THE LATEST

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6871, 15 July 1909, Page 7

THE LATEST

LIST OF THE DROWNED MORE HARROWING DETAILS OF SUFFERING. (Received July 15, 0.00 a.m.l SYDNEY, July 14. The following is a ' list of those drowned in the Errol wreck :■— Captain Andreessen, his wife and four children; Olsen, chief mate; Elricksen, a nephew of the owner; Edvardsen, Andersen, Olsen,. Williams, Dettraan, and three seamen, known as “John,” “The German,” and “Scotty.” ANOTHER SURVIVOR’S TALE'. When tile wreck occurred it was pitch dark. Palmer states that for three days they had seen no sun, the weather being foggy all the time. Tho captain was out «f his reckoning, and told the men he thought rocks were not far away. After the ship struck, lor the first ton days no water was drunk. S'alt-v ater boils camo out all over them, and their mouths were so dry they had to prize their lips open. When tho journey was made to the Annasona hundreds of shark's were all round the raft. The men had to wade the last forty yards up to their necks in the water. Ono of tho seamen, “The German,” was so weak he dropped, and the others were too weak to help him. He was drowned. This was the n an previously stated to have gone mad and jumped off tho raft. When on the reef they saw lots of human bones. EATEN BY SHARKS. ’ Describing the death of the captain, Palmer said: “We saw his legs washed up after he fell into tho water; also his severed head. There were lots of sharks about, and they had eaten him-” CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS. Lawrence, who is partially delirious, gives varying versions of events, and has apparently lost all idea of time. In opposition to Palmer’s account he declares the captain’s wife and children were alivo when Palmer’s party returned from the reef, and he thinks the mother went mad, adding: “I think the children were dr-owned by tho mother as she was afraid they would be eaten by the survivors. Ono night I tucked them in some blankets ; the next morning they wore all gone. They were wonderfully, brave kiddies, especially tho baby. The saw it all; saw her husband drowned, and children die, and took it just as if it wasn’t anything serious.” Middleton Beef is situated .292 miles from Capo Byron ton tho New South Wales coast), and bears south 80 degrees east, true. It is about 130 miles due north of Lord 1 Howe island.- Middleton Beef (s is practically covered at high water. * Tne whole of its outeredge, dry at low water, is crescent-shaped, with the concave side facing north-west, about 5 miles long and' from IJ to 3 miles broad. A bank surrounds the reef, extending from ono to one and a half miles on all sides except the north, where it extends one and three-quarter miles; the bottom is of grit. Anchorage is found on the north-west side between the north-east and northwest horns of the crescent; the best place is in Herald haven, about a quarter of a mile southward of the north-west horn, in eight fathoms, where a vessel is almost surrounded by the reef. The tidal rise and fall is six feet. Soundings at a little distance from the reef show 1000 to 1500 fathoms of water.