STEAMER DRIVEN ASHORE IN GALE

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 184, 2 May 1931, Page 8

STEAMER DRIVEN ASHORE IN GALE

Four Lives Lost in Wreck Off Wellington , HELPLESS VESSEL DRIFTS ON TO ROCKS Progress Smashed to Pieces in Few Minutes TUG’S VAIN EFFORTS TO GET TOWLINE ABOARD Four lives were tost when, at midday yesterday, the wellknown coastal steamer Progress was wrecked at Ohiro Bay in a southerly gale. The other eight members of the crew, including the master and the second mate, were rescued in a more or less exhausted condition, several having been badly cut about and all j suffering severely from cold and exposure. After declining . assistance from passing ships when she lost her propeller on Thursday evening, the Progress drifted most of the night, the tug Tola falling to get her In tow in the heavy southerly gale which came on suddenly. Anchoring about a mile off shore, the Progress .rode out the gale till shortly before noon yesterday, and was finally . driven on the rocks and quickly broken up in the heavy seas.

All the morning the gale raged with Increasing violence. ’ As far os .the eye could See the sea' was. an angry boil, breaking In great masses of water and spray along the rock-bound coast. The big liner Hertford, bound from New Plymouth to Wellington, was seen passing in, but, of course, she was not able to render any assistance. The watchers cm- shore and oh board the Tofq could do nothing to help the Progress out of her perilous position. News of the vessel's plight had reached the city and a stream of motor-cars brought hundreds of “sigfit-seers” out to Ohiro Bay, along the shores of which, despite the bitter cold and driving rain Squalls, they stood watching, fascinated by,the sight Of the hapless little ship which was wallowing in the great seas while her anchors held. Further 'out the black-painted tug Tola was .rolling and pitching, both ships at times being almost hidden from view. Rocket Line Party, The rocket-line party, under Captain P. S. Peterson, deputy harbourmaster, stood their ground ready to act instantly thdlr eorvlefts could be availed of. The fishermen bewailed . the fact that there was no lifeboat available, to enable them to put off to the rescue of the crew of the Progress. Had it been possible to put to sea in any of their, own boats they would have gone long before. During' the morning the Marine Department received word' that Beacon Hill signal station could not see the Tola, and

that tlii* Progress was sending up dis-’ tress signals.- The department arranged' with the Tinakori Hills radio station to send a message to the Toia, but although this was done tfo response- was received. Orders were then sent to. the-lighthouse tender Matai to raise steam, but before she could be ready word was received that the Progress was ashpre. Hoisting the Trysail. The climax, came a few minutes to. 11 o'clock. ! From the shore the watchers saw the doomed Ship’s crew moving along the deck cud then the fore trysail was hoisted. At 11.10 a.m. the main trysail was set, and It became apparent that the master of the Progress was going to make an effort either to “claw off” the land or to run his Ship into the bay. The cables had either parted oh had been slipped. Quickly'the ship gathered way and appeared to' run clear of the reefs near which she had been . anchored. There was tense expectancy'among the onlookers as she came along—as one of them put it —“in great style.” Those on board the tug thought she had a chance, and the Toia moved inshore in readiness to help if possible. The Progress was too close in, however, and the tug could do no more. . . With all hands aft on the poop, Captain Copland conned his ship as well as her crippled condition and the gale and sea would let him, the mate being at the wheel.* For a.time there appeared to be a chance, that she would run clear of the reef at the western point of Ohiro Bay, known locally as the “Run-around.” Once clear of that danger the bay would be wide open for her and she could run up on the narrow beach at its head. Nearing the “Run-around.” As she neared the “Run-around," the Progress, labouring and tossing in the wild breakers, was not more than 100 yards from the ,onlookers who crowded out bn the rocks as far as the drenching spray would let them. For a few minutes It looked as if the ship had just a Chance of running clear of the cruel rocks that showed up jet black through the boiling surf. But the seas were not to be baulked of their prey. As the vessel sagged to leeward from the force of the. gale,. it was just 12 o’clock when *a series of piercing blasts from her whistle told the Onlookers that the rocks had caught her. She tore herself clear and, > labouring heavily, drove another 50 to 100 yards along the fringe of the reef. But her doom,was sealed. A great sea struck her broadsiefe on with an awful smash, and broke. right over her. The little shin hit the rocks with terrific force and heeled right, over on her port side, her deck being almost vertical. Just as she struck her crew rushed forward, but another sea. broke over her and swept , some of/them away. Two or three gained the forecastle head, where they held on for a little while. Sea after sea smashed over the'ship, which parted at the break of the' poop and rapidly broke iip. The funnel did not last long, and the masts and rigging quickly went. Ship. Torn to Pieces. The ship was quickly torn to pieces, the stern portibn swinging round, close on to the. fore .part; while the cargo . strewed the broken water and was quickly washed ashore all along the bay. A very few minutes sufficed »to complete the work of destruction. . ‘ , The horrified <?rowd shouted “She’s gone 1” as the vessel struck; but those

who had been waiting long hours, to render assistance now had their chance. Gallant Rescue Work. Mett could be seen struggling in the water, and one or two were swept up on the rocks. The fishermen had their chance, and regardless of all dangers pulled off in a boat to the rescue. The first man picked up was either dead or unconscious, but another was got aboard after nearly an hour’s work, dazed and cut about. The rocket-line party, under Captain Peterson, seized their opportunity when the ship struck, and the. first line was shot clean across the ship. The second went a few feet to leeward of two men on a rock. Captain Copland and Able Seaman Degerholm jumped off the ship’s forecastle head, just before the first line was Cred, and they were finally pulled to safety by rescuers who ventured '■ far out on the rocks. Another man at great risk swam out with a line, but got into difficulties, and was rescued along with a seaman from , the Progress by an Italian fisherman who had manned a boat. Lifesaving reels from Lyall Bay and Island Bay had been brought to the beach, and members of the surf clubs made preparations to go out with a line. Policcm.n’s Brave Effort.. A very gallant rescue effort was that of Constable Hammond, of Taranaki Street police station, who .partially stripped off. tried to reach some of the men by using the rocket-line as a lifeline. He was badly buffeted by the heavy seas and was finally thrown up on the rbclrs. from which lie was rescued by some fisherman. Constable Hammond received injuries to his hands and wrists, and was in an almost exhausted condition when picked up. He recovered sufficiently after an hour or so to be taken home. Survivors’ Sufferings. Altogether eight of the crew of the Progress were got ashore alive. Most of them were in a very bad way, being ent about their heads and bodies. Some had had their clothes almost completely tom. off, and all were suffering badly from cold and shock. They were taken into nearby houses, where restoratives were applied, and after receiving medical attention they were taken to hospital in the - Free; Ambulance cars. Survivors in Hospital. With the exception of Captain Copland, who is with friends at Brooklyn, all ( the survivors are in the Wellington Hospital; having been taken there shortly, after their rescue. All are suffering from exposure, cold, and shock. Several are also badly bruised, and suffering- from abrasions; The most seriously injured is Fritz Degerholm, who fractured his ribs :as a result of being dashed against the rocks.- . Late last evening air were doing as well as could be expected. The bodies of the dead were all. recovered during the afternoon, the last being that of the chief engineer, Mr. T. Simpson, which came ashore about 4 o’clock. Rescuer’s Close Call.

One of the rescuers, Constable F. Baker, ot Island Bay. had a close call. He was returning to the shore in cMrge Of a rescue boat after having picked up one of the crew, when a large wave capsized the boat on the rocks. It was with considerable difficulty that the constable was rescued. He was sent home suffering from exhaustion and a bruised back. 1 FIRST MISHAP A Lost Propeller DRIFT INTO DANGER The Progress had loaded a full cargo of produce and general merchandise at Dunedin, Timaru and Lyttelton for New Plymouth and Port Waikato, and was to call at Wellington for bunker coal supplies. About 7 o’clock on Thursday night, when approaching Wellington heads, the ship’s tail-shaft broke and the propeller dropped off. The weather was then fine, and the sea smooth, and there appeared to be no possibility of any danger to the disabled ship. . Ships That Pass in the Night. Shortly after the mishap the little motor-ship Opawa, bound from Blenheim to Wellington, spoke the Progress, and offered assistance, which was declined by Captain Copland, who asked to have his condition reported to the Harbour Board.: The,ferry steamers Maori and Arnhura, the small steamer Ktiku, and the auxiliary scow Echo, all outward bound, also sight-; ed the Progress. It is stated that the Arahura also offered assistance, and that the Kuku steamed round the Progress to see if she could help, but their services were not sought. . The First Report. About this time, the wind veered to the south-west, at first a gentle breeze, but rapidly increasing in force, and tho Progress started to drift to the westward. The Opawa, Which arrived in port shortly before 10 o’clock, had got into communication with' the Beacon Hill signal station above Seatoun as she came in from sea, and reported the breakdown of the Progress by means of her Morse signalling lamp. Some time later, it is understood, the Progress herself was in communication with Beacon Hill.'At all events, the Opawa’s message was com J friunicated at. once to the harbourmaster; and steam was raised on the tug Toia; which.left the wharf for sen n’t 10.43 p.m. Southerly Gale Rises. In the meantime the Progress was drifting past Island Bay, and the wind, which was rapidly developing into a gale, was raising a heavy sett. The Toia proceeded at- full speed, and reached tho Progress about half an hour after midnight, at which time Beacon Hill, which was in visual communication by Morse lamp with the fug, reported to the harbourmaster that a messenger line was being drifted by means of a lighted buoy from one ship to ' other. The Toia, it: is stated, picked up the light: line, |>nt it carried away before a tow-line could be passed. According, to' the second mat.e -of the Progress repeated efforts were made to get a line from the tug without success.. . ' Captain Campbell, master of the, Tola-, and Captain'Ncss< representative of the Holm Shipping Company, who was on board, refused to say anything concerning

what, happened during the time the tug was standing by the Progress, ot.-erthan that the weather was very bad. The tug returned to, port at S’o'clock yesterday morning. " , In Perilous Plight. Finding, .that it was impossible to get a line to dr from the tug. and that the Progress was being driven In on the land by the gale. Captain Copland finally let go both his anchors. giving a long scope of cable on each - to prevent the ship from dragging.' • , Milieu daylight broke, it .was. seen that the Progress was riding to her anchors: about a mile riff, the Red, Rocks, to the westward of Ohiro Bay. If was now blowing a hard gale, which had worked up a very heavy sea In which the Progress laboured and wallowed, and which continually swept over her. Inshore the waves were thundering and crashing over the jagged black reefs in a wild tumult. Scarcely » mile separated the little ship from the, rocks —all between was. a white boiling me«s of savage breakers — and the lives of. twelve men! and the safety of the vessel hung wholly on the thin threads of her anchor cables. It was bitterly cold from the shrieking suualls nf sleet and spray whi«h lashed the ship unceasingly'in the Wild onslaught of the gale.

DROWNED. The following..are the names of those • drowned i— ■ - . . ' FRANK LAWTON, aged 45, married, chief officer, of Fairview Terrace, Wellington. ' ■ i - THOMAS SIMPSON, aged 46, married, chief engineer, Dunedin. WILLIAM .WJNTON, aged 40, fireman, of .Dunedin. ' WILLIAM FINCH, aged 40, single, cook, of Wellington. ■ ' THE SURVIVORS. The following are the survivors, .all of whom, save' Captaip Copland, who is at a friends home, are in hospital:— Captain A; Copland, aged 45, married, master, of Opawa,i Christchurch, Kustaa Kanerva, aged 33, single, second mate, Wellington. Felix Kuusik/ aged 27, single, able seaman, Wellington. Fritz Degerholm, aged 26, married, able seaman, Wellington. Jack Morgan, aged 25, single, able sea man, Wellington. 1 , William Evans, aged 25, single, able seaman, Wellington,. J. A. Collins, aged 17,. single, ordinary ,seaman, No. 38 Palliser Road, Wellington. : John Metcalf, aged 43, married, fireman. Wellington. ,