TERRIBLE DISASTER ON LAKE ONTARIO.

Auckland Star, Volume XVI, Issue 3807, 21 October 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

TERRIBLE DISASTER ON LAKE ONTARIO.

Only Three Survivors of tt Wrecked Steamer.—About One Hundred Persons Drowned.

Collingwood (Ont.), September 17,-D A, Tinkis, Christy and Mi s Morrison supposed to bu the only survivors of the steamer Asia, have arrived here. Tinkis reports that he boarded the Asia near Owen Sound, in company with 11. JJ. Tinkis and a. IS. tiallagher. Tinkis tells the following story of the disaster :—

"The Manitou Bteamcr was crowded All the state rooms weie full, and many persons wcro lying on sufas ann the sibi* floor. About dlefen o'clock on Thursday morning the storm struck the vessel. My undo, J. y Tinkis, jumped and said tho b;at wa3 doomed, lushes and chairs were jumping in every direction. We left the cabin ana foand difficulty on the deck. The boat was rolling so heavily that I got a life p-e----sever and put it on. The boat fell into the trough of the sen, and would not obey the helm". She rolled heavily for about twenty minates when she was (.-truck by a heavy sea and foundered with the engines working, about 11 30 o'clock. The Asia was making for French River, and had men horses and lumbermen's supplies for shantie:'. I saw three boats loaded, Iwas in the first boat, and about eight were with me, at firsr. More ssot in, till the boat was overloaded and turned over twice, the people clinging to my life preserver, which got displaced, and I threw it off, 1 thes left tbrs boat and swam to the captain's boat, which tVas r.car by, and a>ked John McDougall, the parser, \o help me in, fl e said it was of but little use, but gave me his hand.

"When I got in there were .'eighteen in the boat. By that time thero was a large number in and clinging; to the boat I had left. I know nothing of the ibid boat. Our bw rolled over and I missed McDouc;all. The people were hanging on tc spa>s and otber parts of the wreckage. Our boat was full of water and the sea was constancy breaking over u». One of the first to die on the boat was the cabin boy. Be was djingand bcirjg supported by one of the men when a wave, washed him overboaid. The nexr, to go was a boat-hand, who jumped out. I cou'd see him paddling around in the water for nearly 100 yards, Our number was now reduced to seven, five of whom died bef re reaching the beach. Captain Savage was the last to die, He died in my arms about midnight on Thursday. Johu Little, of the steamer ftlaril, Mate Mclonald, and two others whose names are unkuown alto died.

"The boat finally stranded near Point Barre about daylight on Frirtay, with Miss Morrison and myself, the only survivors. I put the bodies out on the beach and pryed the boat off with an oar, but did not sail it out. Miss Morrison aud I went down the beach in the boat to the derrick, about twomiles distant, and lay on the beach all night. At 8 o'clock on Saturday morning an Indian cime along and I engaged him to bring ns to the Barry Sound. Ho would not bring the bodies. The steamer Northern Belle, of the same line, Which reached here this morning, has been furnished with ice, etc., and has left for the bodies. There were probably aobut one hundred persons on board the Asia.

[Collingwood, wbich the survivors reached, is at the south-eastern point of Georgian bay, a branch ot Lake Huron, it is a post village of Simcoe county, Canada West, ninety-five miles north-northwest from Toronto. The point where the vessel was wrecked is about midway off the northern shore of Georgian bay, which is frinecd with small islands. French river, for which the steamer was bound, i» the outlet of Lake Nipissing J Toronto, September 18.—The Government inspector bcrc states that the Asia Waß running without a license, haviut? been refused one on account of her carrying an insufficient number, of lifeboats and lifepreservers. Collingwood (Out,), September 19.The steamer. Northern Belle, despatched from Parry Sound to the scene of the disaster to the steamer Asia, returned to-day, bringing the bodies of Captain Savage, First Mate McDonald, John Little, J. McAlpine, and an unknown man, supposed to be a lumberman, a n interview with the rescued man Tinklss elicits in addition to reports olicady published at the time of the accident, the Information that the steamer was ab ait twenty miles from JanH, that a heavy «ea struck the vessel and sent her over on one side. Boats were cut from the daritt", and as the vessel went down were choired off. The upper decks floated aftrr tne hull sank. One alter another of the occupants of the boats were either washed overboard by the heavy >ea or died from exhaustion, until only five were left in the metallic boat which contained the two survivors, Tinkiss and Miss Morrison, their companions dying one after another. They reached shore at daylight,