Twelve Men Drowned.

Colonist, Volume L, Issue 12105, 2 December 1907, Page 2

Twelve Men Drowned.

Survivors light Months on an Island. I Rescued by the Hinemoa* Per United Press Association. Invercargill. Dec. L ! A sensation waa caused here when the news spread that the Hinemoa had returned with castaways from the Auckland Islands, and a3 fragments of information reached town from the s Bluff during the evening, the ; tragedy and rescue were the sole topic? of conversation. The following story was obtained from Mr Crosby Smith, on his arrival at Invercargill on Saturday and was taken from notes written by Mr Crosby Smith during the voyage home: — On arrival of the scientific expedition in Port Ross, at the Auckland Islands, early on the morning of Saturday, the lGth of November, great excitement was caused when on sighting the Government depot it was noted that a white flag was flying at half mast in token of the presence of a shipwrecked crew. Th« captain lost no time in launching a boat and effecting a landing, and as he approached thedepota.cuet(r went up from at ienst a dozen men who were congregated there, it wa3 recognised as a true British cheer, and was answered with a three" times three from 1 the Elinemoa. After a very Shorty delay Captain tJollons rplurned, followed by five ok the stranded crew in the depot. The bpat contained the second'mate (Mr McLauehlin) third mate -.(Mr Kq'udsen), . Harry Walters,,. Chas, and .another! The second mate was wearing a skull cap made of sealakin, and one or two wore a kind of slipper made out of untanned cowhide, while all were wearing clothes from the depot supplies. From the crew it was learned that the four masted barque Dundonald. 2000 tons, left Sydney on 17th February, bound for Falmouth, laden with wheat. She carried a crew of 27 all told, in addition to whom was the Captain's son, a lad of sixteen, who Was not in gcJod health, Contrary winds were met with all the way, and a great disturbance, of the compass had. been noticed half . way between Sydney and the Aiicklands. At 12.30 on the morning of 7th March the ship struct on a reef on the west side of Disappointment Island, an outlying island of the Auckland group. The night was thick, with half a gale blowing. Land was not seen until immediately before the ship struck. An effort was made to wear ship, but it was too late, and she was driven stern first right into a eravice in the cliff, which towered up 300 feet high. In a few minutes the foje part of the snij) dropped into the sea and caused a huge wave to wash along the deck, sweeping the crew before it, and carrying away in one sweep eleven men', who were never seen again. Amongst these were the Captain and his son. The rest of the crew hung to various flxtUreSj and when (;he wave had gone by, rushed up the rigging. Three men got ashore . from the jigger mast, but one of them slipped back over the cliff and met his death; . The story of the landing arid what followed, is described in the narrative of Charles Eyre, which is given below. Captain Bollons supplied the men with some additional stores and told tneni he would call for theni on his return from Bounty and Campbell Isands, in 10 or 12 days. The men all appeared well and it was evident that the food they had subsisted on had agreed with them. While the men wero oh tbe Island two ships passed them, the first in July aud the other later on, but the castaways could not attract their attention, as the vessels were a considerable distance off shore.