TERRIBLE TALE OF THE SEA.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 140, 15 June 1893, Page 9

TERRIBLE TALE OF THE SEA.

WRECK OF T^IE SHIP TEMPLE.' MERE.

STORY OF THE SURVIVORS.

HEROISM OF A CAPTAIN'S WIFE.

boat on H^ Vlf a \ s Pe?<> five days in an open $ John sn- tic> He * aye th« nam« 1 aDd stated tha» h8 be* in *SL fn M -k- The Templemere was Ton£V ull'ri(rß6d sbiP' belonging to Londonderry, and in chargo of Captain compa n , ed by his wife. The teasel was order! S f^l to Q«een ß town for orders, and had on board-including Mr Inomson-twenty-six souls. Everything went well until March 3, when about! a.m. there was a terrible crash. The crew " °T- r1\ hed on Aok> where an awful yeb va a B!B, hb opened t0 them- They had colhSn Wl*. a hugß icebere three times «« high as the masts of the ship. There wa« ice nearly all round the veuel and ahl commenced to sink immediately. Tha lifeboat was crushed and rendered useleisby an ice floo. At the captain'g orders the crew ruaned to the other side of tha ship and r aunched two boats, in which they embarked, only being able to take a few pounds of biscuits with them. They had time to save nothing. Immediately oa gottmg away from the sinking chip ona of the boats capsized, her occupants beine thrown into the water. The captain was in the other boab, and urged his men ta save their comrades. They did not require much urging, and gladly set themselves to the work of rescue. Unhappily, two of tha struggling men sank never to riso again. Of these one was a young man of Jersey, just out of hh apprenticeship, and giving promiso of a successful career on tha ocean, The other was a native of Barbados, a coloured man. Consequently the remaining boat gob away with 24 souls an aboard, their only pro« visions being eighb pounds of biscuits, The first two days passed happily enough^ out on the third day there was an alteration ; no chip hove in sight, the men wero becoming famished with cold and hunger. Mrs Thomson took one of the two oars, and pulled with might and main. Shu encouraged them on in the hope of being picked up by a passing vessel. The only ' water these ill-fated mariners had to quench their thirst was obtained from floating; pieces of ice. This falling short, one of the men drank from the sso, and as a consequence tho salt water drove him nearly mad. At the end of the fifth day many of; the men were lying helpless in the bottom of the boat. The captain was sick, but hia wife still hold to the oar, and by her voica and action encouraged the men on, or ati least those who had any strength. Food—> from the nearly exhausted stock 0! biscuits —was offered to Mrs Thomson, but she refused it, perforring that it should be given to the starving mariners. The weather was intonsely cold. On the sixth day a vessel hove in sight, and although the illfated people wero too weak to call to her, they were sighted and picked up in a very exhausted condition. This vessel took them on to the Falkland Islands, from whence they were sent to Monte Video. Here twelve of the men joined the Tatnar, by which they came to Southampton. The) captain, his wife, and remainder of tha party are on a vessel bound from Monta Video to London.