WRECK OF THE MANUKA

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 73, 19 December 1929, Page 12

WRECK OF THE MANUKA

STORY OF, NEAR-TRAGEDY

SKILFUL LAUNCHING OF BOATS FINE FEAT OF SEAMANSHIP PASSENGERS’ NIGHT OF MISERY Dominion Special Service. , Dunedin, December 18. i That the Manuka was not lost with all hands when she was wrecked at Long Point on. Monday is nothing short of a miracle. With a gaping hole ripped in ’ tier hull by the jagged rocks, she was actually slipping off the rocky ledge when the order was given for her engines to be kept , going ahead. That action saved the lives of the passengers. Within a few minutes of striking, the ' Manuka was in such a perilous position that if prompt measures had not been taken to keep her on the rocks as long as possible she would have slipped back ■ and sunk, creating scenes of indescribable confusion and adding a tragic toll of human life to the loss of the ship herself. , , , The boats could not have been latinch- , ed in time and in such weather as prevailed none but the strongest swimmers could have had a chance of reaching the shore. , ... The saving of the full complement with only one or two minor injuries was a marvellous achievement, due not only to ' good fortune but to the seamanship of the officers and crew and the coolness of the passengers. Disaster Inevitable. "■ From the position of the wreck of the Manuka it can be seen that disaster ' shadowed the vessel from the time she » passed Chaslands. Caught by the easterly set, she drifted to leeward. The thick fog blurred the view ahead, and even if 'the ship had safely passed Long Point and maintained the course she was sailing at the time of the wreck she would probably have run aground under the Nuggets. A long way off the point breakers are to be seen denoting the presence of reefs. Right under the main ppint a reef runs ;■ out for a few yards, and it was on this that the Manuka came to grief. Throughout the day heavy seas crashed aboard the vessel, smashing the deck houses and wrecking her interior. Striking the deck on the starboard side, the breakers hammered through the ports and ‘ companionways, the passage of the. water ~ through the bowels of the ship setting up a loud mournful accompaniment to the - screeching of the wind. As each sea broke over her a thick cloud of spray rose and was blown over to port in white masses of foam. Doors slammed loudly in all parts of the ship as each successive wave hit her. a, Wreck Likely to Disappear. The sensation was eerie. It seemed as if destruction was stalking its way ‘‘ noisily through her, ripping and tearing 1 at her vitals. Each breaker took with '' it some small part, of the ship. The disintegration was slow but luthless. Lying as she does on a rock exposed to all winds save the direct westerly, the Manuka is liable to disappear from view at any time. An easterly will, brir.g about her destruction with rapidity. Salvage of either cargo or passengers’ personal effects is impossible, and the Manuka will certainly end her days being pounded to pieces by the sea which 1 she has defied for many years. Her ■ stern is held in the rocks, but to every breaker her forepart (still remaining out of the water) answers with n shake as if it were her final gesture to the land and sea. From the bow to almost, under the bridge she is open, and with her stern broken she is an easy prey to the rav- •' ages of the sea. s Launching the Boats. Assembled quickly on deck after the ship struck, the passengers were a forlorn band. Nearly all had been asleep, and not one had time to gather any personal belongings. The coverings closest at hand were thrown about them. A few of the ladies were dressed in their fur • coats, while others shivered in nothing but neglige and boudoir caps. In the rush for the deck many had not even time to secure their overcoats, but they , wrapped themselves in ship’s blankets. The men, too, were equally ill attired for a night’s battle with the elements. Dressed only in pyjamas, they reached '■ the deck with whatever clothing or wrap C was handy in their cabins. The children fared no better, and they were ob- - jects of compassion as shivering in the rain and the spray they took their places in the orderly lines formed on deck. In ■_ that race with death personal discomforts were forgotton. Not a word of '■ fear was voiced, so firm was the com■"posure of men, women and children alike. 'Death hovered over the ship, but not one soul flinched; the fortitude was wonder- •• fuh Under them was a ship shaking in her hour of doom, and about, them a stormy ' ocean was bounding onwards to erash - with reverberating thunder against the ' Manuka’s plates, and then surge on to break on the rock-bound coast. The ship pounded on the rocks, each bump sending a deathly shudder through her. and a report that could be heard above the calm but loud commands of the officers. The ' Manuka was at the mercy of the sea ' which she had defied for twenty years. Slowly the fine old ship started to heel to starboard, ever so slightly at the be- . ginning, but the lean was the first warn- - ing of the final fate of the vessel. Departure of First Boat. The departure of the first lifeboat after what appeared an interminable wait was a tremendous relief to the passengers still on board. Those women and children had a fighting chance of reaching land or being picked up; their fate was in - the balance and many a silent prayer ■ was given for their ultimate safety. ; Smoothly and rapidly the loading of the boats proceeded. All the women and children were sent afloat first. It was 1 hazardous undertaking, made all the more dangerous by the bumping of the ship on the rocks and the swirling of the breakers under the boats. The •' launchings were a great test of seamanship, and the feelings of relief experienced by captain and oflicers when the last ,■ boat was got away can well be imagined. Trying Night in the Boats. Clear of the sinking ship, the passengers and complement were still far from . salvation. Throughout the night the boats stood to sea, scattering off Long Point. They drifted about and to counteract the leeward set and to keep warm the passengers rowed in turn. In the flimsiest of attire they spent a miserable night, the minutes passed so slowly, and ■ it seemed as if dawn would never come. Only by change did the boats, steering . erratically about so as to be near the scene of the wreck, come within call of each other. The passengers’ misery was aggravated by the choppy sea and the ' pitching of the little boats gave many their first experience of mal de mer. It was a night of frightful stress and misery for them. , , Floating off the bays with nearly 300 persons the boats were scattered far and wide. Rain swept across the curling sea and the wind was piercingly cold. With the breaking of the cold, grey ,r dawn the boats headed for the rock- • bound bay and once on the headland a bilge fire was lighted from which the . ihilled passengers derived some measure if wnrmth and comfort. Chen followed hours of waiting until transport was organised and the long trek *®ck to civilisation was commenced.

MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY

DATE AND LOCALITY TO BE ARRANGED. It has been decided by the Marine Department that a magisterial inquiry be held regarding the circumstances connected with the wreck of the Manuka. Some difficulty is being experienced _ in fixing the date and locality of the inquiry, which will bo held at either Dunedin or Wellington. The nautical assessors have yet to bo nnnointod.