FROCKS AND BRAINS. HEROINE OF THE WRECK.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 432, 15 February 1909, Page 3

FROCKS AND BRAINS.

HEROINE OF THE WRECK.

\ - v^Tearsjand?'yem %it .was-dep'meel :a matter -of:,course that'.brainy! 1 ;. and' artistic-iWpmejn? cared' little. for/everyday , ; ■•'fashions. ; iii.:',olothes.'i;Thw tradition.irasi kept •■:: illustrated ; comic pafiefs of;'the :'; :midrVipibtian:.eraV .which<: ; always...;depicted i'l the'femihine. :'-'•'Btiff,f,unbecbmMg-: ctillarsi'viik'n'd ...spectacles, wliilst'the' 'femiiurie : /artist; was" a ; ,wild-,!dbking : ; ' : creature, wrapped in rWeifd"drapenes/. '. As '..•..■' j ;.: : ently:a-creature'only.ito.'beycdmpared.vrith a '■;;;Boareorow.: ■.'.Nowadays,;: however,! s :'one.'-would' i,;f;iijid;it difficult-to ; pick; but from.a. crowd tlie !' distinguished women-present, for, beyond.the ;- :'fact :thatvthoy i are; to. be! -found'!■ ambiiß the !-•.,• best'aud smartest !dressers;: ; there.is;nothing. j;;.speakiilg womettvivßut:with:French:yomen;of- ■:■-:)■. learning;"and-:distinction, '■ the - case , 'is■-'so '•' far that i they•.;have; ; a.r leaning! ;I<wards .:-.a bizarre.,kind;of:• dressing,' and,:- according ,V,to\the / teceijt-.desc.ripiibri of a large gathefing' ' ! ;:: of; French J!, literary; people, a\\ nuinbeiv:. of; . .; trousered authoresses, put in an! :;*i;ln ! explanation ;of: this! declared-, that .it! •/•• WBB'viXs ; protekV'agains|ibarbarip! ; rurs l - ; '6rnaof .fashionable. Parisichnes. •::', Chief ; j.-amdngst''these;': : .outre .dressers was .■.•,';• Madahie!' Dieuafoyj : >wh'o '.adbpted V masculiiio! f arb,!:while. 'accompanying. her 'husband oh' . is'tarehaelpgical-itravels, : and has' retained Ivi'it veverH-sinbe'i-:; - ; fle >Moritifaut; "■': a. ■;', familiar:'figure in. the : newspaper-',.world 6f '.V : Pans,!alwyevwcars'-"aVbqwler'hat": : 'and , :sliort !;!:-;' box' ;;Tbio; of 'vMaeterJirick, .tho •■;-'-. famous :'dramatist,-:goes to; tho otiieir extreme, ;",.¥for/she'aifMte'Lbuis.OTlstylej;with'.filJ;tneir ] • '6xtfayagance .of pointed; bodice and: pannibrs .■■•^'ahd->yplfttninQ^■■opiff^i*..•■'i!^ladalnβvßo , s'tand, i ! : : wife ■of:!tho v academipian, and,b.erself;a J poet,' ;:;-!wears'..velyet:gowns!;falling.in' straight lines' :!/;;■ from! shoulder .ttfhemlJicaughfi'in.-withVpic-■\i: turesque}girdles;i v Aßoth_ert distinguished lady ■„;:;■ goes.,aWut;;with ! : her!:hair!;hangmg :!down her; ■v !back-'ih,.-unconfiried-.r!masses, 'and.-■■Madamp .'';'Colette.i:.;the -witty;author; , , of, ."Pialogues! de ■.•"!'■•■ Betesj" '-prefers :the!'simple outfit of .a sehobj- ''. girl. , ..:S_he.is!'!always attired, in a loose jacket ¥./;.' with.. a ankles,; a ;-.;turned..down .collar,'..and.'shbrt;.hair..tied up ■'■'.'■■ ; 'oii' : brie.isi3oV" , -V"- ::'fcj'- >;!-! : '. ;; ! ; ; : . : : -'\. : ;(- " : ' ■. '

■'v , :Tßose;. i .who"'appreciateV'humouri>-:i , hpTvever slight,;mayi.fihd;somothirig;tp' smile afr.in the': following 'little 'Story: -A' Vj small; V-girl-rthe 'daughter. ?'6t. a';mn.n.:!' know-—has 'just"been brought , .to I'Enciand. from'.-her, father's 'cattle. Tianch;^Wher^. ; 'dhβ' ; Al<i's'-'l>b'n)y''aild' : hα'd.'spehl;' .tho.;'tbrep vyears :'of herVMife. . "A .-tinyy fairhaire'di'inite,;filie,sat';'at her'aunt's;.'dinner-;, table , oneday, with her rosy face just reach-' ing ;abbxe : the : table:; :;'.'No.| no : fisn.:for. : y'pu,' .pet;": isaidk the aunt.;:*:'.'Murainy; .'says you inay: v hav:e' ; "a little chiclceh presently. , The hungry ; face fell,'.but'thp .mitoe sat.still.for:a iewyininutes, ■'whilelihe , ' fish-was" eaten,\arid ■.tne't'cpßTersatjon and;grew, until it'.was: suddenly, interrupted by ; the ..now. wdjgnantjpinkifaced-niitej. saying-.in ,a yory ebrifl-'Jinvoice;-■.•."Say , .!.^uncle— Avhen's' that .durned;ole■'chicken.'coni'''' > in ?". '■; '■',(',: '■■ ; ';• ■■ ■-

AFLOAT IN THE DARKNESS. DRIFTING BENEATH AN UPTURNED . BOAT. Without a doubt Mrs. Hannam. tlio sole woman survivor from tho wreck of tho: Penguin, is one of the bravest women that ever lived. -Not only did she walk to the homestead on tho slioro-wlien sho was, ; roleased from.' tho boat, but on Saturday night sho: rode into. town, . : and when seen at tho Trocadero on Sunday evening, sbe : was; as calm and collected'as though the horrors' of the wreck 1 had occurred months ,agp. : : ; "Yes, ;it is better for. mo to talk,"'she said. "When I; am alone/. Ikeep'■ seeing ! it all happen again,, hut when there is \anyorio, with' me, it does not seem so clear." ' For some.time'past Mr. and Mrs. Hannam, with their, four, children, .had . been' , living ■ m. at"Tadmbr," near' Nelson,', where". Mr. 'Hannam was working on tho line, .arid it; was partly bccause of a strain received there that Mr. Hannam determined to go' to R-otorua, . taking with him tho whola. family,' the eldest boy aged ten, the second five years, old, the lit'tlo girl ofthree, • andthe-jbaby. of two. Both , those little' girls were delicate-; child-, ren.-i The jouraey . from-. Nelson\:,began ,;in, good, weather, says Mrs. Hannam; . -but .they; knew when they left Picton. that it would be'rough : in' the; straits,' and they" encountered, a terrible sea there.- One. of . the .'children 'in ''tn'er steerage was alarmed,.with, the. violence, of the ' waves,which - broke right ' over'the' boat three; .times,'' and' .came down, into tho cabins. ,7; '"Wo Mi;'it very much in,;the'..steerage: Eyei74.wa,ve\brpke with:, a great'; thump. just : by iny; head,'.and 'perhaps , that was '.why: ;1 hardly '": realised'-■ 'the,: - difference -' when fyte bumped- on 1 tbte rock', though'that was-, just, by mis''head, too. We'bumped, three times. I did nbt'iat'first 'get'out of my bunk. The stewardess, behaved magnificently.. She had been heartening,--''some of tho. children through; th'e; : storm, and when the': boat struck she' was as brave as sho' could be, taking care : that . everyone :'.-ahd!' '&•: lifebelt'.on/ and she helped, to put the women and/ children.: in ■; She . was quite ;brave, '.'eyen- jolly about it.... I .think she and the other stewardess _ went in ono of •the boats. ! Ws did not. see .them again. • My husband put my lifebelt on. '(When tho people went on deck they were wonderfully': calm'.: 'No one made-, any fuss. They': were.; all quite brave.' I' did not jvaxit to, go,' in tho boat, but they made me.' It was, the second boat we went in.:, -The first, I think, got away,' didn't it? I was under tho impression it got clear away. Well, ,when:;we went,: down' the boat- tipped up at. one end; and■: some of. the women'; and' child-' ren wero. thrown into the water. • I was ; thrown out;arid,''the;bab'y.that,l,had : .in.: my: 'arms was,washed out :of them, but I' felt round and got . hold of its clothes, and got' it;'again,-and their : .l got back in'the boat-, and I. managed to help other women into it. - (J,-,'. V:" *'■ ' "I couldsee .. my.'three children ~-in the water, and they., called, out to mo 'Oh, | mother, , mother,': and I .'called baPV, .'I will help you if I can,' and I tried to get the'' men t-o : get. hold_ of them, but they had-so. much, to dolkee'pitig the boat'clear' of the ship that they;could;hot save my; children, or- -;anyone : else. : I could : see .my '.-husband standing on thb deck; vyatching itiall, and he called but'good-bye to me; but' I.would 'not say.' gppdrhye, because I' thoiight'it would ,be too'much:,for. him. x Tho're was : a. bright Tight , as'long, as the''steamer ':stayed np, with, her searchlights and tho deck lights, though the cabin .Tights , went , out pretty ' soon,. and_ we. could.. ::.see, : , .the ■ captain in the : . light iip on the bridge. He. did , everything lie: : 'could, and / , sent Up -, rockets..: Our-: boat*-Ms fd" one, s and': I. said' tp: a.' sailor that wd. should.cut: away tho mast-, which was' no good to us, and so make more room for: the women. We did this: Wo were up to our:knees in water all the time, and while■ the.'sailor cut, away the mast I„bailed her out.' The sailor said „the boat, would not swamp, IWe had no .officer,; in our boat—only the sailor and some men. . ■ v ;.j V., "My'.little baby kept 'talking',t-o< me; and. ,I.,tried -to; shield it with my .arm from tho .waves. JAf ter the boat had nearly-'gorie down - hermastrlight showed,for : a : time,.and every ,time.;we roso to the top! of a wave wo could see it.:: They thought it was, the . light" of 'another 'steamer, and.-.we. began; :to; "cry hurray, .thinking it was coming, tpfhelp;us. It,was. yerv'dark when the steamer went down,; quite :dark, :but;we could; see. the .breakers .as they came, tp'wards,'us,:at: first-like a. darjt ;cloud and :therf .with their White heads', showing. ,: I talked to the women near me," and asked them questions, but could.riot, get them to- say a .word.-. They were all quite. dazed;arid; silent.' .v , "It was a.-little tiroo after the steamer disappeared that went: over. \ :breaker camei'.r We could se^^it -coming to-, wards us like a.huge mountain, and it tipped Jhfi,boat'right,over. \I had my baby.in.my; »armsjV and I ,hung' on.: to the seat. How I did it I. don't know. ' Someone was clinging to' !;my .dressj/and.,another;person 'was; jianging, i on, to.' my feet, and. tho boy Matthews ; was' holding to' my'. hair. -. What happened to. the others I don't :know, : but atjlast there; were only the boy j.and the. baby' and me. ' Yes, I was hanging under the boat-like tho tongue of a, bell, and: gradually I got my feet up on to .a _ seat, end I was sitting partly 011 /a -seat;'just by; where, the ,mast .goes..': I had a little air, • for. every; now .'and then-: the '• boat' high on a wave.and the'air came underneath. .' After .a. 'tiirie ■ I took?."my -baby' arid tied her 011 to-a seat.. liook.ber lifebelt'off and:pu,t';it; iirider her: like a pillow. -I knew-' before we reached shore. that; she; was dead, for I felt-her face and her clenched teeth when I tried to put-iny-■finger.'into her mouth. I.'mainagcd to save the boy.'. ; • . ' -V'lt vwas; .daylight;. before . wevreaolied . the shoreb'. AiTthe^lM^^ undorher. jAnd after a while -I; felt 'seaweed; I got'a bit of it in-my- fingers, and I said, 'Thank God we:aro liear:to.;shore. 1 . And I .'tried, to rub my. legs for I thought- it would .nevpr .dd if,' when we. got to shore, .I- was ioo stiff tp move. ' After;:a while I; put my feet down and felt land, and then we were thrown up. on • the beach. I tried to - scrape: a hole under .the;boat,, and as fast as; lu,scrapedI u ,scraped it, the water silted the sand up again, and I broko off bits of stick arid poked -tlibm underneath so. that, people:' would know there 'fras' someone there. Then when I: heard voices I cried out to them to break the boat "open .with an axe and let us'out. They wcre four shepherds,' and ■ together, they turned the boat over and lot us out. . And'afterwards I walked up to' the homestead.The people there were,very kind to ris. Mrs. Holder had a big fire', , and she did everything, she. could for us.'!, Mrs. Hannarn, who is' qtifto : # a young ■woman, - Well, under thirty; is_ the daughter of Mr. George ..Whiting, of Picton,- and her parents 'were down at the Picton Wharf 'tp say good-bye as she passed through.