WHECK OF THE WINDSOR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8508, 10 February 1908, Page 5

WHECK OF THE WINDSOR.

(Bt Electric WrPreM Association. PERTH,. Feb. 8. The Windsor ran lon -a. reef at ten o'clock on Sunday night. Her propeller evidently struck the reef or the tail shaft broke. A hole was puftced in her bottom under the engine-room, which was flooded. The crew assembled and the Chinese were much terrified. -Owing to the list of the ship it was difficult to get a boat away/ While awaiting daylight heavy seas broke over the vessel. There ie no news whether those who remained on the ship landed. PERTH, February 9. The rescue expedition which went out to the Windsor has returned to Geraldton. The captain, chief officer and chief engineer of the Windsor were drowned; all the rest were saved. The vessel has broken upThe rescue vessels failed to get hneß to the steamer, which was- fast breaking U P- . j ii Three apprentices, a seaman, ana rl Chinese, who were still on the boat, seeing the vessel could not last much longer, lashed themselves to planks and threw themselves into the sea. They were washed on to a reef, from where the rescuers got them ashore. Captain Walters and the chief officer, Jones, were drowned on Tuesday night after the wreck. A boat containing two rescuers was blown out to Sea while putting off to the wreck, and has not yet been found. A steamer is out searching for it. An apprentice states he was four dlays on the wreck without water. (Received February 10th, 9.36 a.m.) ' PERTH, Fob. 10. The Windsor has completely disappear-, ed-. Most of the boats were washed away ] after the first contingent of the crew j landed. . , Nicholson, the apprentice, who was the last to leave the ship, says that as they had no further boats it was impossible to gain the reef. Captain Walters gave orders to endeavour to float lines attached to gratings ashore in order to establish communication with those on the reef. They also fired rockets attached to signal halyards, but all of these fell short. • The chief engineer made attempts to swim ashore with a line. After a desperate struggle he succeeded in gaming a footing on the reef, but, exhausted with his efforts, was carried away by the backwash. He was then carried out to sea and drowned in view of all hands. Shortly afterwards the funnel fell by the board. It was seen that-the vessels back was broken. By this time tremendous seas were thundering over the decks, and all hands were clinging to lines on the bridge. At about four in the afternoon the mainmast went by the board and was washed ashore. All this time the second and third officers remained on the reef, but were powerless to render assistance, and at sunset the latter left for the island. Captain Walters and the mate remained in the saloon, but the rest of the crew and tho apprentices stayed forward. Upon coming on deck the following morning they found that all the after part of the vessel up to the foremast was broken up and. had been washed on to the reef, the "captain and mate boing lost. Next morning the party searched the shore for the bodies, but without result. They took refuge in one of the deckhouses, and again endeavoured to float lines ashore. . The rescue party also attempted to reach them with rockets. A couple or them fell over the ship, but the lines broke. . j

The Chinese appeared to become paralysed with fear and exposure. All the time the boys kept tolling the bell to attract attention. "When we saw the rescue party leave "at sunset we gave up all hope," says the narrator. "We remained all night huddled up in the forecastle, and next morning the Chinese took their pigtails down and prayed to their joss for help. The wind and si a subsided, and then they turned into tteir bunks and commenced wailing, an hour after the Chinese cook attemowd to commit suicide with a chopper. Up to this time we had been without aier, and two of the Chinese commenced 'jrr'.'king salt water. The sea was now sweeping completely over the vessel, which * as rapidly breaking up, the forecastle boing gutted. In the afternoon a Chinese tr.mme'r lashed himself to a plank and jumped into the surf, saying he' might ?c well die that way as remain on the ship. The surf carried him in, "and pfter being carried out again for some distance the seas carried him to the reef, wh.\:e he was rescued. All the others followed his example, and were washed aihore in an exhausted condition. The rescuing party waded in up to their armpits in the surging water to reach us. We remained on the reef all night, and were taken to the island in the morning."