THE TAIAROA DISASTER.

THE LA.TEST PARTICULARS. ENQUIRIES AND INQUESTS. THRILLING NARRATIVES. Wellington, to-day. Constable John McQuarter, who returned here by the Penguin, was interviewed this morning when he made the following statement :— I was a steerage passenger by the Taiaroa and was lying in my bunk about 7.30 when I felt the ship strike the ground. I rushed on deck and found everyone making for the saloon for life belts. The Captain was on the bridge, cool and collected. Someone asked him where we were and he said "about five miles from Kaikoura." Great cohfusidn took place. , whilst the boats were being swung down from the davits. I got into a boat on the starboArd aide and in the Bame boat were four women, Messrs Ward, Grant and a "■peeler." The women were all dreised except the' youngest (a Salvation Army lass), who had nothing on her but her chemise. All four wore. lifeb^lts._ It was quite light. I could see the hilis,~but not the beach. A heavy sea capsized the boat after we attached her to the stern of the steamer with a line. The women, kept up well for a long time, but one after'another threw up their hands and sank from exhaustion in the bitter cold. As I swam past them one woman tried to clutch me but I eluded her, and, together with twelveothers, succeeded in getting into another boat which was floating keel up. The boat righted itself notwithstanding heavy sea and. l found all we had was a broken oar. My companions seemed terribly depressed and exhausted, and when the boat turned over again five ; went under and never came up, leaving the second mate, five seamen and myself. These five groaned fearfully, and lay in the bottom of the boat gulling in the throat and dying. The second mate was very weak also but he helped me to throw the dead men overboard. The bodies with their upturned faces washing about in the boat greatly distressed and obstructed us The second mate said as the day was breaking '• It's no good ! I cant keep up any longer ! " and by tho time the boat grated on the boulders of the beach and went ashore he also was dead. 1 managed to crawl out of the boat and up a sandy creek towards the hills, and was picked up by a man and taken to Kekerangu station. I consider tho night wa3 not too dark to prevent the captain seeing where he was, and I believe everybody would have been saved had they swam straight ashore. The captain and officers behaved c oolly and well. The stewards served out lifebelts as quickly as possible. I really believe the captain thought he was heading direct for Kaikoura. There were four women, two passengers and two stewardesses, all being elderly. They behaved splendidly and made no fuss. I believe they were all four drowned close to the steamer. FULL LISTS OF NAMES. The following; are lists of thoso drowned and thoso saved so far as it has been poisiblo to ascertain : — PASSENGERS DROWNED. Mrs G. G. Fitzgerald Mrs Jessie Game (or Fraser) Mrs Gibbs William Ward (torpedo instructor) > R. H. Vallance Erskine Galbraith George Hawkins George Smith James Ferguson Murray John Harboard I E. Bray Wriglcy (from Wellington) . Alexander Martin (from Wellington) , female steerage passenger PASSENGEKS SAVED. Sergeant Grant (A.C.) Const. McQaanten (perm, torpedo corps) R. Henderson J. Harper Gilbert Button Thomas Ollivier CKEW DROWNED. R. Monkman (chief officer) J. Powell (second officer) T. Stratford (second engineer) R. Spooner (purser) F. Hill (lamp-trimmer) J. Jones (aeaman) R. Williams (seaman) E McMillan (seaman) P. Hansen (seaman) J, McPhee (seaman) G. McDonough (fireman) R. Irvine (fireman) J. Hunter (trimmer) R. Williams (trimmer) T. Delany (steward) R. Bathgate (steward) M. A. Browne (stewardess) 1 G. Gallechin (chief cook) , W. Kellin (second cook) CREW SAVED. George Thompson (captain) j Samuel Dalyrymple (chief engineer) i J. Fielder (chief steward) ! Duncan Campbell (second steward) William Tame [or Came] (donkey-man) J. West (carpenter) J. McKay (aeaman) William Quinn (boy) It is at present quite uncertain whether there were not several others on board. j BODIES AND RELICS. Kekerangu, to-day. Among the money found on the body of a man taken out of McQuanten's boat and hitherto supposed to be that of one of the engineers was a cheque for £2 53 drawn in favor of U.S.S. Company on tho Bank of New South Wales and signed " Erskine Galbraith." It has been ascertained that the total number of persons on board the Taiaroa was forty-eight, of whom 14 were saved, and these besides the nine bodies recovered leave 25 unaccounted for at present. The body of the chief mace (Monkman) is to be removed to Blenheim after tho in- ! quest. The others will be buried here. Later. The body of a man already referred to as that of an engineer ifl supposed by some to be that of the purser, as a large sura of money and some cinques were found on him. The body wears tho company's uniform and buttons and it has a Maltese oross tattooed on the front of the right forearm and the Union Jack on the other arm, the staff being held by the figure of a sailor having a cutlass in his right hand. NEWS FROM THE WRECK. Wellington, last night. Tho Penguin returned from the wreck of the Taiaroa at three o'clock this afternoon. A largo crowd collected on the wharf to witoesß the arrival of the steamer, and immediately on her being alongside she was boarded by a number of anxious enquirers. It appears the steamer met with fair weather both ways and reached the spot about 7 o'clock last evening, leaving there on the return journey at 9 this morning. Captains Bendall and Williams wero the only persons who landed. There was nothing special to record in reference to the Taiaroa, which was seen lying as described in the telegrams. The Wanaka and Whakatu were also at the scene of the wreck. The Penguin brought back two of the persons who were rescued, and on interviewing tho3e on board it was found that they were not in a position to supply any information in addition to that already published. The Wanaka arrived here at 5 p.m. Captain Bendall, of tho Underwriters Association, is of opinion that the Taiaroa could be got oft unless she is injured more than he imagines. He telegraphed from Kekerangu to-day "Bearded Taiaroa. Found water flowing in and out of holee. No cargo washed out. Conclude vessel damaged in bottom ; otherwise intact. Cargo can be landed easily if fine weather prevails." The Coroner lias left Blenheim for the scene of the wreck to hold an inquctt on the bodies recovered.

The Union Company have also despatched a medical man to tho scene in case his services may bo required by any of those rescued. Tho Penguin hrought back|the Taiaroa's papers and plate, and the Wanaka also also brought up several articles taken from the wreck. The special reporter of the Post telegraphing from the scene of the wreck says : — "There is little doubt that when she stranded the Taiaro.rj, was hugging the shore too closely." Further telegrams from Kekerangu state that another body was found south of Flaxbourne. The fbllowing three only have yet been identified : — Robert Monkman, first officer ; James Powell, second officer ; and Alex. Martin, passenger. THE LAT^T DETAILS. Whllinoton, to-day. The Waihi with the captain and those saved in his boat from the wreck of the Taiaroa arrived last evening from Blenheim. . Very little additional information has been elicited, but it is known that there were five women in all on board the illfated vessel. These were Mrs Fitzgerald, Mrs Jessie Game, and Mrs Gibbs, saloon passengers from Wellington, and a steerage passenger, name unknown, and the stewardess, M. A. Bruwne. So far aa can be ascertained those on board numbered 48, being 21 passengers and 27 of the crew. The number saved was 14, thus leaving 34 drowned. Arrangements' are being made to send the Grafton to the wreck to-day. Mr Fielder, chief steward, will be a passenger by her in order to identify the bodies washed up on the beach. An attempt will also be made to get possession of .the mails which are stowed away in the after hold. • No date ha* yet been fixed for the Magisterial enquiry. Captain Bendall will commence tho work of saving cargo to-day. Later. The Taiaroa wid be sold here by auction on Thursday. ; Kaikoura, this day. The underwriters refuse to accept abandonment of tho Taiaroa, and it is believed efforts will be made to get her off. There is but little movement of the steamer, and at high water the sea washes over the deck, but with little force. Kekerangu, last night. An inquest will be held to-morrow on the bodies found. The position of the wreck is unaltered The steamers Wanaka, Penguin, and Wakatu visited the wreck this morning. i Captain Williams surveyed it on behalf of the Union Company, and decided to abandon it to the underwriters as she ahowed every appearance of her bottom being clean gone through working on the boulders. Dunedin, to-day. At a largely attended meeting called by , the Chamber of Commerce to-day a resolution of sympathy re the Taiaroa disaster was passed.