TRAGEDY OF A STORM.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16176, 12 July 1923, Page 3

TRAGEDY OF A STORM.

LOSS OF THE SUMATRA

OVERWHELMED BY HUGE SEAS. SYDNEY, July s.—Just at the moment when everybody was marvelling at the wonderful escape from death of the majority of tlio Trevessa’s complement came the tragic news of the mysterious loss of the New Guinea Administration’s steamer Sumatra off the north coast of New South Wales.

The Sumatra, a German-built steamer about 35 years of age, which was engaged in the German .Pacific archipelago, before the war and .was seized by the Australian forces when the islands were captured, had been to Sydney for repairs, and leit a week-last Monday on her teluih to Rabaul. She had on board Captain Bell and his mother, live other white persons, and a colored crew of 36. Late on Monday night the Pennant Hills wireless station in Sydney received a wireless message from the ship stating that all was well, and that is the last that was,heard from her. As the night wore on the terrible storm which swept the coast for more than 12 hours came up, increasing in violenco until the wind howled at 70 miles an hour. All shipping hastened to shelter, and the next day citizens heaved a sigh of relief when no serious occurrence was reported. Nobody seems to have remembered the little 6CO-ton Sumatra ploughing her way northward : or if they did it was thought that she had put out from the coast, and was therefore reported by none of the stations, and had not thought it worth while to wireless. Three days passed, and then came a report that the body of a man had been washed up on the north coast of the State, with a life-belt round it. Still nobody thought of the Sumatra. Next day came the news that the name ol Fewstrell had Iqeen found on the clothes of the dead man, which had been made at a Sydney tailor’s. That led to the discovery that Mr Sydney Fewlrell was the- second officer of the Sumatra.

Immediately wireless messages searched the face of the now calm sea, but there was no response from flic Sutnatra. Then another body was found, and immediately identified as Captain Bell. (Aid bits of werckage followed, leaving no doubt that the little steamer had been swallowed by the mountainous waves, and every soul aboard had perished.

But how was she lost? On that point all is surmise. The most probable theory is that when the storm was at its height in the dark hours of Monday morning Mr. Fewtrell, who was on the bridge, had taken the wheel from the native who would ordinarily have held it, and sent him below with .all the others, and had called the captain from his bunk. So much is deduced from the fact that the captain’s clothes had eyidently been hastily donned over his pyjamas. These two alone, it is surmised, stood battling with the vast seas, and while all the others were in tho cabins successive seas struck the vessel and overwhelmed her, all but tho two on the bridge going to the bottom without even the chance of making their way against the elements.

Captain Bell’s widow resides in Sydney. He was 30 years of age* and was second mate of the Orsova prior to entering the service of the New Guinea Administration. One of the many sad stories associated with the disaster is that of the second engineer, Mr C. J. Kirkpatrick. After war service as a lieutenant engineer in the British Navy he found trade so dull in England that he eamo to Sydney. He was a widower, and when signing on as second engineer of the Sumatra he said to the official of the New Guinea Trade Agency : 'T took this position because engineering is very dull in Sydney now. I have only my two boys, and I am trying to give them the best start in life that I can. They are at the Camden Grammar School. It will take all I can get, but I will make the best of it.”