A "SPECIAL'S" ACCOUNT OF THE WRECK.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3599, 13 April 1886, Page 2

A "SPECIAL'S" ACCOUNT OF THE WRECK.

. Blenheim, April 12, 9.85 p.m. The special ■• correspondent of the Miwlborough Express reports as follows from Kekerangu: — TheTaiaroa at low water at four this afternoon was within 10 yards of dry land. She seems to be lying steady, with small eeas breaking over, and leaning to sea- • ward, in seven feet of water by the- bows. Three men swam on board this morning, and rescued a monkey and a cat. They obtained dry clothes in the forecastle, and made two ' warps fast from the mast-head to the beach. The vessel seems to have her bottom store in, but no holes are visible. Grant and Hutton were found ashore alive, near the wreck, at six this morning, and both are getting on well. The bodies of one of the officers and two seamen have been found.'. There is one boat smashed on the beach near the wreck, and another hanging by a line from the Btern, bottom upwards. Four miles north of Kekerangu a boat was washed up with one dead body in it in evening officer's uniform. The body is rather Btout, and the face of fair complexion with moustache, and looks about thirty years of age. It is supposed to be the body of Stratford, the third engineer. ■ Another body was found in the same place " this evening. It appears to be that of a' passenger wearing a brown tweed suit and about 85 years of age. He wears a moußtache; is of the middle height and stout build. A passenger was also found just alive and brought here in a dray. .He is recovering fast, but is still asleep and unable to give details. " A receipt for a registered .letter found in his pocket bears the name of McQuartern. Wo had men searching the boach north 'and south for fifteen miles eaah way all day, and will resume tho Bearch to-morrow. Hutton says the steamer struck three . times on. the open big boulder beach, no rocks being near. At 7.30 p.m. tho passengers and orew : were all ordered into.. the boats, four: in number which were fastened to the. stern, and ro«

mained there until 12, when the boats were upset. The sea is going down now. A ateamer passed here going .soutb, and sighted the wreck. A later telegram states that three more bodies of seamen have- been found, between Kekerangu and Flaxbourne. ENQUIRY INTO THE DISASTER. , 10.30 p.m. The preliminary enquiry into the cause of the Taiaroa disaster was held this evening before Mr Pasley, Collector of Customs, and Captain Lambert, Nautical Assessor. Captain - Btated that- thW ship left Wellington at 11.30 a.m. on Sunday the 11th instant. A strong N.W. breeze was blowing. We steered 8. bj W. The usual course in S. $ W., but on account of • the strong N.W. biwsewe'kepfc'one-quarter point in more thanVBtial -till 3, when we were -abreast 'of Cape Campbell, and, the course was altered. ! The wind' -fchttt fell light, and came down from S.E. suddenly to ai W. It was at this time raining heavily and blowing hard, and the sea came up very suddenly. I wa» on : -deck • nil 6.30, and she theUjasfar. a* I could see seemed to be a good distance oft the land. The mate ■was on the watch > c-n the-' Bridge. Before going below at 6.30 1 told the mate that if he thought the. Vettel waa getting dose in or the weather came on.thiokJsa^a* to lose sight of land to let me knotr;* About seven o'clock he came and told me- that he could see land on the port bow. I ran- up- immediately on to the bridge. They,. wer»( pntting the helm hard a starboard. When I got there I stopped her and' then •went full speed aitenr. ' She ; <oot the gwund, and at thft same time the chief engineer came and said it was of no ftse going any further astern, as she was making water. I gave orders then lo have the boat* got out, and the passengers put into them. I told the second mate to try to run a line on to the beach. He could not effect a landing at all, so I got a line over the stem, towing the boats on to that. All the boats were fast to it except mine. The mater got into my boat, and we let her; drop astern alongside the other boats. When we got alongside the first lifeboat I told the mate to go into her- and take charge. Then we dropped further astern, and when we came to the last boat the carpenter missed it, and we drifted away. The second mate was in the last boat, and he came after us to give us a tow back. He towed us for about an hour, but : could not make anything of it, and sang out that he would have to let go. I told him to let go; and- we 'drifted away. We kept as alose into shore as we cdVdd, to avoid being- blown to sea. There was a heavy sea running, and I- tried to make Gape Campbell, but donld not, arid steered for the Wairau bar, where we 1 arrived ab 2 o'olbck.oh Monday.- Everyone in the boat had lifebuoys on. I did not take any soundings", but the usual precautions were taken; Thert was nothing wrong -with the compasses 80 far as I know. They were corrected Beven or eight months ago. Some magnetic influence, with the strong current setting in, may -"have caused the accident. Tbe wind where the- Taiaroa Btttick appeared to come more from the soutb, but the sea set ifi strongly from the S.E. : Two lady passengers and the stewardess were in No. 1 lifeboat. ■■ ■ - James Webb, the carpenter, deposed that the vessel was steered S. by W. all tho way till Cape Campbell was reached, when the ■wind Changed suddenly to SJB., blowing hard, with heavy sea. About 6.30 the weather thickened. Was off Waipapa at 6.30, and between 7.10 and 8.15- she struck. .The boats ■were got out in rotation. The captain' got into his boat lust, and I was told to hold on to tho' Une, but was not able. The Taiaroa was drawing lift -7in aft, and 9ft 3in forward. The sea -was. breaking right over the bridge, and : there was a heavy sea-; on deck before we left.. She thumped heavily the ■whole time after she struck. Samuel Dalryniple, chief engineer, deposed that everything went on well in the enginejoom until the vessel struck: I was' on the watch then. It was 12 minutes past 7by tho engine-room clock when she struck. A minute or twb"Wfore the vessel struck the telegraph rang "full speed astern." I obeyed the order promptly, and went full speed astern for about 12 minutea, the ship - bumping heavily all the time. When the engines were stopped there were ' about four feet of •water in the engine-room and stoke hole. As soon as the engines were stopped I went on deck. Tho boats, were being cleared away; 'I again went down to the engineroom. There were then about five or six feet of watei< in the room and the fires were out. She was still taking in water in the engineroom and stokehole doors on the weather aide of the deok.' Notf being able to do anything below the Bfecond engineer and myself closed the doors and went on deok to lend a hand to lower the boats. All hands were off the deok at that time except the crew, who got into the captain's. boat-' The boat we took was on the weather side. - We, launched her across the deck and lowered her on the lee tide." The captain and officers did' all that it was, possible to do. ; The beach 'seemed very stony and the ship commenced to leak' immediately. ■•..-. ■ ■ ;. .' John. Mackay, A.8., gave the following evidence I— l waa at the wheel from 2 till 4 o'clock. I steered 8. by W. and the course ■was not altered.while I.was at the wheel. We took in {ore and. aft sail at 3.30, when the wind chopped round suddenly to the S.E. I was relieved at four o'clock till soven o'clock. Came on deck at that time on watch aa lookout forward. About 7.16 the vessel struck. I saw nothing of the land. . The weather was thick and duty, and.it was raining heavily. The captain and mate 1 were on the bridge at that time. The course S. by W. was not altered op to 4 o'oloqk. The vessel seemed to be the proper distance off the land when she passed Cape Campbell.; I have steered the same' coarse on the. Taiaroa for' fdurteen months. ' ' . ', . ''.' ■-,■■' ■ ■ .' The enquiry then terminated. The depositions' .will be forwarded to Wellington. " Cajjtaw Thomson further states that the Taiaroa passed the Hauroto going north some■where near Cape Campbell. She was steering a course inside the Taiaroa. -