THE WRECK OF THE SUEVIC.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10962, 3 May 1907, Page 2

THE WRECK OF THE SUEVIC.

GISBORNE LADY'S EXPERIENCE.

Miss Mita Sievwright, of Gisborne, writing from Edinburgh to her relations here on March 20 gives her experience as a passenger as follows t-r "I have bad an awful experience, lut am glad to say that- it has all ended w^h, and thb doctor said I was "a perfect brick"" ajl through, so I haven't dis* graced my sex. for. which 'l am very thankful. I felt no fear,, strange to say, though I knew we were m great danger, and did my best to help and cheer up others 'who were m worse plight. But I must begin at the beginning and te.l you all; about it. , "At a quarter, to 11 on Sunday night, March 17, (poor o)d St. Patrick's, by the way) I was m the bathroom prepaying ray evening bath, I* had turned on the steam, when there' was a great bump, . the s^amburst forth m torrents, and tne ! bathroom door shut "With terrific fprpe. I had sonic difficulty m opening the door, j but at last I succeeded:, anti then had sufficient presence of mind to go back and turn off the steam pipe. I tV" went butinto the passage way, v/here | met Mr Tufee, He said, ?Oome alone on deck; they say that one of the enginim has gone wrong.' We went up pn fleck, informing all the women, who' ljad rpslied out of their cabins, that one of the engines had stopped -working and t na t ** was alright. Iv pur heart of hearts we . knew that "it was serious, but it js allowable to prevaricate m such circumstances. A few l women rushed up on deck }n t} great fHgbt. but, thanks toi the cheery, words of the doctor and officers, a panic was averted,

'When we got on deck we found that we were m a dense fog and fcnew from the rockets and minute gunß that were being fired that something very serious had happened. The sailors were getting out the boats, too, as fast. as they could. The first officer and the doctor camo along and told us there was no immediate clanger, aud that we must go down and clothe ourselves very warmly. 1 had 'just managed to get into some extn warm clothes when the order came for all the; women and children to go into the writing room. "We i then discovered that the Suevic had struck on "Manherrie Rock" just off the Lizard, but that water had only tittered one compartment so tar, and if only the sea would calm down we would bp alright. A terrific sea was running and the force of the waves forced the Suevic down further on the rock. The women and children were lowered into lifeboats —mothers and children first— or rather the women climbed down a rope ladder which swung with every movement cf the ship. A slip-rope was fixed un&r their shoulders and wjign. told to let go 1 they had to letgo^ the rope ladder im mediately, and swing back when they were caught by the crew and hauled into the boat. It was an awful sight to wnt:n them, but woman after woman went down without a word, and, letting i.o the rape ladder instantly at the worl of command, swung m mid-air till ttoy were caught by the sailors m the lifeboats. Only one woman lost her presence of mind. She was m very bad health at the time, so ho doubt that accounted "for it. When half-way down she lost her nerve and refused to go either up or down. She just hung on and screamed. At last they got her to go down a little further and when told to let go. wouldn't, aud when she did let go, i' lifeboat had been carried away on the crest of a wave, and stio hung suspended over the boiling water for a full minute, screaming with terror, till they rescued her, I shall never forget the sight as" long as I live. "I was among the last to leave the boat, so really % fared ofte of the beFt. We were lowered down iii the ship's lifeboat, rowed about 200^ yards and pitched from the lifeboat into a steam tug. I immediately became prostrate with sea-sickness—-as much the result of the shock as the roughness of the sea— and after 2£ hours of indescribable misery, we were landed, freezing with cold and very wot, at Falmouth. A cab conveyed us to a hotel where a good fire and something to eat soon revived us, :■ From 10.45 till 10.30 the next morning, the people were being taken away m boats. The stew*< ards worked like bricks all^ night, providing hot coffee and biscuits for the passengers at intervals, and when the morning broke, the sea was a little calmer and the Suevic was still on the rock. "The poor old captain was m a fearful state. Thje tears rolled down his cheeks, though in'i every other respect he was outwardly quite. calm> He told us m the middle of tne night that he couldn't con ceal the fact that there was danger and that we must help him m every -way a.id waste no time getting into the boats. Everyone of the women behaved splen- ' didly. With. the one exception I have told you of every Woman on board did her duty without a murmur, though, sevoral fainted when they got into the 'ifeboats from the awful strain that was pui> upon them. Everybody put on life-belts— even the wee children. At 9in the morning the stewards made some porridge fo n the passengers who remained on board, and till we got on shore at 2.30 no ono tasted any food. "I decided to go straight on to London that night. Miss Vetch and miss Hamilton said good -bye at Plymouth and I travelled to London with Mi'B And Miss Bartholemew, delightful fellow -pas. sengers. We were treated like' queens by the railway ofllcials-and reached London at 3.30. All my luggage is oil board. "I wore the amethyst necklace and saved mv watch and chain, but that was all. I could have saved a good deal, Mit Di" March' said "Doh't carry Bundles of things. It is such a bad example to the others." There was a chance of the luggage being saved, if only the soa kept down, and this morning I hear that it is saved (at least most of it). Another Reason why I did not go below and L pack up my cabin things -was bocauso'the*' orders were that we were to stay on deck, and I did -not .want to worry ;the officer* uh> necessarily ih that way,' though no doubt they would JiaVe allowed me to go. ' • ,r Just "befbre we left I gave oin' dear old captain ft Zu}u bangle made bf plaited, grass, wfilch had been gtten to me. Jt has the same significance asa $-lea shamrock, and I asked him if he wouh taike it to bring him luck. Poor bit fellow! The tears tame into his eyes' ris he s')iook hiV/Jiand warmly and thanked me for ; it. : I do hope 4f will bring him luck; he' is ttie most fcareful'bf capta.l.l3! and this wis his last voyagg. We all feel for jp'm so much. Ec was always so courteous and kind apd sue}} a' Bpjen-