THE MARAROA DISASTER.

Evening Star, Issue 7752, 25 October 1888, Page 4

THE MARAROA DISASTER.

A private letter received bj Mr John Hendenon, of this city frays the Auckland ♦ Star'), contains full particulars of the sad occurrence. It appears that from the time the steamer left Auckland, almost up to the time of the accident, Mrs.Henderson had been confined to her cabin, terribly ill through weakness aud sea-nckneßs. Sne several times expressed ter belief that she would not survive the passage, as she felt 7 weak and ill. Up to the Monday the voyage had been somewhat boisterous, bit not more so than is frequent y experienced. The bad weather partly abated on Monday mornto e , and Mrs Henderson was induced to coma on deck The change appeared to revive her, and after a time she seemed in better spmta, although weak and ill. Early in the afternoon the »ky became overcast, and the wind increased in violence. At about 3.30 p.m. a tremendous sea struck the ship so suddenly that, as one of the passengers expressed it to me "the vessel appeared to be all of a heap." Mrs Henderson, with her infant in her arms, was sitting on a coil of rope, with her second little bov at her side, while another fellow Dawenger had charge of David. The Lie was so sudden and the volume *f water which fell on the deck so large that Mm Henderson, clasping the infant inner arms, must have been bodily lifted over the side of the vessel, while her second little boy was caught by some friendly hand just as he was being washed over the rail. The occurrence was so Midden that it was a few moments before it was found that Mrs Henderson was missing, the first indication of the fatality being the appearance of a woman's shawl King away some little distance behind 2 rtLner. Mrs Hedley was near Mra

Henderson, and saw the mishap. Mrs Hendley's child had a narrow escape of being drowned or trampled to death in the confusion which ensued. The force of the water was ao great that her child became detached from her arms and floated for some little time from rail to rail tillrescned. Mrs Hedley speaks of Capt, Edie in terms of the highest praise for his kindness towards her, and also of the officers and passengers. There appears to have been no hope,..even if any attempt had been made to save Mrs Henderson, owing to the tune which elapsed between the time of the accident and the discovery that she was missing, and also on account of the tremendous sea running. Two hours after this sad occurrence Sydney Heads were sighted. The sad affair cast a gloom over the vessel, and much sympathy was shown for the motherless little ones and for Mrs Hedley. Mrs Hedley and her children are now staying with Mrs Gibson, her cousin. In a postscript to this letter the writer states that Mrs Hedley was taken very ill the first night she went ashore, and that the advice of two medical men had to be procured. During Wednesday she rallied somewhat, and now she is entirely recovered, although the tension on her system had been very severe. It appears that Air Henry Henderson saw an account of the melancholyoccurrence in theßallarat papers. He was so overcome with grief that he was unable to come to Sydney, and sent Mr Hedley to-bring his motherless children to Melbourne. David and John (Mrs Henderson's children) have been kept in ignorance of the loss of their mother.