drowning while on board v the steamei Pride of the Yarra on her passage from Port Chalmers to" Dunedin on Saturday July 4, 1863, owing to a collision betweenthat veesel and the &teamer Fsvourite, ofBlanket Bay headland, which collision wa» caused by the culpable negligence of Captain 1 William Adams and of Charles Murray, the captain and mate -of the Favourite. / "While exempting Captain Spence, ol the x Prrdls &f the > Yarra, from " culpable negligence, the jury cannot, help considering, that he did not show that good judgment which every shipmaster is supposed to pcieasS;, in steaming Ms vessel at tb.G rate of seven knots an hour on so dark % night, and where the position of an advancing steamer was. so uncertain as to cause apprehension of danger. -Also, tha' the class of vessel to which the Pride or the Yarra belongs is unsuited to> the present traffic of this harbour, and not fit to encounter with safety, while loaded with passengers, the strong galc6 that occa- | sionally occur. > " "The jury would earnestly suggest that a Government inquiry be instituted as to the degree of responsibility of the Marina Board of New Zealand, or of its officers, in allowing the lax and insufficient stater of the steamboat traffic to remain uncontrolled so long as it has been, and which has climaxed in this most heartrending, | and disastrous result." This /vas, of course, a verdict of manslaughter against the captain and mate of ttu Favourite, who wer> subsequently* committed for trial. The case was heard in the Supreme Court, Dunedic, on September 24 following, before a special jury.. At the close of the case for the prosecu-i tion, without hearing evidence for the defence, the jury found a verdict of " Not? guilty." -

THE FUNERAL.

Tflie funeral took place co Thursday, July '9. A proclamation by hi 6 Honor the Superintendent of Otago of a publicf funeral was received with general satisr faction,, and- it was -responded to with art impressive unanimity. Every place \pf£ bosinesß- \ag closed, and . the grief dK-> playe<J on the -painfully memorable occa.< sioa could- scarcely have been profounder^ No band even played the solemn strain^ of the " Dead March." " The one prevail-j ing dominant characteristic of the whol€( procedure," remarked the Otago Dail^ Times, " was solemn decorum of arrange? msnt and deep earnestness of sorrow. Pert haps the bitterest pang of the manj* friends of. .dead- now busied in the cemetery at Dunedin will be the thought; that they weie';not'-pre£en£., «(t"#ie endTo such we have offered the just console tion that the actual circumstances suggest. No human- remains could have been treated with more kindness-^with -more reverential regard. And. as the solemn procession moved slowly to its goal, • a cityturned out to inonrn."

A speaker at an Adelaide Grocers' Picnic said that; for holiday • outings the market gard-enew should go to Paradise, the milkmen to Waterfall Gully, the grocers to Teatree Gully, the butchers to Beofacres, and the publicans tp the Devil's Elbow All these are resorts near Adelaide.

Rags enter largely into British woollen maoufaoCures, but few would credit to what extent. An ' idea is conveygd by aa article- in the .London Daily Chronicle, which gives the- imports of rags for thre» yesira as --under ?— For 1905, 81,932,5871bt< for Mo6o 99,892,1101b'; for 1907. 113,423,4181b. This is * marked increase and when "added' to- the' home produotioi^ of nags conveys an idea of, the enormous dimensions of the shoddy trade.