THE SUEZ MAIL.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 93, 21 April 1887, Page 7

THE SUEZ MAIL.

T HE KAPHNDA DISASTER

<Xliri\\"ms Story br an Apprentice.

(FKOM OUR LOKDOV CORRESPONDENT.)

London, Maroh 4. . T»? Burvivpra of. tho Kapunda and Ada JtomP'O lauded at Plymouth on Sunday, and during tho week have been privately examined by the authorities. Tho collision will form tho subject of an action between tbelwo Companies. Tho only recent account of the catastrophe I have soon that throws any light on what occurred IjMig the fearsome five minutes alter tho collision is the following : - ty. Norman, the apprentice vho reoeived «>me severe injuries, gives tha~ following flooount: "-Being tho coxswain of the gig linking »» tJie "avits, 1 jumped into it. '"iv"boat's crew were all there, and whilst I '* «3, shipping' the rudder I shouted out asl;•n'lr if |li? boat was all clear, gomcqne gnSgputi, *AU clear,' and I replied ■ Lower ' woV '^y *'"" *™® tj^° Bnip, was on her f .Ji ends, and tl^o boat's crow jumped out. !Mv Mow apprentice Emery jumped into •A bait by my side, saying (The falls aro a ]l gone.' -I jumped up to overhaul them, f^d ab tne same time got i.nihgpgQ of our captain on the poop. He Sd,' What is tho name of that vessel ?' f also saw someone whom I believed to bo the doctor standing a little abaft of him. ■A o>Wnt> —tcr * folfc myself £oing down aid down under the water. I rose again, and aftpr struggling for some time managed ;J g^ :cJear of something which, was holding me- Then something struck me, and jfuntpdown again. I was struok in this v(ffa bqutsi.v times, and then managed to Vat clear, *nf? f-° tne. surface, I was just loin" to S" c UP in despair, when i j^w'to, $8 to^- Ifc W(ls Vol' y c'ai'k' :b«Wwas able to see something above Wter a little way ofi". I struck out for it. iHoving'pn a sjiirtl. a singlet, a cardigan jacket,' shoes, stockings, and pants, I did i Jot proceed very quickly. When I reached lit I found that it was a hen-coop, and that itwq^an were clinging to it. They kept ipnjljngifcQverin the water, and were yell'Uolfthe time. One was Beece, and tlie 'otuet'"WM a sailor whoso name I don't 'how, I paid, ' For God's sake, keep it 'steady' ' They took no notioo of what I said, arid I was pulled over too. So, th inking that I should only be drowned if I re.iniuned on the hen-coop, and seeing a cap■sized boat ft 'little distance off, 1 told the jctiiertwpl *vas going to make for tho boat. II struck out for it, but was hardly able to •Jteopabove water. There was a rather lumpy ';$& apd I felt weak ifrom loss of blood, my I'm feeling as. thgugh it was crushed in ,apd ; ffi y right afm.be.ipg almost powerless. I (noticed that one of the men who had been onth? hetfeoop was following me. Soon aftenf^rfla ithbard someone shouting from a boat' On hearing this I atruek out with, (renewed vigour and reaching the boat 1 scraniWM t? the *PP °? $\ °wr ablebodiM^nfeff ?. Hughes • waa there already. IlaydQWß Upon the b,qafc hughes asking i'ls- ttiat"'"you, Norman? Thank God, ithefejsjjiQniepne saved.' Beside tjeijvg.jn fgreafc pain,l could scarcely draw my. •bfeath.*'"- The fellow who? had: been follow-' iisgmefroin the hen-coop soon afterwards j Hiwnbled upon the boat, I then saw that Htj&'&eece,' *After him came i)u}d,ers.on; ;and'Gonldn, able seamen, and Robert Sahdijqrd, a Downpatriok emigrant, the total joiUflberthus being six.. We lay upon the Ift'and. yelled until daylight, 'Barque -.' ''aijyJV At one time we. saw a light, and I i fohtwe had peen heard, butno help came. jifsn^ls '^urihs the darkness wo could (Mpo'pla olmcking, but at daybreak we >akH sea-nothing of thorn. We noticed .■fisen that the Ada Melmore lay about live .ntiles to leeward of us. As our boat was JnjtSly.drifting, we attempted to right it,. Tmco yd tried to do so unsuccessfully. ■After we had drifted for two hours longer weeould see nothing of tho barque below :her.royal; yards. Become .desperate., we. aggij} trie,d to right our boat. We placed our united weight on one side, and tho wind atthatjno^ie.nt coming with a gust under Iheweath'er-guhwale, the boat tui'ned right side upmost, rjt had been very much iknocked about, stem and stern being gone, ;ai\dtebottoui heing full of holea, but the air-tight chambers kept ifc afloat, though it ha<|both under. We found thei : ma§t Ra|l,;o^rs, and; life-jackets. We put on fhe'.jacketß, and set to work to step the mast.- Three of the seamen, being !%;strongest, up-ended it, whilst I-went ■under the thwarts to step % keel,, and- we managed after a little trouble/to; do what we, wanted. We ne^l^ijte^ the sail iind lpweved two oavs, to steep with, aftev which -we sailed towards thebjirque. In about two hours wo came iip^vitl) her! I was quickly taken into the cabin, where ray injuries were attended to by Captain Miljiken and the first mate Cotterel!;"- '"'""- •

Tj}e : At]a Meimore's apprentice, Fred Thompson, saul that when on land he resicjcf} witli lug widowed mother at R|ngmore,teignmouth, Devon. His father,.he iulded, was many years ago washed ovortoafdland"flrowned iij the Bay of Biscay. Tviming to the subject of the catastrophe, tiff'lad said- the- two men who jumped %rd'-th^rKapunda from the Ada.Melttjpre wero T. Searle, of Plymouth, an 4 Brßeokman,: a Swede. The survivor Jfpo hta sustained porhapß the greatest lo^isKpch Broadhurst, a fen rent-minded ■ton, whbj in company with his wife and Bovenof h}s children, was proceeding under a nonaipatibri to Western Australia more in Wfltope of bettering his family than ■ him- ,*"> A pmldler by trade, and a nativo of 'Bnerl^., Hi!), Spilth ' StajTovi'ishire, he -wfe^d about seven years ago i>o the •fiery town of Hkeston, in Derbyshire. He W woi^eicl a{; the neighbouring ironworks °'«flwcll,;but in the latter days of his ftnoence' in the old country he worked upon Mann. ,; Bfoadhurs^ whose narrative inteiTupted by sobbing, say: "The officers of the ! • 'I'iSP^ally the doctor, were very ki«d ?. wo einigvanta. After the coilisiQß I ?n ,Wy'Uttle Reuben shouting. I toW U1)on A^a Melmore and tried to k"i^'?•?•• V u*i wHlpt I Va? trying tp do Aq^lde'lmore commenced to draw w, and I lost" him.' gome rigging fell upon 2 a"d I was; hurt in the ojiesj. When I |£?P<m my feet the boat- stood up on her T$ ■$<&■' :I cQuidnot see any lights ISi go4i on' b°avd'the ;Acla Melinbre," but aaf» "^ M Positive tlicut"t|j.pre were liofc