EXPERIENCES OF SURVIVORS. DEATH ROLL UNCERTAIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2779, 19 June 1907, Page 31

EXPERIENCES OF SURVIVORS. DEATH ROLL UNCERTAIN.

Tbom Ovm Special Correspondent.)

NEW PLYMOUTH, June 15. There is little fresh to be heard about the wreck. The greatest uncertainty prevails regarding the loss of life, and even when ail the survivors are known and tallied with the list in the shipping office it is feared there will still be a discrepancy, as some may, ,as is usual, have com* aboard without tickets. The shipping office can only account foi 13 passengers and a crew of 19. If thii is correct, only five lives have been lost. Already, however, at least one survivoi has turned up at Kawhia whose name does not appear in the passenger list, and it is not unlikely that the second steward's statement that there were Al aboard is over-estimated, unless some have landed unknown to the boat and raft parties. Tho loss of eight lives will probably be eventually established.

Amongst the rescued members of tho crew their one regret is the los 3of their

A

A

skipper, to whom all hands appear to have been greatly attached. ITJIITHER NARRATIVES OF SURVIVORS. Fireman W. Dunning gives a good account of hia experiences. "It was about 3 o'clock when she struck," be said. "There was a thick fog. but the sea was not very rough. If it had been we would never have got in The second mate was on watch. Thero was a tremendous bump, and the ship all but broke in half; then she hung on the rock and rocked about. She nearly turned over. That's how the people were knocked about. I was asleep- below. As soon as I heard tho bump I went on deck. I was in shirt and pants, and others had just put on what was handy. Women and chuuren ■were in their nightdresses, and J US L grabbed a skirt or something to put roandP them. It was about a quarter of an hour before the ship wont down. The mate's boat had got away. When I went to push the boat off I saw tho ekipper. He was 6 tanding with a hfebc-lt ■in his hand, but didn't eeem to get a chance to put it on. He was too cool. •When tho boat was about full ho saw tho stewardess looking after things, as tho\igh nothing had happened, and said: 'Now, Jassie it's time for you to get on board if you want to be saved.' The stern •half was sinking, so I had to scramble up on the fore part of the ship. Then I said: 'Now she's going. Look oat!' *nd ehe shot away down into the woter right out of sight. The raft was taken down by suction. There were 12 people on her. They wero taken down. When they oame up again 11 of them got on to the raft. There were only Forbes, a seaman, and I and two passengers— ono of the passengers named Forbes — swimming about. The mate had lit a flaro when hie boat was leaving the wreck. If he hadn't we would never have got there. We could see the boat by tho light, and ewam for it. While we were swimming Forbes, the passenger, said " Good-bye," •nd then went under. Forbes, the seaman, and I swam down and just reached the boat in the. nick of time. We weren't good for much by that time. We had bp.°n swimming for about an hour." There was room for you in the boat, then?" "Yce." But why didn't you get in in the first pkKe? " We were trying to got into the other l'vn. We had to see that the passengers ami others were safe before we could think about ourselves. If we had all tried to pet into that boat none of us would have L^cn saved."

A. B. Morris has a thrilling tale to tell. "Wo did not feel any 6hock,'' he said, '■ but by the unusually heavy rolling -wo c;- o^sed what had happened, and tho pay * oncers and crew rushed on dock not fully rlothcd. The captain directed that tho boats be lowered, but one was broken to i>ieces. The women and children had been got safely into the other boa-t. *r.d it left the wreck in charge of the mate, with a sonopl^ment of about 10 souls. Tho skipper never left his posh Tho second officer and myself were thrown into tho so* together, but managed to grasp a raft ■which was drifting near, and before daylight we had picked up nine others, so th»t when we made the beach there wero in all 11 of us. The other boat picked up six others, several being guided to her ly means of the flare which was set up hf tlw mate *nd when we mustered on

tho beach we totalled 27, including passengers and crew. When the Kia Ora finally sank we heard tho captain shouting for assistance, and yelled out to tho mate's boat to rescue him. The boat left us and went in the direction the voice came from. Wo on tho raft wero drifting towards the shore and when we again saw the boat which had been pulling about until daylight, our first thoughts wero of tho skipper, and when we knew they had not got him I can tell you our hearts sank." GENERAL. The Eltham Argua say 6 the drowned man, Mr Magnus Forbes, was a wellknown settlor in tho Hawera district. Ho owned several farms in Taraiiaki, and had a large holding at Kawhia. It was his custom to visit tho northern farm periodically, and he war, no doubt journeying there at the time of the wreck. Tho Hawora Star says:— "Mr Magnus Forbes was a well-known ircl highiyrcspocted settler, who has li\ed in this district for many years r-ist. Ho intended permanently settling at Kawh.a ct an early da'c. He was a son of Mr John Forbes, sen . of Normanbv. and leaves a wife and family to mourn bis untimely end." At the Waitnra Harbour Board meeting Mr JeonAncrs, M.H.R., referred to the distressing lc«s of too Kia Or a ar.d the death of Captain Blacklock. and lr.oved the follow-in? resolution: — "That the r^embers of tho Waitara Harbour Board w.sh to place on record their deep regret and condolence with tho members of the family of the late Captain Blacklcck at the regrettable event which led to the disaster whereby he lost his life when the Kia Ora was wrecked at" Tarua Point on June 13. Tho members of the Harbour Hoard, in conjunction with tho. people of Waitara. deplore tho loss of ono who was in every way respected ac a seaman and a gentleman." As offering an explanation of the Kia Ora being so much closer inshore than she ought to have been, it is suggested that there is a stronger set towards ihe phorG than there used to bo up this coast. This ha 3 been noticed lately by Captain Norbury, and Captain Hood confirms it. Tho latter also points out that contrary to tho old theory that the current on the ooatrt sets northwards, the only wreckage from the Kia Ora yet found was picked up several miles southwards.