UNCHARTED ROCK?

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 77, 2 April 1910, Page 5

UNCHARTED ROCK?

WRECK OF THE PERICLES. SUGGESTED CAUSE OF DISASTER. HOW THE PASSENGERS FERE LANDED. -"ALL CLEAR IN HALF AN HOUR.*' A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION. . # By Telegraph.— Press Association.— Copyright, (Received April 2, 9 a»m.) PERTH, This Day. The steamer Monaro arris^ed at Cap» Leeuwin yesterday,, and embarked the , ' Pericles' castaways, totalling 509. One of the passengers gaye-an rnfceresfi;ing account. of the. disaster. He says :—: — lc 'The crew was busy getting- thederricks . ready for use. at Fremaatk, ■rcfeen a- sadden shock was felt, as if-a big sea had struck the steamer. The weather was fine and cloudless, and the sea calm. The steamer trembled foam end 4o endi, j and then keeled over to starboaxd, bat kept on gomg'iy The steam was escaping with a roar' from somewhere below, the waterliue. There was no sign of*4 shoal anywhere. CAPTAIN ACTS QUICKLY. "The captain at once took steps to find the extent of the damage. The •order to man the boat-deck was given, ,and when we reached the upper deck the ' men were getting out the boats. There was no panic, no foolish terror.; appeared anxfous to help everybody else. When the blind Dr. Emlsie and his valet were making for the first boat every hand was Bfccetched out to help them. I wanted my wife to go without me on the first- boat but she declined, unkss I went. So it wa* No. 2 that we finally got into, with upwards of forty others. EXCITEMENT. "There was terrible excitement lv rthe boat, naturally, and the sea, wEich. looked so smooth from the deck of ths Pericles, was rough and high for-'a-smafl boat. Whin* we got fairly away wa found the ship lying head to the wind, the bows being submerged to the level of tho sea and the stem sticking up so that the propellers were clear of tho water "In half an hour every soul was- clear of the ship, and she was gradually sinking. The forehold was evidently full of water, and only her watertight partitions were keeping her afloat. When we had received instructions from the chief' officer's boat to pull for the lighthouse (six miles distant) all started, and the way everybody behaved was a credit.! to the race. "PULL FOR THE-SHORE.-"A sweet woman stsuied saieing 'Pull for the Shore, Sailors.' A big wave struck the boat and her voice- died m her throat, but she was soon at it' again. All joined in the chorus, and acted as if on a picnic. Then th* woman sang 'Onward, Christian Soldiers,' 'The Jlidshipmite,' and all sorts of songs with choruses to .them. THE LAST PLUNGE. "The captain saw us fairly staged for the shore, then he went back to see the last of his grand ship. We left her about 4 o-'cloek, and about 5»30 thefloating palace listed to starboard and sank slowly out of sight. She made no fuss about the last pkmge. She had been knocked out hopelessly, and went, down quietly and doggedly, with colonn flying. A GUIDING FIRE. "As we drew towards the shore-we-wondered where on that wild, surfbeaten coast we were going to land, but the lighthouse-keeper was watching, and he kindled a blazing fire opposite wheEe we were to land. As we rowed we sawawful gi-anite rocks on our right hand, where the spray rose high in the air. Our coxswain kept clear of them, and make straight for the smoke. A coupk _ of boats had arrived before us. A THKILi OF PRIDE. "Ere we reached the beach those half-naked sailors, stewards, cooks, firemen, and stokers were into the wave* to clutch our boat and haul her up, and they handled the women and children in a way that made my heart thrill with pride. They carried all ashoje dryshod, and as boat after boat came in they did the same thing till thirteen boats had landed about 450 people on the desolate beach. NO ACCIDENT. "The captain's boat was late in coming in,. as they waited to see the last of the ship, but when she came it was wonderful to think that so many peoplefohould have been landed from a sinking ship on a sui-f-beafcen shore without a single accident. Not only was there no loss of life, but not a single accident of any kind. "The four houses at Cape Leeuwin were hospitably placed at the disposal of the shipwrecked people, who landed without money, change of raiment, or anything but what they stood in, but were grateful to be ashoie alive. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. "If the steamer had struck an uncharted rock on either of the previoui nights, there would have been a disaster to send a thrill through the world, but all happened on a glorious afternoon, and the heroism and courage of the people were beyond all praise."