SYDNEY TRAGEDY

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 37, 14 February 1938, Page 10

SYDNEY TRAGEDY

JIVE PERSONS DROWNED

24 OTHERS MISSING

ABOUT 150 RESCUED

(United Press Association—B.v Electric • .' / Telegraph—Copyright.) • (Received February 14, noon.) ' SYDNEY, This Day. A large tourist launch, the Rodney/containing 100 to 150 passengers, -, overturned in the harbour yesterday afternoon. v^ Four women arid one man are known to have been drowned and about 24 other persons are missing. The names of the dead are Gwendoline Frances Hope Johnston, aged -20; Phoebe Josephine Thoimal, 24; Mrs. Alma Starr, 32; Doris Smith. 27; and Alfred Stepto, 45. Miss Johnston was a direct descendant of Lieutenant Johnston, who was .aide-de-camp to Captain Phillip, first Governor of New' South Wales. , How many were taken from the water nobody knows, but police who participated in the rescue estimated that about 150. were "rescued. Stories of the disaster are conflicting, but there is little doubt that it will be'the most tragic event on Sydney Harbour since the < Tahiti-Grey cliff c collision in November, 1927. RUSH TO SIDE OF LAUNCH. The launch had been/ chartered to farewell the United States cruiser Louisville. .As the cruiser was approaching Bradley's Head, -passengers on. the launch, which was frequently used by. excursionists, apparently rushed the rails. The-vessel heeled over. SH% did not immediately go down, but evidently, became waterlogged. A line was taken ashore and the vessel ,was being pulled in when she sank. .The Louisville immediately anchored and lowered several boats, which picked up many survivors and conveyed them to the cruiser. , )

The more serious cases were then taken to Fort Macquarie by boat and conveyed; to hospital in waiting ambulances.

The launch concerned in the tragedy was owned by Mr. C. Rosman, of Mosman Bay. It was a double-decker, 6q! feet long, capable of holding 220 passengers'. Mr. Rosman was in charge of the boat./ The passengers aboard ranged from old men to boy's arid girls, who clung like flies wherever they, could grasp; the handrail.

Mr. Rosman said that the tragedy occurred because almost every person on the top'deck 'ran' to the. side of the Rodney when ratings.of the Louisville were - dismissed from parade. "I had warned the passengers not to crowd, to one side," he said. "Most of the passengers, y/ere girls. They seemed to" lose their heads, and ran to the starboard; side, and the launch seemed to roll over almost immediately."

U;S. SAILORS ASSIST IN RESCUE.

. THa fact that the "launch did: not carry an organised party, but picked up offering passengers, confuses the matter. The launch was crossing from.' one side of t«e Louisville to the other when the passengers rushed to the rails: Apparently she- was caught inthe wash of the cruiser and turned turtle. ...":.' : .■. : ■.••■'

Several. American sailors' jumped overboard to assist those in the water. A great many more would have done the same, but the officers aboard had to'restrain them with difficulty.

Naval men on Garden Island had noticed.the launch and the dangerous list produced by passengers clinging to,one side, and had shouted a warning, but the passengers replied that they would be all right.

Ten minutes,later the Rodney capsized. Few in - the vicinity realised what had happened till 'pietcing screams were heard. The Manly ferry sounded four blasts on its whistle, drawing the attention of the Police Band .to the occurrence. The band had just played "Auld Lang Syne." Their launch dashed to the scene, the bandsmen throwing aside their instrumeritSyand preparing to enter the water. • ;

The Rodney had turned on its, side. Men, women, and children we're struggling in a confused mass in the water, which at- the spotl is 40 feet deep.:

A great many launches also in' the vicinlty r rushed up, and it is said that at least 50 rescuers were in the water doing everything possible to help.

addition .to lowering boats, the Louisville threw overboard lifebuoys with Verey lights and other rescue gear. .The gangway was lowered and officers ordered that as many as possible should be brought aboard.

Twenty-six people were taken aboard the Louisville, two of whom could not be revived. Most of the remainder were admitted to hospital.

It is believed that at least fifteen were in the cabin of the launch when she went down. One man received terrible injuries to the stomach when he broke a window and dragged himself over the jagged glass.

/A half-caste girl was in- a respirator on the Louisville for three hours,-.but died.

All those taken aboard the cruiser were unconscious, and every available medical attendant aboard was called into service. PATHETIC SCENES. The scene at the mau-o'-war steps, Fort Macquarie, when the injured and uninjured passengers were landed was pathetic. Relatives did not know what had happened to other relatives, and rushed about frantically trying to find them

The Central District Ambulance did great work. Twenty-one ambulances, all-fitted: with wireless, were in different parts of the metropolitar area when they received the call to proceed to Fort Macquarie. Twelve were actually on the scene when, the first boatload of injured arrived. '

As the injured were brought ashore they were placed wherever space could be found till they could be removed in ambuloir-es. Police had to form a cordon round the area to keep away inquirers for friends an»l relatives.

The injured were taken to Sydney Hospital, only a short distance away, the ambulances dashing backward and forward as quickly as they could load and unload.

During the tripVfrom the scene of the accident to man-o'-war steps, attempts were made to revive the unconF.cio'us. Ambulance men used respirators and administered oxygen to the •worst cases. ■ Some responded and some did not.

Of those admitted to hospital, a number are in a critical condition and are not expected to recover.

TRIBUTES TO AMERICAN.

The survivors pay tribute to' a rating off the Louisville who repeatedly dived to see if there were still people in the launch. One American sailor broke a window in the launch

and hauled out a woman and a young baby. His arm was badly cut in doing so.

One woman who is in hospital in a serious-condition is unable to trace her three children, one of whom is 18 months old. The owner of the launch says he.is jertain no one was trapped in the cabin.

Captain R. W. Mathewson, of the Louisville, said that the list of the Rodney as she circled the cruiser some time before the accident occurred, so alarmed him that he ordered the speed of his vessel to be reduced almost to a crawl,' so that there would be no wash to endanger the craft , Captain Mathewson described the treatment in the ship's oxygen respirators of 26 persons who were taken aboard the Louisville, which putj>to sea four hours after the scheduled time.

Despite the list which the Rodney had before the capsize, few of those 'who were rescued had any inkling of impending disaster until they suddenly found themselves being hurled into the water. They were full of praise for the promptitude of their rescuers. INSPECTION OF WRECK. The wrecked launch was located at 10 o'clock last night, lying' in about 12 fathoms of water in the main steamer channel. „ A buoy was moored at the spot.

Divers went down to inspect the wreck at 6 o'clock this morning.

A Court of Marine Inquiry will investigate the disaster, in addition to inquests. "