BADLY DAMAGED.

Feilding Star, Volume 2, Issue 134, 25 March 1924, Page 5

BADLY DAMAGED.

NEW ZEALANDER LINER IN A COLLISION. TRIO MATATUA. OUTWARD BOUND. KTGIIT OF Hfclt CREW KILLED. (By Eleetrio Cable—Copyright.) (Aust. and N.Z. Ca6le Association.) (Received March 25, 9 a.m.) London, March 24. The Shaw Savill steamer Matatua, hound from London to Lyttelton, collided off Gravesend with tile American .steamer American Merchant. The Matatua was haTlly damaged on the port side and on her rudder. She put ashore, making water. Eight men were killed on hoard the Matatua.

DETAILS OF THE DISASTER, THE WONDER IS THE SHIP IS STILL AFLOAT. (Reuter). (Received March 25, noon). . London, March 24/ _ The inaccessibility of the Thamesside district, where the Matatua and the American Merchant collided, greatly delayed the receipt of authentic information. It is now clear that the disaster led to eight of tho Matatua’s crew being killed outright in their bunks 'ind three more men were so seriously crushed that they had to be sent to the hospital at Gravesend. 'The difficulty is to penetrate to the hunks where tho men slept, and pro. bably some nine days will elapse before the bodies can be extricated. The Matatua lias been brought on lo Mucking Flat, though still partially submerged, Tho Matatua was proceeding to Holehavcn, and was turning round when, at 4 o'clock in the morning, the 7500 tonner American .Merchant, of the United States . Line, on Her maiden voyage from New York, crashed into her, striking amidships, in the region of the engine room. Survivors from the Matatua state that the scene in he forecastle was terrible. The American ship's very sharp how cut clean through the Ma,tatua’s plates as though ft wn.s of paper. Water rushed into the hold, and the ship began to sink. But the captain managed to beach her, whilst the other vessel proceeded to summon the assistance of tugs from Tilbury with pieces of the Matatua’s plates hanging to her bow and tfith her flag at half-mast.