THE SEAMEN'S MISSION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 762, 10 March 1910, Page 7

THE SEAMEN'S MISSION.

mSENTATION:OF MEDALS.

the fact that Mr. -Robert SDarroch,- chief officer of the ■ - Ulimaroa, was to be presented .with, the :- Royal •Tlumane Society's silver medal for saving the -life of a drowning man some little J* ago, and that the nest of kin of .Mrs. .Hope, and -Mrs. Jacobs, the gewardesses of the. ill-fated steamer isngnffl, were to bo presented with in jnemonam certificates commemoratin" tberribravery on the night of the wreck garoy accounted for the large audience vthat was present' at the Seamen's InstiItate last evening., A.very enjoyable concert had been organised by,Mr: and Mrs. W, Cable, who, though unable to bo jnssent, were represented by Miss Cable. Mr. ATlport said all present had heard of, the bravo'deed performed by Mr.' Darroch, the chief ■ officer of the > s.s. XJlimaroa. Mr.. Darroch had seen a man *tU.into the sea .between the steamer-and •the wiarf, and . without hesitating a ijnoment had plunced into a very rough eea and rescued . the man. . Occurrences were to be read of.happening throughout -tte. convincing ono that, in spite j j that was said about the present • /day deterioration, we still maintained the.spirit of.our. forefathers. As re.gaTding the. other presentations,, the in memoriam; certificates to bo given to the tuext of kin of the .two brave women 3flrs. Jacobs and Mrs. Hope,... who ' lost their..; lives last. February, 1 everybody knew;', tho circumstances of the wreck. Tew. people who had not been wrecked could-realise the :terror that the women and childrn had undergone during that night .of horror, and it was then' that the "bravery of these, two women showed itself, with no thought of themselves , 'till all the othersl'.wcro provided for. Mr. Moore, the honorary agent of the Hoyal Humane Society, said how pleased ../he. was-, to. , see the .'father of Mrs. Jacobs rpreseht. that evening. Hewas doing them all an honour by being present, as was /Mrs. Deon the sister of Mrs. Hope. ' , Mrs. 'Williams then presented the father (of Mrs.' Jacobs,.Mr.' Edward Woods, with (the handsomely-framed in memoriam cerftificate awarded by the Royal Huninne tSociety -for - conspicuous ' bravery. Mr. ■TVoods appeared to bo a wonderfully hale i-old .man of over ninety, almost' as upright as a dart.. His . son-in-law, Mr. ,C. Benzie, spoke for him, thanking those -.■present for. tho kind things that had I)cen;saicl. -Mrs. Dean, the sister of Mrs. ~Hope, received the certificate commemorating her sister's bravery on behalf of her mother,-. Mr. Albo'rc expressing her appreciation of it. , Mrs. Williams than prestnted Mr, Eobert Darroch with the -society's , silver 'medal for saving life, as well as a certificate. ' ' : .

Mr. Darroch made a speech that would lave donß Lord Kitchener credit for brevity. "Thank you very much! This is the : toughest •■ part ■. of the rescue." 'And then he was away off the platform, amidst laughter an dmuch applause. The medal was inscribed: "Awarded to Robert Darroch in' "recognit'oii at conspicuous bravcrjr, 1003. . .