SYDNEY HARBOUR TRAGEDY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19151, 7 November 1927, Page 9

SYDNEY HARBOUR TRAGEDY.

TAPTAIN'S NARROW ESCAPE. PEERS' DIFFICULT TASK. \ ~:„« >'*«»*" 6th ' 5-5 SYDNEY, November 6. ...m the many m««»«" of W' "2i«d * eonnpxion " ith ? *S e atiuter i. one from the Duke 1, .utar «f the (Jreychffe, Cap- • Btfaw, *" " rried down imp "" **i ia tb» wheelhouse when the ves- • ink, but eicaped through a window, ~I<!' ' reicued in an exhausted conJL bat won recovered. He insistja taking part in th « work ' j milted in saving a number of pasto a standing rule, all the TfIJJ Company'* available steamers jpftatd their timetables, and went ! tie »»Bistance of the Greycliffe vic%t bodies of fifteen were, buried rtfjrtdav, the funerals being largely at:«drf by the public. Tie 4> wrs yc sterc ' a . v continued their of the sunken ferry boat, watehi kr Biny people in row-boats and jaeiei. They arc meeting with in- . difficulty in their work owing : ,tic heavy mud of tho harbour bot- ' m obicnring their vision, and the frttiiw shifting its position. The their work are also increased jrft&ffeater depth of the water, which »d|htyfeet in tho new position. They rtlSßitrited their efforts on breaking jtifkiladies' cabin, which was found awav from tho other part of iktfirayeliffe, and in which it ia believ(jjiitimbtr of bodies will be found, fltirefforli, however, are, so far, futile nito further bodies have been recov- •* .. .

Hi police have been dragging the hriwr ia the vicinity of the accident Tjiitut result.

lOW ACCIDENT OCCURRED. PILOT AND MASTER MAKE STATEMENTS. - llSaiUl* ANB MX- CABI3 ABBOCUTIOK.) , {BwiTed November 6th, 5.5 p.m.) SYDNEY, November 6. JcSm headquarters, supplied the Press li-Ji ft»twients made to them by Capita Carson, the pilot who took the Tiiinout, and by Captain Barnes, master «i tbe Greycliffe and authorised jiar |iiiblkation. Captain Carson 6aid t& !» was steering bis usual <«iiw irhen he saw the Greyrit on the starboard bow about lit length away from him, atxiil a parallel course, and in no &fcr irhttever. At Clark Island the tajdiffe suddenly altered her mtt right across the Tahiti's Mti.- He immediately order--4 the Tahiti's helm hard a-star-taiuithe steamer commenced mov'af.i»fflrt. He also ordered the port «p»f»ll astern, and stopped the starkrt,«pni. There had been two taiMfrtbe whistle, but a collision vtii unavoidable, and occurred in if»-*«onda. On the bridge with {s& Cirson at, the time were the MSi.eaprain, the second officer, the Mwiis, and a junior officer. The Hrh-TW good. Cifiiis Barnes in his statement estadiihit there were between 75 and H*J*BHigers aboard the Greycliffe. Htttjilbat he had called at the Garfa Uatd wharf and was heading for OfMeSen Park wharf when he heard frtUulifrom a vessel. He looked out *ft« starboard side, but saw nothing Btik» atepped across to the port side, WtdasfcrD, and saw the Tahiti with- £*?•* feet of his port quarter. He "d,»»t Ken or heard the Tahiti previ- %. Immediately after this the Tahiti kit'the Greycliffe, and the latter •flfcl to go down at once. He escaped !N(k'» window of the wheelhouse. jwfch Barnes added that he did not ■WWhether the blasts he heard came *J*;**t» Tahiti as there was another jwittr'la the vicinity. He was travel-Iraf-a speed of nine or ten knots w» thi vessel was struck, his engines Wtt fall steam ahead. j*»i, Smith, who was mentioned in *»JJROf nUsing, returned home safe*wk» was not on board the Grey-

**&«*! to the list of dead are:— **».nost, of Melbourne. *T Stiles, of Watson's Bay. J** «"M of E. Forkes, which was g™«»!y eftbled, should be R. Forbes, '••'•Mi wag also among the dead. .J*** B«ker, of VaucluseKFjVrook and her son, aged two, of i™»l«r names enrolled as missing

?» Asher. J.Buk. r . *Wa named Nahlin. [Kfc* Sir Statu. if"*' VIJM? 8 *^ 8 "toorities state that of the Tahiti after the Si!;** <P»t* in order, as she is ft jjj*w«oa a regular run, and will be % Ju? * a MTen weeks - In addition, tilfT. ?• kere to give evidence of enquiry. ltj/2*** ««ived by the Union Com"ifctTl the Tahiti before she sailed * Gtrf V l6 Gre y cliff e, after calling 1m \S "'and, was ahead of the to *°? »'ood away from Neilsen *W*Ji, T4hi ti's starboard bow. Head was approached *6* tt tred in the ™ ual w*7. al " **m<7 ? re y cliff e plenty of room to MVJ* her course. The ferrv, howm AM Hi t0 bear in towards the «* fc . , Wwt W «H till the Tahiti's m$P »™o»t level with the ferry Sfcfia , the forrv - ilia al ' StaVk y Bwerved a«os» nftder VSi»JI.". ow, i * n d in a few seconds *jwn»ttied. S^r^jSl* l '* whißtle was blown and Waß made t0 "top the ves- ."*■*•• too late.

I Blimi kary enquiry. ■ JSP* AVD * 7 " CkthX ASSOCIATION.) I i^EL : lr . CAXBEBRA .> November 5. I i^j#^^er ior Tl- acle and Customs, I o < l i nt <> th« harbour ratfP be held on Monday and BJBBitfifii , . te of the officers and others ■BgPwii be t&kea in New Zea-

THREE MORE BODIES FOUND

(AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z.' CABLE ASSOCIATION.) (Received November 7th, 125 a.m.) SYDNEY, November 6. The divers continued their search of the sunken Greycliffe to-day, and discovered three more bodies, a boy, L. Lanksheer, a girl, Betty Laurence, both of Vftucluse, and F. A. Stevens, storekeeper of the Naval Supply Ship Kurraba- They also located what is believed to be the ladies' cabin portion of the Greycliffe, which is badly smashed, and,which had drifted 100 feet, ft way from the other parts of the I wreckage. Contrary to expectation, j no bodies were found in it.

.The divers came, across a handbag containing money and other belongings and the address of Mrs Milson, of Elwood, Victoria. She was not known to be aboard and enquiries are being made to find if she should be added to the list of victims.

It is proposed to lift part of the wreck to-morrow, and it is expected that this will reveal other bodies amid the wreckage or pinned in the mud. As there is a strong undertow where the Greycliffe lies, it is thought that some of the bodies may have drifted away.

MEMORIAL SERVICE HELD. (Received November 7th, 1.20 a.m.) SYDNEY, November 6. A large and representative memoriaL service, at which the Governor was present, was held at St. Andrew's Cathedral. Mr Hughes represented the Union Company. References to the disaster were made in all the churches. The funerals of more of the victims to-day were largely attended by the public.