TRYING TIME

Evening Post, Volume 50, Issue 50, 27 August 1926, Page 10

TRYING TIME

WRECK OF PORT KEMBLA

WELLINGTON LADY INTEE

VIEWED.

(By Toleoraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post")

AUCKI/AND, 26th August.

Among the Port Kembla's passengers, who arrived by the Corinthic, are Mrs. G-. M. Coggers, of Wellington, and her two little (laughters, one aged eight and tho other five and a half. The younger girl is one of the most-travelled youngsters in New Zealand to-day. In spite of her extreme youth, she has already travelled over 40,000 miles. It is said that if a person can show proof of having travelled 10,000 miles he can qualify for the right to put F.E.G.S. after his name. This little Miss Coggers must have already qualified for at least the Fellowship.

Mrs. Coggers said that the wreck was really a most prosaic affair, and right from the start they tried to sco tho funny side of things. It waa at 4 o'clock in the morning when the ship ran on the rock. When tho 2000 tons of coal was jettisoned, everything and everybody was covered with coal dust, even the sea was black with it for acres around. The only thing that gave out on the Port Kembla was fresh water, so that bathing was out'of the question, and as the sea was covered with this dust it was impossible to go over the side, although that would have been a boon, because the tropical sun was scorchingly hot. Mrs. Coggors says she does not know how the officers and sailors stood the hard work they did in trying to get the steamer off. ANTICS OF THE CEEW. The crew, however, stuck to the job and got quite a lot of amusement out of it in characteristic sailor fashion. When they got down into the hold to jettison cargo, the first thing they struck was a big case of women's corsets which had been broken open by the impact of the ship on the rock. Each man choße a pair, and, putting them on upside down with the suspenders over the shoulders, wore them while tearinggjinto tho coal. "Those two children looked like niggers," said Mrg. Coggers, indicating her two children, "but they did not mind it. We simply had no water to wash in. When tho salvage tug came to us, we women got her captain to smuggle some water on board for us, and we all had a sort of bath in it in turn, and then it was left for anyone else who felt inclined to try and get some of tho coal grime off." UNENVIABLE EXPERIENCE. The Venezuela was unfortunately a full ship, and Mrs. Coggers and her children could find room in the steerage only, which was full of Chinese and other "ese," who were hardly the sort of people a white woman would choose to travel with. The first night on the Venezuela some senseless person called out "Fire!" for no earthly reason whatever and caused a wild panic. The Chinese and other yellow people used to quarrel horribly, and knives and other lethal weapons were produced. However, even that nightmare came to an end, and the passengers were installed in a gorgeous hotel at Colon, which was so expensive that a simple cup of tea, with nothing to go with it, cost Is Cd.

"In spite of it all," said Mrs. Coggers, "it was really a wonderful experience, and now that we have got safely back to New Zealand I would not have missed it for anything."