BURNING OF THE TAINUI

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17268, 18 September 1919, Page 6

BURNING OF THE TAINUI

FIVE BODIES RECOVERED. | FURTHER DETAILS OF CREW. BENZINE CARGO UNINSURED. STORY TOLD AT INQUEST. [BY TELEGRAPH. PRESS ASSOCIATION-.] CHBISTCHtJRCH. Wednesday. In connection with the disaster which befel the coastal steamer Tainui near Gora Bay as the result of the ignition and explosion of her cargo of benzine. Superintendent Dwyer has received the following telegram from Cheviot: — " The bodies identified are those of ableseamen Williams and McLean, the engineer, Greenwood, and the firemen Townsend and Fuller. No other bodies have been recovered yet." As eight members of the crew lost their lives, three bodies are still unaccounted for. Further details of the member? of the crew of the Tainui who perished are as follows: —

Master: J. C. Cowan, of Wanganni, married., with five children. Mate: W. H. Stevens, Wanganui, mar-

ried. Chief engineer: E. Greenwood, Weilington, a widower.

Firemen: W, Townsend, Wellington, married; A. Fuller, Wellington", married.

Seamen: C. Williams, D.S.M., Lyttelton, single; D. McLean, Wellington. believed married ; J. Haward, aged 35 years, Lyttelton, married. The Tainui left Lyttelton last evening at 6.45 o'clock with a full cargo of benzine transhipped from the schooner Caroline at Lyttelton. Prior to her departure an inspection was made by the assistant Government marine superintendent, Captain Wilcox, and everything then was reported as satisfactory. The ill-fated vessel was built in Anck-

land in 1902 by J. Logan for A. W. Ogle,

who sold her last year to the New Zealand i Refrigerating Company, her present own- j 1 ers, who had been employing her on the coastal trade between Lyttelton, Wellington, and Wanganui, and also as a lighter for frozen meat to Home steamers between 1 the port of Wanganui and the Roadstead. It is understood that the cargo of benzine was not insured. J. Ha ward, one of the seamen, only signed on the vessel on September 8, replacing F. Billington, who left on that date. Haward, however, had l>een on thß vessel on previous occasions. The Inquest Opens. The inquest concerning the deaths of the victims was opened by Mr. McCarthy, S.M., at Cheviot this afternoon. Mr. G. H. Buchanan watched the proceedings on behalf of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company. Farrand, the only survivor, in his evidence, said the benzine was stored forward and aft, with a few cases on deck. The fire was first noticed forward, but there was no fire aft. When witness was awakened by the explosion, at 2.30 a.m., he aroused the crew forward. The spaman remained at the wheel until he could I stand the heat no longer, and Captain Cowan ordered him to leave. The captain. then ordered all hands to the lifeboat. j The boat was swamped by the swell of I the ship, which was still in motion. The captain then ordered the engines to -bo stopped. The captain and three othij& got into the lifeboat while witness got two buckets for bailing out. McLean attempted to bail the boat out, but did not succeed, and the boat capsized, with the four occupants. The remainder of the crew righted the boat. Witness ran to the saloon, and got a tin of biscuits, which he threw into the boat. By this time all the buckets were lost. The boat once more .turned over and broke away.'' The mate and witness clung on. Then Williams, Captain Cowan, and others broke away from the lifeboat to try and swim ashore. •'Can't You Come and Help Me?" They were about four miles from the shore at the time of the explosion. Prior to leaving, the mateStevens—:— ".The captain or I must be the last to leave the ship." Witness advised him to jump into the water and swim to the lifeboat, but Stevens refused to do so. Witness dived into the water, and the mate followed him, and they swam to the lifeboat. . Six of them clung to the lifeboat fof two hours. The captain and his two companions were swimming abreast of the lifeboat. Captain Cowan cried out: "Cook, can't you come and help me?" and witness cried back: "We are stuck ourselves'* Witness did not hear any more from tha captain or Williams. Survivor Loses Companions. Greenwood became exhausted first, and naid : "We will all have to die, and I am aying." Witness replied : "Don't talk silly. We will be ashore in about ten minutes." Greenwood slipped off, but floated near the boat for about ten minuses. Then they lost sight of him. The next one to go was Jack Howard. All went well with those remaining till they came to where the rollers started breaking. Townsend was lying across the keel oi the upturned boat, Mac Lean was at one end, and witness and the mate were on cither side. Then a big roller came and washed away Mac Lean and Townsend, and witness did not see them after that. Roller after roller swept over the boat. After a few rollers witness noticed that the mate had gone. When witness came to the undertow he left the boat and swan* to the shore. Heard Three Explosions. About 8.30 p.m. he tried to walk to the steamer, which had drifted to the shore befofe witness did. to get some warmth from a fire, but he couid not getthere. He then remained on shore till te was found by two young fellows. Witness identified the five bodies he had seen. To Sergeant Scott : He heard three explosions following quickly one after the other. It would be about" fifteen minutes from the time of the explosion till the Tainui was finally abandoned. None of the crew was injured in the explosionTo Mr. Buchanan : When hp first saw the tire it was issuing from the fore hatch,' and when they left the flames were confined to the forepart of the ship. The explosion had thrown off the foremost hatch cover. After other unimportant evidence the inquest was adjourned sine die to 1 vttelton. THE SCENE OF TEE DISASTER. WILD AND DANGEROUS COAST. [BY TELEGRAPH.— OWN COBRESrCKNDENT.] CHRISTCHURCH. Wednesday. The actual scene of the Tainui tragedy is about four miles north of Gore Bay. Gore Bay itself is about seven mues from Cheviot. The shore is a wild and dangerous one, jutted with rocks that stretch a considerable distance out to sea. while high cliffs rise and descend nearly perpendicularly into the sea. It is a most inhospitable coast for a shipwrecked mariner to be cast on, and some of the bodies which have been re- '-, covered bear vivid evidence of the terrible eftects upon them of their fierce battering ?■ on the rocks- : : ..'„'.■; ■& ■ .1