WRECK OF THE MANUKA

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1929, Page 13

WRECK OF THE MANUKA

TUG RETURNS FROM SCENE HEROISM OF MEN AND WOMEN. RELIEF FOR DISTRESSED CREW. hBy Teiecranh. —Press Association. 5 Dunedin, Dec. 18. The tug Dunedin arrived from the wreck of the Manuka at 5.45 this morning, having taken 15 hours on the run, owing to constant fog. She brought 100 refugees, including the Manuka’s crew, Captain Ross Clark and'elderly people unable to make the land journey. The tug took ample food supplies. The crew of the Manuka will be paid off to-day, and the company will transport them to their homes. The largest number are Dunedin residents, most of the balance coming from Wellington. Those who came by road state that it is nothing short of marvellous how cars and lorries reached the refugees on the sloping clay roads. All sorts of risks were taken. Two vehicles came to grief, and it was a hair-raising spectacle .to see the cars sliding down the hills, broadsiding every chain or so. The refugees accord special praise to one lady saloon passenger who, when the crash came, gave her child into the care of others while she went to the second saloon, playing the piano till all were on deck.

Strange were the sights on the muddy road in the bush en route to Owaka. Women were in nightdresses and boudoir caps and one had a fur necklet. It is stated that one passenger had a movie camera and films and took pictures of the wreck. .

The highest praise is heard on all hands for the Shipwreck Relief Society for its prompt action in'the morning. Within .two hours £1550 in orders was paid out to the whole of the crew, each man getting £l5 to recompense for his kit loss. Last night the society made arrangements with three big restaurants to provide meals for the refugees, also providing motors to meet the relief train and the tug. The Manuka’s officers were:—Chief mate, Mr. A. Adams; second, Mr. E. G. Mcatyard; third, Mr. C. Carlyon; fourth, Mr. A. S. Smith; purser, Mr. F. S. Hamlin; assistant purser, Mr. J. L. Barker; wifeless operator, Mr. John Standage; chief engineer, Mr. E. A. Griffiths; second, Mr.' J. McLeod; third, Mr. L. Jellyman; fourth, Mr. J. Chambers; fifth, Mr.'A. Gibb; sixth, Mr. H. Amos; seventh, Mr. D. G. McKenzie; chief steward, Mr. R. H. Burns. The commander of the Manuka, Captain Ross Clark, interviewed, said that the passengers and crew were absolutely wonderful. There was a great spirit shown by all, everyone wishing to stand back and give his seat in the boat to another. The women and children were astonishing. They cheered as if going to a picnic. The whole spirit of the crew and passengers was beyond reproach. . . .■; “I am very proud to be 'a British subject,” stated Captain Clark. The cost of the relief to the passengers and crew from the Shipwreck Relief Society will probably be well over £3OOO. Captain Clark has been master of the Manuka for over a year. The vessel was his first passenger ship command. He belongs to Auckland, where his wife and family reside.' Captain Clark was an officer in the Union Company’s employ for a number of years prior to the war. He obtained leave during the war and went to England, where he joined the Royal Engineers and served as an officer with them in Mesopotamia. He returned to New Zealand with a splendid war record. He subsequently commanded the , cargo steamers Katoa, Kurow and Waipiata.