THE BURNT BARQUE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 12, 14 January 1919, Page 5

THE BURNT BARQUE.

SURVIVORS' EXPERIENCES. CREWS TERRIBI.K FIGHT WTTH FLAMES. The Hincinoa arrived in Wellington on Saturday night with the survivors from the barque Aryan, which was abandoned on fire at sea on Christinas Eve. A member of the crew who left the burning ship in the second mate"ts boat, gave a "New Zealand Times" reporter an ac-couiit of what happened. lie eaid that ho was below when the alarm was given at about 1.30 o'clock on the morning of December -'"' -ship's time. When he .ram" ny> on deck smoke wa« issuing from the iron ventilator of the afterhold. 'Hip crew quickly got the (ship's • hose and buckets into action, all hand* doing their duty -without the slightest confu-sion. The seriousness of the situ- ' ation was obvious to everyone. Water ■ -was poured down the ventilator, and the

after-hatch was opened just sufficiently for the hose to be admitted. The crew work'-d like Trojans against almost hopeless odds, for. judging by the steady column of smoke that continued to issm? from the ventilator, the lire had a good hold from the outnet. The cargo of flax and tallow evidently proved good fud. The de<ks became hot :uid began to bum through. Yet the. <rrew etilck t<. their la*k for over nine long houre. About 11 a-m. on < hrifitmas Kve it was only too clear that the fate of the vessel was -ealod. The flames drove the men back, and it was no longer safe to stand about the decks as Uie masts threatened to come dawn. Flames were spoutins out of the deck? aft, anil smoke was issuin? , from almost the whole length r.f the ship. In a vessel sm-h as the Aryan, th». hold extends from forward to aft. ■ without any dividing bulkhead, and the flame*;, therefore, had ready acceee in • spreading forward. ' J ALL HANDS TO THE BOAT?. ' I The smoke was coming out right, for- ' ward when nil hande were ordered to the boats. Ample provisions and water, ,a* required by the Act. were in the boats, which had been overhauled onl? re.-ently. and examined , again after sail- . ing from Wellington. ' The eecond

mute's boat wa* first away. The after-. part of the ship jirwonted an awful spectacle, tlio tlames ahootinj: up htK ,1 - The M-mnd boat followed ten minute* after Uip second mate's boat, and the two I waited tofrether about 100 yards oil till I the third boat, the captain"c, <-ame and | joined them. The -weather wns tlien tine, but there was a heavy easterly swell, with a light easterly breeze.. BOATS LEAVE THE DOOMED IiARQI'K. All three boats hoisted sail, and stood on a westward course abreast, for the Chatham*, -with about :>0 yards - *pare hetween each. The men in each craJt plied the oars and helped their progress" considerably. At 4 p.m. on that day 1 they were all together and movincr well. The mate"- boat, which is was ' then keeping up well. A report fhar ' her mast snapped was without foundation. Wlirn darkncps s-t in the mateY

hoat »a« not. -ailin? a-s fast as thr other* and ha.l dropped astwn. That w the Inst seen of her. On Christmas morning the captain's boat wae almost abreast of the second mate's boat. There was a. fresh easterly bree?.e and moder ate sea. with a sky that was alternately cloudy and clear. " The two boats -were then pushinp alone in fine ptyle. The. wind continued t<, freshen till about noon on Christmas Day. it fropan to moderate. Observations were taken, ami the boats kept on their course. LAND REACHED. Tlio weather remained lavonraWc ,i i, !„,-;„.. t>.o nierhr. a little rain

though dnrinjr the ntgnt a muf ra>n was experienn-d. When morning broke on Bo\ing Day the weather wa* equally from the south, and there was a moder- l ate sea, T'm-.-o conditions prevailed till 10 a.m. on that day. when the weather ■ improved and the sky cleared. Fine con j ditiorus then lasted till the t-wo boats landed together in Kaingaroa-tarbour at j ' I s.io p.m. on Brain- Day. Assistance to land tlie boaU was kindly given by j j t.bo local resident*, who did everything, !in t'leir po«cr for the survivors. Mr. I Mitchell took them to hs residen-ee anJ| treated them royally. The Aryan was 300 miles eastward of the Chatham* when ahandom-d by the i crew, und the run to Kaiugaroa, occupying about two days and eight hours, wan a creditable performance. By the constant ii*e of the oars, the progress of the lifeboats was greatly a.ssi*tcd. The soliiitude of Captain for the safety erf the others was freely commented up«n by the survivors. During the run to the Chatham* he rendered all the aid possible. to tne " tn,;r two boats, and encouraged the occupants. It was staterl by some of the men that the miesing lifeboat (the mate'e) -was about the i.est in the ship. It was a now boat, about 28 or TO feet in length, and had provisions and water enough to last for six weeks. ANOTHER ACCOUNT. CREW FIGHT FLAMES TO LAST. Another account of the disaster was given to a "Times"' representative by a seaman named Joseph A. Benedict, who was in tlir raptain's boat. The alarm, he said, was given by the first mate, in whose watch Benedict was that morning. AU hands were immediately ordered on deck, a general calmness prevailing. From the start it was realised that the flanks had a big hold, but nevertheless the -Tcxr set to work with feverish

with hose and buckets to flood water on to the flames. A HOPELESS TASK. It was a hopeless and terrible task. The heat increased all the time, until tbe deck almost plowed in places from the flames beneath. Dense volumes of smoke swept past them, making their work more difficult. The stewardess. Mrs. Vande.rsluys, worked gallantly all the time in the" cook's galley preparing food and drink for the exhausted firefjrhters. After nine hours of torture it was realised that the task was absolutely hopeless. The ship was burning fere and aft, and it was impossible to >>tay on her any longer. Those on board toc'k to the boats in a calm and orderly manner. Tho deck of the barque was then almost level with the water, and the heat and the smoke "were almost unbearable. MIZZEN 7 MAST FALLS. .» l.enedict left the barque in the raptainV boat, and while the. three lifebonts i waited for a while in the vicinity of the Aryan some stores were exchanged with the' first malf'f boat. It was then «en l.hat they had not left the doomed vessel a moment too soon, for the mi/.zen mast fell •midst a hurst of flame and sparks. As they pulled away from the barque the (lames shot higher and Hi<rlier r.r,d throilffh the evening lh<- leaping flames could be seen throw uig »eird glares over the water. ...... .. -

WHEN MORNING CAME. The three boats kept together until nightfall, although there was some difficulty in the first mate's boat keeping up with the other two as it was not travelling so fast. During the night, stated Benedict, a heavy swell was running, and at one time the setond mate's boat got into difficulties and was nearly swamped. Benedict considers that this was the fate of the first mate's boat, for when morning dawned it had disappeared. Christmas Day passed miserably. All took a hand at the oare, and at bailing. Mrs. Vandersluys, who was in the captain's boat, bore up bravely, ' although she was terribly seasick j throughout the trying journey. The two boats kept up a fair pact all the journey. Great was the jubilation when land was sighted on Boxing Day. The two boats reached Kaingaroa Harbour at 8.30 p-m. that day. Mr. Benedict denied tie report that the mast of the first mate's boat snapped after abandoning the barque. A MISSING WELLINGTON BOY. Inquiries made from the survivors as to Mr. Sydney ■ Barraud, who was last Foen in the missing boat, show that he lent an able hand in the fight with the . flames. Mr. Barraud is a son of the [ late Mr. 8. Barraud, for several years I manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Lower Hutt. He was at one time in the • Wellington office of Levin and Co. After , spending some time in camp, he was , I discharged medically unfit, and was on ■ a health trip on the" Aryan. He is about ; twenty years of agr. A MISERABLE CHRISTMAS. I Christmas Day was hardly a joyfnl ■ festival for the survivors. A long, weary ' day w:is spent in the lifeboats, the mono- • tony of which was broken only by a brief ' sleep- if sleep could come their way. > "We didn't do much to celebrate the ' day," observed one seaman: "that is ■ beyond bailing the boat out. Mind you." • he" added, "although we had no Chrietf mas ptidding. we had plenty of food for II those who felt inclined for it." THE BARQUE AND HER CARGO. The ill-fated barque arrived at Wei- ' ling ton from San Francisco on October 0 10 last, with general cargo and 30,000 "i oases of oil. She sailed from Wellington ej on December IS. with a full cargo for F! San Francisco, comprising polts, tallow, I" j flax, etc. The Aryan loaded 1400 casks n of pelts and tallow, r>ooo bales of flax

: (valued at £65,450), 670 cases preserved I meats (valued at £2G80), 220 sacka kauri <rum (valuod at £sis). The hemp was shipped by A. S. Paterson and Co., Levin ' and Co., and by an Auckland firm, J. I Burns and Co. The shippers of the pelts ! I and tallow were W. and 8.. Fletcher and j Co., Ltd (Auckland), Roche and Sons, | and I- S. Maxwell and Co. The preserved meats were shipped by W. and R. Fletcher. Ltd. The kauri gum was shipped by Maxwell and Co. The cargo , came from Oamaru. Timaru, Wanganui, Kapier, (nsbome, Auckland, Lyttelton, and Wellington.