THE LOSS OF THE BRITISH KING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 95, 21 April 1906, Page 13

THE LOSS OF THE BRITISH KING.

THRILLING SCENES AT A WRECK

The Leyland liner Boetonian brought to Boston last mouth sews of a disaster to the Phoenix liner British King- The veseel foundered on Sunday, March 11. There wprp .16 persona on board, of whom 2S are known to have been saved. The British King went down about six o'olock in the morning, in latitude 4a.40, longitude 60.11. The disaster was due to barrels of oil and other wreckage bping washed overboard in the. violent storm and the furious waves throwing them back against the hnll until an aperturp was made, through which, the water entered. The Boatonian brought IT survivor?, and the- German tanfc-ship Minnhelm picked up U others.

The captain of the British King. James O'Hagan. though taken off the vessel alive, died afterwards from injuries sustained during the attempts made to repair the damage done to toe hull of the vessel. On March 10 the ship had settled down noticeably, and realising the necessity for quick action, rlie captain himself descended into the hold, bat while he was working at the 3-pot where most damage had been done he was struck by a barrel of oil, which fractured his leg in two places.

Norwithstanding the fact that the bone was protruding, and that he had sustained internal Injuries by hi 3 fall. Captain O'Hagan refused to be carried ta his cabin, and after having the injured limb, bound up he resumed the direction of the work of plugging , the hole. AJI efforts to keep the water out were, haw ever, unsuccessful.

The ,-inrvirors on. the Bostonian aay there is little doubt that the 28 missing persona perished. The crewa of the Bostonian and the Mannheim risked their lives Iα their work of rescue. The firat boat the Bostanian, launched was crushed by the sea, and the rrew were saved with, difficulty. The second boat, after placing 13 persons on board the Bo&tonlan, was smashed, but the crew w«re eventually got out of the water. The experiences of the rescuers from the Mannheim were equally thrilling and fraught with peril, {further rescues had to b« postponed owing to the darkness, until the rising of the moon. Meanwhile it was believed that the 28 men had gone down with (".he British King, which sank near Sable Island. A boat's crew subsequently reai-ned nve of th« crew who were clinging to wreckage. The leak was not discovered until It was too late to save the ship.