TWO SHIPWRECKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20480, 4 February 1930, Page 14

TWO SHIPWRECKS.

WIRELESS MAN'S CAREER.

BOTH WITHIN A MONTH. VESTRIS DISASTER RECALLED. Although he Is only 19 years of ago Mr. C. Verchere, wireless operator on the steamer Rio Dorado, which reached Auckland from Casablanca last evening, has boon shipwrecked twice. Both shipwrecks occurred ' over a year ago and within a month of one another.

Mr. Verchere was third operator in the Lamport Holt liner Vcstris, 10,491 tons, which capsized dining stormy weather in the Atlantic on Novemebr 12, 1928, with the loss of 68 passengers and 43 members of tho crow. A total of 215 passengers and crew was saved in the steamer's boats which were picked up many hours afterwards by vessels which raced to the rescue in reply to the S.O.S. messages.

Tho Vestris left New York for Barbadoes and Buenos Aires on November 10, and almost immediately after the port was cleared she encountered severo stormy weather. On the following day sho began to list' perceptibly and later tho list was very pronounced. Next morning the liner had heeled over to such an extent that S.O.S. messages wero sent out. The Vestris was then over 300 miles from Now York and tho nearest steamers were too far away to render immediate assistance. Trouble In Launching Boats. Although tho storm still continued and tho sea was very rough an effort was mado to abandon tho ship. By that time the Vestris was nearly on her beamends and only somo of the lifeboats could bo launched. Tho boats hanging in the davits on the lower sido swung so far out over the sea that passengers could not embark in them. When the boats on tho high sido wero lowered thero was difficulty in keeping them off tho ship's sido, and somo wero smashed by tho heavy seas. Other boats on the same side could not bo swung clear owing to tho list.

Tho three wireless operators continued at their duties, and when Mr. Verchero was not assisting at tho wireless instrument ho was carrying messages from the wireless room to the captain on the bridge. The engineers also stayed by their posts and kept up sufficient steam to generate electricity for the wireless operators' requirements. It was only shortly before tho final abandonment that the electricity failed and the wireless apparatus had to be switched over to the emergency batteries. Ten minutes later the Vestris had heeled over so far that tho acid was leaking out of the top of Iho emergency batteries, tvhich of the wet kind. It was «een then that, I lie end was near and Mr. O'Laughlin, the chief wireless operator, told Mr. Verchero to obtain threo life-belts. Having donned the belts tho three operators . prepared to leave.

Before the wireless was rendered useless by the leaking batteries Mr. O'Laughlin despatched a message stating that the end was near and that they were joining the passengers and crew who were already in the boats. The three operators made for the high side of the sinking ship and Mr. Verchere, after being ordered into a boat by the chief officer, sprang at a life-lino hanging from tho span on a pair of davits and climbed down into tho boat. Mr. McDopald, the second operator, also managed to get into a boat and was saved, but neither assistant operators saw Mr. O'Laughlin again and ho went down with tho ship. Vessel's Final Plunge.

The end came about two o'clock in the afternoon, when the boat containing Mr. Verchere was well clear of the sinking liner. The Vestris just lay right over on her side and then turned keel uppermost. A few minutes later .she took her final plunge.

The lifeboat was filled with negro seamen and about eight white people, but thero were no women or children. Some of tho occupants had been picked up out of tho water after the' boat got clear of tho liner. No doubt duo to tiio difficulty in launching tho boat, it was leaking badly and continuous bailing had to bo dono to keep it from sinking. No help was in sight and the wind was blowing in hard squalls accompanied at times by hail. Tho atmosphere was colder than tho water because tho boat was then in tho Gulf stream. Those who were not bailing were pulling on tho oars to keep the craft head on to tho rough seas. There was no sense of direction in tho darkness and tho main idea was to koep the boat afloat.

At six o'clock in the morning the occupants of tho lifeboat were rescued by tho French oil-tanker Myrani, 16 hours after they had left the Vestris. Some of the other boats which had left the sinking liner wero never heard of again, and tho captain went down with his ship. Crew and passengers, who were rescued by various vessels, wero taken to New York, whero an inquiry into the sinking of the Vestris was held. Mr. Verchere gave evidence at tho inquiry and then was sent to England to attend another inquiry held by the Board of Trade. However, Mr. Verchere's troubles were not over. Tho vessel in which.ho travelled was tho White Star Jinei Celtic. 21,179 tons. The vessel never reached England. When sho was entering Cork Harbour on December 8, to land passengers and mail, sho went ashoro on the rocks at Queenstown Harbour and liecamo a total wreck. Tho abandoning of tho Celtic was not so disastrous as tho Vestris wreck. The Celtic remained hard and fast on tho sand and rocks and the passengers were taken off in tenders, despatched from Queenstown.