WRECK OF THE WAIRARAPA.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8122, 6 November 1894, Page 4

WRECK OF THE WAIRARAPA.

Mr 0. A. M, Chapman, one of bhe Utti'vlvore, Buya s •• I was a pauueoger by the WlJrnrapa, having loft Napier by her on hot 1 outward trip, and I wag tolurniog from Sydney by her when tbo wreck happened, All wont woll till ton o'olook on Sunday night. I wae then standing on tbo hurricane deok. The weather wis very thlok and hazy, Rttd Odpthin M'lntosh ordered the Awnings to bo taken down and all the electric lights on the hutrloano deok to bo put oat In ordor tuat he might got a better viow of the steamer and her eurroandlnge. X retired to resb At a quarter to eleven, bub did not go to my bank, I bad a prosenbionont that something wai going to happen, and lay down in the e»loon In my clothes. About coven minutes paßb twelve (midnight) by ray watoh I was awakened by « grinding crash, whioh gave mo a great start. I rushed on deok, and looking over to porb I saw a big biaok took standing oub ahead of tho steamer, X returned to the saloon to get eotno knioknaoks from my cabin, but whilo there the otoatnor began to list, and 1 again rushed on deok and made for the foremast) and seeing that the steamer had been seriously damaged I got on the ratlines. When tho ateimer abruok tho engineo were immediately reversed, and obe went bnok Homo 30 feet. Whilst X was there tho vessel gradually soft led down in tho water by tho port elde, and as tho wavoo bogan to break over the deok X dim bod further up the rMllnes, By tbie time 1 was jo ned by several other?, including Mr Pound?, on Auetralian travell r, L<ngley, Mr AQd Mrs Fergaoon and a number ol other*. About 4 a.m. 6be bridge was washed away, X was crowded with p*BSon#orß and they were thrown into the water. Heads wore bobbing up end down in all directions, Everyone of them, X bollovo, was drowned, with the exoeption of one young lady, who iucceeded in reaching tho ratlines by moans of a rope, which X had made fast there the night before, with a viow te letting myaelf into the water should the vessel torn turlo. " Tho gamo wave that wreoked the bridge knocked several persons of the ratlines below me, and X had to hang on with both hands and wth all my Bbrength, Id order not to share a like late, X then olimbed higher up Tnore was at this time a great crowd on tho ratlines. At daylight we tried to get « lino ashore by means of an irot bolt fixod to a light rope ; but w< failed, as wo oould not get euilioion footing to swing tho bolt. Then X go< a lifebuoy, and tried to float) one end o the line on to a ledge on whioh book few passengers had already got a footfag. This also failed. Wo wallet live hours, hanging on to the wrook— tho tide being high about eight a.m.— till the tide went down, and one of tbi n*\kra attempted to swim ashore witt a life-line. He failed. The seoonc etoward then made a simtlar abbomp and euocoedod. By this means we gui a thiokgropo ashore. It could nob bi raado fast to tho rooks, and bad to b< held in the hands of thoso standing there. Wo first seat ashore all th( Indies who wonld venture on the rope A Mlea Diokoneon pluokily mado tb( atjbonapf, and after a bard struggle she succeeded in gaining tho party ashore Then tbo attempt was made by a Salvation Army lassie. She wae washed off the ropo and was drowned in front of our oyes. Then there were cool off odd or two men, inoluding myself. Wo went ashore band over hand and made tho trip safely. After we readied there we fixed up a running loop, by v/hsoh wo fauccofidod In hauling all ol tbo ladies aeboro, with tbeoxception of Mlbb Williams, of Auokland. The second engineer tried to save her by getting partly into tho water, but he was unable to effect) her rescue. By very hard work for three hourß, in our shoeless feet, standing on bard rooks and ftholle, we got others ashore, inoluding those passengers and sailors who had taken tofu^e on tho after mast, Wo musieted oa tbo ledge a total of sixty, holading both pasaongers and orow, We gathered some oranges that wero floating about, but had nothing else to cat) or drink. It was supposed wo were on tho Hen and Chickens.'' JUThe oapbain'a steward, Mr Allen, in the ooureo of a conversation with a Press reporter, said that during tbo day preoeding the disaster, tbo captain never left the bridge oxcept for a few moments at a b.me. In his position as otoward to the oapbain bo was able to epoak with authority on tbo oapbain'a movement Q during Sunday, and from what ho himself hat 1 observed any Yodeotion on tho condition of mind In 'which Captain M'lnbosh was at the time of the wrook were devoid of tho {slightest foundation. As soon as be became aware of the ship having struck he immediately rashed oa deck to ask the oaptain for bin orders, and found tbat tme only persons on the bridge were tho captain and one of the officers. G*pb»in M'Xntosh had a little lauoh at nooo, bub retrained from b*k« lag any dinner at six owing bo hie aoxioiy aboub the safety of the ship in the dense fog through whioh ib was pawing. 11© had a drink at 11 o'olook and another at 6, bat beyond theoo he had not touched l'quor of any kind 'during the whole of Sunday. Xbompaotf, bhe ship's carpenter, (itavos : " X waa in bed at bbc time ot the aoc dent, but as soon as tho fltoamer Btruok X rushed along bo sound tho fore-hold, and then went to report to bhe oapbaio. At the first Bounding thero was no water In the hold. Four minutes afterwards X sounded again and found 15 inches of watw, X onoo more went to bhe bridge and reporbed tbo matbor to bho captain. He seemed quite 000 l and collected, and calling me to the chip's side showed mo the cliff 1 , KI o Raid, ' Go and get tbo boats out m soon ati possible.' X wenb at once bo carry out bis orders. ' Mr Harrk, of X'agob street (who In the list of the saved was doaoribod as Mr Hana), spoke as follows to a Press fcepre«ent»tlve : u When tbo vobsol gtruok X wenb on to the bridge, There was about forty of us there altogether. X wae standing about a yard from the I captain, and it was tV-uut Ja quarter of en hour before we were washed away jihufc ba bok « divtV

tain corroborates Harris's Bfcatomen* bhab Captain M'lntosh dived o(F tbo bridge before it washed away, Just previously to going ovor ho aaid something tho first) parb of which she could uob diabinobly hear, bub tho termination of the BGnbonco was, " bho lasb watch." Ho had no life belb on. She had gono from tho naloon wibh bho two sbowardosßos to tho bridge for Bafety aftor bho vossol Btruok.