THE GOLDEN GATE DISASTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2455, 3 April 1901, Page 10

THE GOLDEN GATE DISASTER.

(Per Sien-a at Auckland.) The wreck of the steamer Rio Janicro mst within the Golden Gate ■* Hill a vivu! horror. The ve,se; was two days late from Hongkong. At about 5.30 a m. she struck a rock and went to the bottom within 10 minute*. Most of the pas-enge^ wcic a-lcep. Many wenf dovnx v.ith the «ln r Amoi.g t! c-c was= Captnin Ward, who, if responsible foi the error of judgmenl. which caused the disaster, atonctl as best he could by hi<- Mibsecnient huwc concluco ;uid fearless death. iAvt boat, weio lowered, but only iwo cVared tie =-i,Kii,g ship \,itli pa-'-cnger-. Ihe officei- v/ero ncl AH ttoo'l to thenpos,t= Suddeuly thp sLi;) luuiied forw.ud, and wen I to the bottoir. The grey fog closed unoii r'ie b(Mt?, wlsidi were" mr.kniQheroic cPii.ii, to =aye human bcirg- struggling ii t j.o Viewer a- ililv drifir-J to \a;J t' c open, sea be} one! :ca r _L A f\ 'lci'min ln-nj^rcl to (o\. n I'Oio a lifobocit ( ontamiiig 13 cm'■^ivor=. It i, aid that of 237 peopleon bo.ncl thp steamer £0 weic s;i\cc'. Captain Waul wa- a magnificent"!}' trained aiid efficient olßcrr. His last outer to the li antic inoii, wlio weie ru-hmg about tiymtj to sa\ c tlipm-chc=, was "l'\>r t-Jod's snkc, n en. R.we the wonipn." He v, as standing quirtly on the bndsro a- hi? slup took the final plunge. The pa^-i^cer-- remember th» captain for his firmne-p in restraining tho Plot when he wibhed to go ahead in the fo'4It is claimed by some that the ship was m f-ue'.i a position when U>g fog closed on her that it was an even choice whether flio would bo «-afer at anchor oi making an effort to loach a tafer position A meeting m= hf'd at nuntioon on Saturday eveni'ig last to consider the question of changing the local lifie club into a volunteer nfle coipr Kventuilly it wa.- decided to form a volunteer toip* in place of the nHe ohib ai.d 76 nanuj were handed in of tht>«e w do liitci'l to lcionic ireml'tuEkit is Tiir vo^c XrTHiTiors of all an mal food. Ii take- 401!) of the be I beef to make lib of Liebig C'nnpa'u'- Iv'nit-io, the kind cigr-ol J V. L.cb'S '" b] "' c - ""' " OU ' called Lciu»*»"

A well-attended and representative meeting of Shetlanders was held at Invercargill on Saturday evening (says the Daily News) to consider the question of contributing to the fund being raised to relieve the destitution, caused by the disaster to the fishing vessels 3ast December. It was resolved to act independently of Dunedin, and a committee, consisting of Messrs S. Thompson, M. Fraser, J. Harper, L. Cheyne, J L. Cheyne, and W. A. 'Stout, of whom Mr Stout was appointed treasurer and convener, was appointed to get •ft lists and generally to act in the matter.

An extraordinary story is wired to the Auckland Star by a country correspondent. It is stated that a tourist who has been putting up at a leading hotel, and living in pood style, wa3 identified as an individual wanted on a charge of horse stealing. When a constable appeared on the scene the man went upstairs to his room, and on the policeman following, the tourist opened the window and slipped down the fire escape, without his hat, nearly dropping on a maid servant He then walked deliberately across the yard, and disappeared in the darkiietrs.