LINER IN COLLISION

Evening Post, Volume 72, Issue 72, 25 March 1924, Page 7

LINER IN COLLISION

MATATUA BADLY DAMAGED

EIGHT OF CREW KILLED IN BUNKS

TRAGIC ACCIDENT AT GRAVESEND.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPTBIGHT.)

(AUSTRALIAN-XEW ZEALAND CABLE ASSOCIATION.)

(Received 25th March, 9 a.m.)

LONDON, 24th March.

The steamer Matatua, bound for Lyttelton, collided at Gravesend with the American steamer American Merchant. The Matatua, badly damaged, was beached, with eight of her crew dead.

(KEDTEK'S TELEQRA3I.)

(Received 25th March, 11 a.m.)

LONDON, 24th March.

The inaccessibility of the Thames side district where the Matatua. and American Merchant collided has greatly delayed the receipt of authentic information, but it is now clear that the disaster led te> eight of the Matatua's crew being killed outright in their bunks, and three others were seriously crushed, and are in hospital in Gravesend. The difficulty is to penetrate to the bunks where the men slept, and it will probably be some days before the bodies can be extricated.

The Matatua has been brought on to Mucking Flat, where she is still partially submerged.

The Matatua was proceeding to Holehnven, and was turning round, when at 4 o'clock in the morning the American Merchant, of 7500 tons, of the United States Line, on her maiden voyage from New York, crashed into her broadside, striking her amidships in the engineroom.

Those on the Matatua state that the scene was terrible. The American Merchant's very sharp bow was put clear through the Matatua's plates like paper. Water rushed in, and the ship began to sink, but the captain managed to beach her.

The American Merchant proceeded, with the assistance of tugs from Tilbury, with pieces of the Ma'tatua's plates hanging on her bow and her flag halfmast.

The Matatua was last on the New Zealand coast in July, 1922, when, after having loaded at other Dominion ports, she sailed from here ou the 6th of. that month for London. Captain S. T. Greene was in command of the vessel at that time, but there have been several changes in the captaincies of the ShawSavill boats, and it not probable that he was in command of the Matatua whei she collided with the American Merchant. The Matatua is a steel twin-screw steamer of 6518 tons gross register and 6061 net register, built in 1904 by Messrs. Workman, Clark, and Co., Ltd.. Belfast. Her principal dimensions areLength 448 ft, breadth 56ft sin, depth 30ft 6in.