THE SOLE SURVIVOR

Otago Witness, Issue 3339, 13 March 1918, Page 40

THE SOLE SURVIVOR

A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. (From Odb Own Corbespondent.) SYDNEY, February 27. The captain of the steamer Timaru, which' has been searching the islands off the Queensland coast for a missing launch, brought a remarkable story to Rockhampton. . While searching Iron Island and the adjacent islands ho came across D. Mackenzie, who was cook and steward on the New Zea-land-built schooner Orete, and who was the sole survivor. He states that the schooner anchored off. Percy Island lighthouse on January 19. It was then blowing a strong gale. The wind kept increasing until between" eight and nine o'clock on the morning of the 21st, when she parted anchors and drifted towards Duke Island. In the meantime the crew was engaged in throwing the deck cargo overboard to lighten tho ship. During this process Captain Anderson han his leg broken. " After drifting all day on Monday, the 21st, and part of Monday night," Mackenzie said, "we struck the reef and remained fast. We tried to launch a boat, but it was washed away, and Captain Anderson was then washed overboard with the boat, but we managed to get him aboard again. The mate, Artong, had his collarbone broken at the same time. The ship by this time had settled on' the reef. On Tuesday morning, when the tide started to flow, the schooner was washed! fore and aft by heavy seas. Shortly after, she capsized with the captain, his son, a leading seaman, and an able seaman who were in the cabin with the door shut. The door was on the lee side. The remaining seaman and myself were on deck, where we clung to the rigging until we were washed off. I got hold of a door and drifted away, and saw the seaman only for a 'few minutes after we were washed off the rigging. After drifting for about four or five hours I got washed ashore on Tyneside Island with a quantity of wreckage, including kerosene tins. I lived on the island 19 days, feeding on small oysters, a few onions, and a couple of pumpkins that were washed ashore. After filling all the kerosene tins with fresh water from a small stream I started to construct a raft with which to get over to another island, where I saw some houses. It was very tedious work,, as I only had stones with which to get nails which I procured from kerosene oases. In 10 days from the time I landed I had the raft completed. I then started away for the houses, but the current was going the wrong way, so I had to jump off and swim back to the island. Feeling myself getting weaker all the time I started to make another raft, and I had it completed in eight days. Next morning, which was on the nineteenth day on the island!, I started away again and managed to get to another island, which I found to be Hunter's Island, where I waited until the tide slackened up. I proceeded again to sea and drifted away with a very strong current through a narrow channel, which I since find was Lola Montez passage, and which brought mo straight away towards the houses I was trying to get to. I paddled with a fourinch batten until I was exhausted, and I had given up all hopes of ever reaching shore again when I got into another current, which landed me on Marble Island. Here I saw a house which I made straight for < it proved to be J. Blakey's house. I shall never forget how well ho treated me. Captain Brown stated that Mackenzie was still on the island, and was too weak to leave when he was there on. the 13th inst.