WRECK OF MERIMBULA

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16622, 13 April 1928, Page 7

WRECK OF MERIMBULA

NAPIER LADY ON BOARD . THRILLING STORY TO TELL Leaving Napier six weeks ago on a holiday trip to Australia, Mrs. T. W. Sparks, a resident of the Hawke’s Bay town, little thought that she was entering upon one of the most thrilling experiences of her life, and that before returning to her home town she would, for the third, time, he connected with a shipwreck. Mrs. Sparks returned to Napier on Tuesday night, and has a thrilling story to tell of the rescue of the crew and passengers of the steamer Merimbula, which went ashore at BeecroA Head at 1 o’clock on the morning of March 27; It was in pitch darkness, amid driving rain and howling southerly winds, that the vessel, groping her way through the squalls which made visibility almost negligible,- struck a rock and was held fast, a great gaping t hole having been torn in her side. Turned out of their bunks by the shock of the grounding, and rushing on deck in fear of what was about to follow, terrified passengers were soon reassured by Captain O’Connor, aided by his officers and crew. Only by chance did Mrs.. Sparks come to be stewardess of the Merimbula. A friend of hers 'was the stewardess of tho vessel and wanted a holiday, so Mrs. Sparks relieved her for the trip. PRESENTIMENT OF TROUBLE. “ The night of tho wreck wa§ a ter* rible one,” stated Mrs. Sparks, whefa giving something of her experiences to a reporter. “ i had some presentiment .that something was going to happen, and at midnight I got up .and dressed myself. Then came the bufup. It was not a hard one,' but it was followed by a tearing sound as the ship went further jou the rock. “ The captain soon pacified the passengers. Food was prepared and coffee served out. Three ladies took turns in playing the piano, and soon we were having quite a good time. At dawn they took us off in the boats. It was an anxious journey. The sea was rough, and once the lifeboat I was in crashed on to a rock, but. got off safely. “Once on shore, shelters were put up, and a big fire lighted. The rain was coining down In torrents; but we tried to make ourselves as .comfortable as we could. I had brought my phono-: graph ashore, and I kept playing jazz music and songs. Then there was a hymn, ‘ O, God, Our Help in Ages Past. ’

“ The place we were in was called Abraham’s Bosom, so we felt quite consoled as the hymn was played. At 3.30 in the afternoon we went off in boats to the mainland, where cars were ready for us. What-a place! There was no track at all. The car drivers were wonderful. They drove over logs and everything.” WRECKED BEFORE. _ It is not Mrs. Sparks’ first experience oil a shipwreck. She was on board the original Kiverina many years ago when it was lost at sea, and she drifted about for days in one of the ship’s boats before being picked up. “ I have had k enough of wrecks for the rest of my life,” she added. During tho war she' was also on one of the rescue boats at the time the steamer Cumberland was mined on the. Australian coast, and had some memorable experiences on that occasion also. . Abraham’s Bosom —the spot where the shipwrecked crew and passengers landed—was a most forbidding ; place In the inclement weather. It boasted neither population nor habitation,, and the swollen rivers and. creeks ..made it appear at first as if they would he marooned there for days .beSoro reaching civilisation. In case such an ordeal had to bo faced, Captain O’Connor sent.ashore anample stock of provisions, and the bush meals throughout the day, which the crew were heartily relished. For more than three miles in a ceaseless downpour of rain, over the flooded land, the shipwrecked passengers, including the Navigation Department officials. and the majority- of the crew.; had to use fishing boats as a means; of transport. Despite the swollen state of the. waters the crew managed to get all the passengers across to the mainland,- and once there they were picked up by waiting cars and conveyed to Nowra. The landing and transport were effected without anyone suffering even a minor casualty.—Hawke’s Bay Herald.