LOSS OF THE MANUKA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20904, 19 December 1929, Page 10

LOSS OF THE MANUKA.

’AFTER EFFECTS OF NIGHTMARE. PROVIDING FOR PASSENGERS. EFFECTIVE RELIEF MEASURES. GENEROUS DISBURSEMENTS MADE. Th« drama of the wrecked Manuka, lying uneasily at the mercy of the waves at Long Point, moves towards its end. The past 24 hours witnessed the departure from Dunedin of most of those whose > destination was not this city, and the succouring by the Shipwreck Relief Society of all in need of money and necessaries to tide them over the uncertain present. The state of mind yesterday of most of the civilian participants in Monday evening’s nightmare, as they tried to reconstruct the rudely-disturbed serenity of their lives, can beat be described as "pale.” They felt- pale rather than looked it. What made them feel pale was fear, fear of the dreadful experience that was behind them, that fear which happily has small power to dis- j turb unduly until the mind has time to j thick clearly. In disasters of this type i there is seldom the time the mind re- j quires. 1 There are still important considerations to he gone into in connection with the wreck, such as the marine inquiry that will have to be held, and the nebulous possibility of salvage of any of the contents of the ship, hut these are matters which depend upon the unhurried moving of official wheels. It is probable that many passengers, at the commencement .of the voyage, deposited with the purser money and valuables which were not considered to be safe if kept in cabins and state rooms, and one or two of these have suggested that the purser’s safe may be recoverable. This si .mid be more feasible than would appear to be the case on the surface, since the purser's office on the Manuka, though right astern, is on the port side, which is uppermost as the vessel lies at present. Inquiry at the office of the Union Steam Ship Company yesterday indicated that no move has yet been made in the direction of salvage. The question of replacing the Manuka of the newly re-established intercolonial service will also have to be dealt with, hut although there is a possibility of the Maheno, which had been mentioned as the auxiliary ship to the Manuka, replacing the lost vessel, no decision has yet been arrived at. ’ AH the passengers have now been accommodated with the necessaries of life which were lost in the wreck. The disbursements of the Shipwreck Relief Society during the day totalled over £3OOO, and it is expected that when all the orders issued have been operated upon, and the last accounts have been paid that the payouts will aggregate considerably nearer £4OOO. The secretary (Mr E. S. Wilson), assisted by Mr D. E. Theomin, representing the society’s executive, and an energetic band of lady workers, had an extremely busy day, dispensing relief to passengers and orew. Mesdames Baker, MTntyro, Hiett, Sister Nora and Adjutant Glover were of the greatest assistance in the outfitting of the lady passengers, and also rendered sterling service in the work of providing for the billeting and feeding of the shipwrecked people on their arrival in the city. hio cases of illness of a serious nature following the exposure and privations consequent upon the disaster have been reported, all the travellers bound for further north having continued their journey either by the midnight train on Tuesday or by yesterday’s expresses. Everything possible was done by the Union Company to facilitate their departure. .The office Btkg ftf tha company set up a temporary bureau in the reserved seat booking office nt the Railway Station, where everyone could secure tickets and get all the information they required, TUG DUNEDIN RETURNS. DELAYED BY DENSE FOG. The tug Dunedin, which left Port Chalmere early o n Tuesday morning for the scene of the wreck, entered the harbour early yesterday Corning, She was left th th d skor i ly befo . r 1 e 6 a -m- The tug eft the coast near the wreck about 1.20 ° U T^ eßda £ • She lan int ° very thick weather, being . enveloped in foe throughout Tuesday night, The T Bter -(Captain J. MacLetn) w as Tu charge of the tug. ' m _ , ves sel, although small, rendered Ihort b !?-ef erVICe ’ r ?u e Bteamed within a * ltance of the wreck and communication was established with the ft - n hlcst of the elderly passengers by the Manuka and also several members of the crew were taken on board the Dunedin, no difficulty being experienced tnlic e r? ba f kln g operations. The capwin of the Manuka and Captain W. J. ixing (local marine superintendent for the Union Company) also came to Dunedin by the tug. ' J™* the comforts and facilities provided by such a small vessel as the Dunedin are necessarily restricted, everything possible was done for the passengers and members oi the crew during the 30 hours they were on the ship. Before the Dun- . m left Port Chalmers on Tuesday morning, Captain Mac Lean, with commendable foresight and thoroughness, arranged for supplies of food and extra bedding and mankets to be placed on board. A fleet of motor cars, provided by private citizens, and a number of taxis commissioned by the Shipwreck Relief Society, were in attendance when th» Uunedm came alongside the wharf. The passengers and members of the crew were botel s C ° nVered t 0 prirate hmnea and city RELIEF MEASURES. ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS. SHIPWRECK RELIEF SOCIETY S WORK. No time was lost in providing relief for the members of the crew of the Manuka. Yesterday morning orders to the value of £1550 were paid to the men at the Government shipping office to recompense them for the loss of their kits. Each man'was given an order for £ls for the purpose of purchasing clothes and boots. Jhe orders were issued by Captain R. Fraser (Government marine superintendent) and his staff on behalf of the Shipwreck Relief Society. Relief to the passengers was given at the society's office.

The Shipwreck Relief Society arranged for meals for the rescued people at several city restaurants on Tuesday evening. The passengers and crew are loud in their praise of the prompt and effective relief given by the society both in Dunedin and at Owaka. MANUKA’S PASSENGERS. BOUND FOR THEIR HOMES. The Union Company’s local passenger office staff had a busy time on Tuesday night after the arrival of the relief train from Owaka. The staff was in attendance at the Railway Station, and as each passenger filed into the reserve seat booking office he or she was provided with a railway ticket for the northern journey, ai I instructions were given as to arrangem,e"ts niade for their accommodation that ni Snt. The whole of the company’s office staff worked at high pressure, and their courtesy and willing service was appreC 1 at by the shipwrecked people. , "■.f 6 ! 7 the northern passengers left rpr their homes by the night express on iuesday, but the majority of the travellers booked for Christchurch and Wellington left Dunedin by yesterday morning s express. CREW PAID OFF. The members of the Manuka’s crew were _in attendance at the Government snipping office yesterday morning and were paid off. Those members who reside it other parts of the Dominion will be sent to their homes by the Union Company. It is expected that the northern men will Dunedin by to-day’s express. The Manuka's crew numbered 104 when she left Melbourne on December 11. Over 50_ men reside in Duncdio and the district. About 40 stewards belong to Wellington, while the remainder of the crew come from Lyttelton. The following is a list of officers of the Manuka:— Captain. Ross Clark. Chief officer, A. Adam. Second officer, E. G, Meatyard. Third officer, C. Carlyon. Fourth officer. A. S. Smith. Purser, P. S. Hamlin. Assistant purser, J. L. Barker. Wireless operator. John Stanage. Chief engineer, E. A. Griffiths. Second engineer, W. J. M’Leod, Third engineer, L, Jellyman. Fourth engineer J. Chambers, Fifth engineer, D. A. Gibb. Sixth engineer, H. Amos. Seventh engineer, D. J. M’Kenzie. Chief steward, R. H. Burns. NAVAL MAIL BAG SAVED. A mail bag containing naval correspondence, placed in the custody of Captain Ross Clark by the Australian naval authorities before the Manuka left Melbourne, was saved. The bag is soaked with sea water, but, being of stout canvas, there is a possibility that the contents have not been totally destroyed. The bag will be forwarded to the New Zealand naval authorities by the Union Company. RELIEF FOR PASSENGERS. The officers of the Shipwreck Relief Society were visited by passengers yesterday. Each case was given considera tion by the secretary (Mr E. S. Wilson 1 and Mr D. E, Theomin, and was dealt with on its merits. Most liberal relief was given in every instance. The passengers were given orders for clothing on various city firms, and tradespeople gave very liberal discounts on every order presented. MAHENO MAY REPLACE MANUKA. “I have not had time to give the position full consideration as yet, but immediately upon my return to Wellington Cabinet will consider the whole matter,” said the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr P. A, de la Perrelle) to a representative of the Christchurch Press Tuesday evening. “My idea is that the Maheno should be placed on the service, with more frequent running, for I cannot see where _ we will get another boat in the meantime. It is a most unfortunate thing for the new service, considering that the boat was on her second trip in the Melbourne-Bluff run, and the tourist traffic will certainly suffer to some extent.” On Tuesday morning Mr Perrelle called upon Mr N. S ; Falla, chief traffic manager of the Union Company, who is visiting Christchurch, and Mr W. H. Price, ths Christchurch, branch manager, to discuss the position. The Minister said ‘? at , , lt . waa regrettable that disaster should have occurred at the inception of the service. He felt certain, from conversation with Messrs Falla and Price, that everything possible was being done hy the company for the passengers and C F? W ’* , The whole thing would be considered at Wellington, when the questions of tourist traffic and the Government subsidy to the company would be gone into. There was no doubt that ffie company would do its best to meet the position. V* replacement of the vessel, Mr Price said that he was unable to make any statement, “The whole 3u ln -Sr m ® I* 6B with the head office in Wellington and is now under consideration. CIRCUMSTANCES OF WRECK. A MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY. United Press Association.) T , , WELLINGTON, December 18. It .has been decided by tbs Marine epartment that a magisterial inquiry "’“I b ® “eld regarding the circumstances tke Y r F ck of the Manuka. fl 1 ® j U , ty IS , being experienced in fixing the date and locale of the inquiry will be held at .either Dunedbor vlf lA t 0 The fiautioal assessors have yet to be appointed.