TOTAL WRECK OF THE PENGUIN.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13829, 15 February 1909, Page 5

TOTAL WRECK OF THE PENGUIN.

FEARFUL LOSS OF UFE

Passengers Saved. Mrs Hannan. : ' Mr Bridge. Mr Ellison. Mr Green. Mr E. Matthews. Mr fiiggs. Millar. Mr Frank Shaw. Mr Jack Duthie. Mr Perkinst Passengers Drowned. Mrs Brittain. ; Mrs Hart. Mrs Toomer. Mrs Hale. Mrs W. R. Symoiids, children (2), and maid. ' . . , ' • Miss'. Doran. . . _ Miss McAlley. Miss Ribbands. .Miss Hunt; . •■ Misses McGuire (3). - Miss Jennings. Misses'lvy, and Alice Toomer. : Miss Clure. ' Miss Nodine. " ' , > Mr Bird. _ Mr Courtney. Mr Hale. ~ Mr S. Holcroft. Mr Holmes. Mr Harold. Mr Underwood. ' • Mr N. White. Mr Chappel. Mr Troadec. Mr Coumbc. Mr Johnson. . Mr Wharton. ■ • • Mr Shaw (Melbourne 1 ). Mr Keith Williamson. Mr Reed. Mr Rogers; Mr H. G. Bone. Mr E. Mathews (not to be- .confused with lad saved). Mr W. H. Henry. Master Maguire. Crew Saved. Captain Naylor.-. ' " The second engineer, Mr Luke. The purser, Mr Thompson. . ' Messrs R. Watts, 'Keyes, Hull, C. Jones, W. Rees, D. Mc'Cormackand D. Francis, stewards. ' Mr Lynn, cook. Messrs Jackson and Farrell,. A.B.'s. Messrs Snellgrove, O. S: Wicktoun and Pierre, greasers. Crew Drowned. ;First officer, W. A. Mclntyre. Second officer, F. 'Driscoll. - Third officer, - E.- A. Looseman. The first and third engineers," Mr R. Urquhart (one of the oldest engineers in. the company), and S. Rintoul, Wellington. The chief steward, G. Alexander, and stewardesses, Mrs Hepe and Mrs C. Jacobs. F. Hayes, boatswain. ' . G. W-. Estacott, Bowman, Henderson and E: Gales, A.B.'s. G. Goffree, donkeyman; Rafferty, greaser; and C. Fairbairn, S. Ward, Premin, S. Conie and Barnes, .trimmers. R. Watts, second steward; M. Keys, fore-cabin steward. D. Kynu, chief cook; Edwin Hall, second cook; Henry McGuirc, scullion; B. Jones, second pantryman; Cooke, messroom steward; Ernest Crook, saloon waiter. ' FIRST NEWS OF THE WRECK. " WELLINGTON, Feb. 13. News was telephoned from Nakara early this morning that the Penguin, on her way from Nelson to Wellington, had gone ashore during Friday night, and it was .- feared with , much loss of life. The Union Company sent a horseman over the bills to the beach for further news, and later sent blankets and provisions in motor cars. They were taken on by paclc horses along'the precipitous coast to .Mr McMenamin's : sheep station, which is always the first place to get news of disasters at Terawhiti. The station was visited by a man from the steamer, who brought the first news, and a little later six more men arrived, but it was not till' Captain Naylor reached town about midday that anything very definite could be procured. The first version said that only thirteen persons had been saved, <but the disaster was not as bad as that. A number of passengers who intended coming over- appear to have been deterred by the rough weather, and this no doubt diminished the death roll. The passengers were all put' into the boats. Of these three are up-turned on shore; one boat is tossing about -broken, the fifth, and last, is missing. Unless this boat turns up no one who was in the boats has been saved except Mrs Hannan of Nelson, a little boy, and a voutli named Matthews, of Spring Creek, Marlborough. It was hoped that the last boat might have made Ohau bay, but the Araliura went to the scene, and it was not there, nor had other vessels in the vicinity seen , it. ALL HOPE ABANDONED. •Hope that those in the missing boat might be .saved is now abandoned, as ■ it has drifted inshore. BODIES WASHING ASHORE. Late tin's afternoon 26_ bodies had come ashore or were in sight in the, surf. For two miles - the beach is strewn with wreckage; pieces of tlie vessel, cabin seats, and cushions- and upholstery of every kind is. floating about on the water and distributed over the sands. Not a .vestige of the vessel itself remains. It is absolutely impossible to determine wliere the Penguin sank. _ _ The bodies, of which 16 or 1/ have already been recovered., arc coming ashore in a little bay to the west of Mr McMcnamin's Terawhiti homesWd The sight on the beach is one which would never be forgotten. Three lireboats are tlirown up on the sand, one raft is also high and dry. Ibe wreckage of the fourth lifeboat is floating about in the breakers. Just round a forbidding bluff was discovered the body of a girl about 12 or 13' years or -age. A little further on was the body of a middle-aged man, and still a* few yards further away was the corpse of a woman, apparently some 45 or 50 years of age. Just past the second lifeboat was seen the body of a man wearing a light grey suit, and apparently between 17 and 18 years of age. Still further on was the body of a woman clothed in a blue costume, and apparently between 35 and 40 years or age. There was also on the beach the body of a man about 40 or 50 years of

FORTY-TWO PASSENGERS DROWNEq. NINETEEN OF THE CREW LOS?T.The Union Company's Penguin was totally wrecked in Cook "Strait on Fricjay night* there being disastrous Loss of Mfe. '

age. Another corpse was that of a hreman. A young man, who Was lying dead on the, beach, was evidently the same passenger whom Captain Naylor endeavoured to save on' tiie upturned boat tljat lie was clinging- to'. The police authorities have made arrangements for the care of the bodies that are being washed ashore. At~ 7 o'clock this morning two mounted constables were despatched to the scene. They took with them blankets and medical comforts for the injured. Later on the sergeant and two more constables left in a motor carf and the Commissioner of Police expressed his intention of also going out. 'Some coffins have been sent to the coast, and the police will be stationed by the bodies till they can be brought to Wellington. It is intended to bring tliem around by. sea as soon as the I weather moderates, but this operation will- be impossible this evening. ■ The only other way to make the passage in would be-by pack horse over rugged hill tracks, but this course is not considered advisable. * The Union Company is cooperating with the police in making the best possible arrangements for the care of the bodies. Late on Sunday there were '52 bodies on the beach, scattered over a distance of eight} miles. Latest accounts (midnight on Sunday) place the total dead at 70 and living at 30. Arrangements have been made for Permanent Artillery to start packing the "bodies overland at daybreak to where they can be met by vehicles from the city. BODIES IDENTIFED. R: Urquhart, 'chief engineer; Mrs Hope, forecabin stewardess; Mrs C. Bird, Mr C. H. Hale, Mrs Hale, Mr Rogers, Mr Seed, Mr H. G. Bone, Mrs Jacobs (stewardess), . Master Maguire, Miss Maguire, Mr H. Wharton, Mr . Shaw, Mr W. H. Henry,; Mr I. Bates,. Miss. Mary Doran, Miss Mary Fairbairn (doubtful), Mr Mclntyre (chief officer), Mrs Symonds, two chil- , den and maid (Miss Jessie Rerin'ie),- Mrs Bishop, Mrs Toomer, Mr K. Williamson, Mr F. Driscoll (second officer),! Mr S. Holcroft. Some-doubt was at first expressed as to the probability of Mrs Symonds, her children arid maid being on " the Pen- ; guin, but unfortunately it proved to I>6 only too true,, for Mrs Symonds' body was "one of the first to be id,enified on the beach. The deceased lady was returning from a' holiday at Net. "son with her maid and two children, aged 15 and 14 years respectively. The poor little ones had just celebrated a happy birthday. Mrs Symonds was the widow of Mr W. R. Symonds, formerly shipping manager for Messrs Turnbull and:_ Co., and a daughter of Mr W. S. Reid, late Solicitor-General. Her brother, Mr Edward Reid, is one of the staff of tlie A.M.P. Society in Wellington, and the' local manager, Mr Lowe, was' an uncle. The fifty-two bodies. recovered are lying on the beach, and it is not yet certain what will be done with them, but efforts Will be made to get them to town by boit to-night or to-morrow. It. is a noteworthy feature that outvof 27 persons' saved,' 23 of these came ashore' on the two rafts, riot one person who . got oil " to'the rafts being drowned, although they were capsized, several times before eventually making land. THE CAPTAIN'S STATEMENT. FEARFUL STRUGGLE FOR T.TFE. Captain Naylor's stateirient is that lie left Picton at 6.20 and entered th 6 the Strait at 7.50. • Halfway across it became very thick. He set a course which would keep him well clear of the land, allowing for the southerly sea; He expected to pick up light but as lie could not see in tlie;: act of putting the vessel's vliead out 1 down the Strait to sea when slie l struck at 10 o'clock on Thorns' Rock, 'an ( outlying obstruction off TeEaAvffifci.''.' 7 She struck about midships on the ; starboard side. The 'pumps were sounded and it was found that water was making in No. 1 and 2 holds and gaining slowly on the.engine-room pumps. The lifeboats were swung out and the .women and children sent away. A very heavy sea was running and the first boat was immediately smashed, but the occupants were all got on board and transferred to another boat. There was plenty of time to get the boats, away, : but at eight minutes to eleven the steamer sank bodily. The. captain and several of the crew were still on deck, and they had to launch the rafts and jump for thexri. The captain succeeded in reaching a broken boat, and got ashore On it. On the way he picked up a man, but lost liim corning over the reef. The twi) rafts landed about midnight, and neither had seen any of tlie boats. The captain, however, did not succeed in getting ashore till an hour and a halt before daylight. He found the men on the rafts being cared' for by Mr McjVlenamin, a resident in the locality. As far as he knows there are two boats still o\it, and there is a prospect of their reaching Ohau Bay, if tho\v escape being swamped. Two bodies ol women were washed ashore, but he did not know their names. He was on tliu bridge all the way, and the third ofti cer with him. Ho cannot account to/ the disaster, except on'the theory that he was carried in by the heavy swell and southerly sea. "When the Penguin struck, . tire captain remained on the bridge steering to secure a sheltered sea for launching the boats by turning the vesel broadside on to the waves. " We managed to do this at once," he said, "but could not do it for the boats on the other side." The Penguin was settling -steadily by the head, and at last took a plunge, and went down. His witch stopped at 10.53. The women and children were got away in two boats that was smashed alongside, but he believes that all were got on board again. The women and children were got away in two boats that were well clear when the steamer sank. The man lie picked up in the water was a steward on the :Pateena. The boat rolled over twice ■with them, and the man was lost. The two rafts had 11 and 12 occupants from the crew, all the passengers being in tlie boats. The missing boats are popper tanked, and would float if swamped, but the danger would. be in capsizing. Apart from this they might get round Terawhiti into one of the bays. ONLY WOMAN SURVIVOR. HER PATHETIC STORY. Mrs Joe Hannan was the only woman

who escaped and particularly heartrending is her story. Her four children were all drowned before her eyes. She told a most. pathetic story to a Times" reporter,, who, interviewed her at Mr <McMenamin's station. She said— " My husband was working on the railway down south and-lie lately contracted consumption, so :wo booked our passages by tlie Penguin taking our four children with us, out intention being .to go to Rotorua...to see if it would do my husband .any good. At about 10 o'clock on Friday niglit we heard a bump, and a little later the stewardess came down and told us to get ready as. the boat was sinking. We all rushed on deck and I was -told to get into one of the boats which was Ijeing got ready. I refused to leave my. husband and children, but they forced me. to get into the;, boat, separating me from Mr Hannan, although ray children were with me. The boat was filled with passengers and one sailor was also" ordered in/ Just "as they went to lower the boat the tackle falls gave way and the craft went down bead first into the ocean, all my children: bein gdrowned, except my youngest t>aby two • years • old,. which I < had lashed to one of the seats, NobOdv seemed ,to have time to rescue •the iriliijdreii, but I suppose that could ilot be lielped. There were six women in tlie boat, and I should think soinewhere near the same number of men. We. got safely away from the ship. Tlie saloon stewardess. (Mrs Jacobs) helped us before we got into the boat. My word, she was a brave woman. She did everything; got blankets and Wrapped us up, and was calm and collected an,d didn't flurry, us in the least. When the tackle falls gave way I. heard one of my ' children, 'tailing—' Oil, mumnia, muhima, help us,' but , God knows we were powerless to do anything. My husband was on the deck, and I said to him when we parted, 'Cheer up, old man.' He replied " Good-bye,' and I have'not seen him since. We drifted about, and during the night we saw one of the rafts quite close to us. We called and. tried to get up to it, but could not.. We must have been some hours iii the boat. Wo could see the rocks 'ahead of us, and we tried to keep off them, the sail jr who was in charge doing his best. We drifted about it seemed for hours, everybody straining at the; oars and trying to avoid the reefs. My poor little baby was still alive, and I realised that it was all I had in the world. The boat was filling'with water, leaking badly, and those not rowing kept baling out the water for their dear lives, but wc could not check the in'now, and we realised that it was only' a matter of time when the boat would be righ awash. Wc knew by tae roaring of the breakers that we wfcre close on the surf, and pull as we could we were unable to keep the boat with her head to sea. Suddenly, I don't know how it' happened, an enormous wave struck us side on, and the boat . dapsized. Everybody" Was instantly > thrown ittto the sea, but I managed to £rasp a rope, and God alone knows how I managed to hang on. A . young boy (Ellis-Matthews) _was floating near ihe, and T got a rope to liim and helped hijji to' make himself secure to «• thwart of the capsized boat. We were right underneath the boat, but the air must have forced the water out, ahd ; while the bottom of flic boat stood out' of tlie water wc dung or with our heads towards the flopr of the boat, and wc were thus cifabled to breathe. Wc were really imprisoned between the keel of the boat and tho seats, the boat still floating all the time upside down. >lt seemed that wfl floated about for hours, until finally we were washed un on to the - beach. We were you must remember still under the. boat in its capsized, condife. tion, pinned in under the thwarts, of course. . The water was very shallow, but the spent waves continued to leap right up to our We had no way of getting out. My poor little baby had in the meantime died from the shock and exposure. I think the lifebelt must have choked her. While i losing my all I had saved the'life of a strange, boy (Matthews). The terrible experience had told, on him, and he lay by mv side unconscious; I made up .my mind to get out from under the boat, and I started to scratch away at the shingly beach to make a hole to creep out. Then I heard the voices of .the station shepherds who lifted up the boat and got us out, and wc were taken to the homestead. The names of the children I lost were —Ronald Edward, aged 10 years; George Alexander, aged 5 years; Amelia, aged 3 [years; Ruby May, aged 2 years." | PASSENGER'S GRAPHIC STORY. I Mr R. Bridge, of Wellington, son of Mr H. B. Bridge, of Oriental Bay, who was coming- from Picton to attend ; ihs brother's funeral, was amongst ;those saved. The vessel, he said, left Picton about : 6 o'clock on Friday evening. All went well till about a quarter to 10 o'clock/ when u grinding crash was heard. A fejr, moments, later it was apparent that the vessel was about to sink. Arrangements were at once made by the captain to get out the boats. The captain gave orders from the bridge; . There was an entire ab-sence-of panic, even among the women. The lifeboats were first launched with the women' and children. No. 1 lifeboat was smashed to atoms almost as soon as it roached the water. - The second boat also got stove in slightly, but ' managed to get dear of the ship. Shortly after, however,' it capsized. Mr Bridge himself got on board, one of the rafts: Tlfese were absolutely the last to leave tlie ship,, tlie ciiptain himself remaining until the end. He inan r aged to catch hold of 'an upturned boat. The conduct of everybody from the time the shin struck, ilntil she sank was a- magnificent display of heroism. Those on board the-two rafts —eleven on "one -and twelve on the other —had a trying time. One raft completely overturned on three occasions during the wild stormy night. The other was overturned also. Strange to relate, the. 23 passengers and members of the crew who left-on tlte rafts were saved.

ACCOUNT BY A SAILOR. IN A MOUNTAINOUS SEA

Charles Jackson, A.8., who was one of the saved, and whom the reporter found at Mr John McMenamin's house, Terawhiti Station, gave a graphic account of the wreck. When the vessel struck there was a sound like the rending of a gigantic piece of calico. "I knew at. once that -the steamer had struck, but we kept going for a while. It was'soon discovered that water was making very fast in the chain locker, and the forecabin. In a short space of time No. I and No. 2 lifeboats were ready for launching, with the women and children. The sea was running mountains high, and the task was a difficult one. Great 'wavej thundered against the sides of the ship and the boats. One boat after it was launched was smashed to pieces. No. 1 lifeboat, however, got clear of the ship, but owing to the 1 cruel buffeting it: was subjected to by the waves, it was found that it was leaking. At this time I -ifas with the second officer helping to launch another lifeboat. We had got the boat out of the davits when a tremendous sea struck her under the bottom and she capsized. ■ At this time the ill-fated Penguin was rapidly settling down.

FORTUNATE ESCAPE

All the female passengers had left by this time. There was no panic, everybody strictly obeying the orders given by the captain. The men h.uddl n rt about on deck, and the captain still occupied his place on the bridge. We had a full "complement on board, and were just drifting away from the ship when the boiler burst with a tremendous explosion, and the ship slipped out of sight. Fortunately we were a sufficient distance from the vessel to prevent us being sucked under, J. he other raft had also managed to get clear. By a stroke of luck we managed to secure two oars. With these we guided the direction of our frail craft during the. long hours of the night. We drifted for three hours, and anout d o clock on • Saturday morning saw Jand looming up through the haze and' mist. I shall never forget that night as long as I live. We overturned on three occasions. Once I got away from the raft about twenty yards, and again my ability as a swimmer was responsible for saving my life. It was really pitiable when the; raft overturned to see the men struggling in the water. It was magnificent to' see them piping_eacli other to a place of safety. About; 3 o'clock we drifted and worked our way pretty close to land. The raft crashed; into the rooks, and :we all found ourselves making, for the shore. . While we were drifting >we liad occasional glimpses of Captain .Naylor, who was clinging to a damaged boat. 1 He was accompanied by . a passenger—a man between 25- and 30 years of age.- By some means which'l am not aware of, tins poor fellow had one of his hands torn from his arm. I myself saw the captain taking his handkerchief and binding it about the poor fellow's wrist." The captain managed to reach shore alive; his companion did not; his dead body is now lying on the beach. If anybody acted heroically it was Mrs Hannan, the sole female survivor out of tlie passenger list and crew numbering 10P. When the damaged lifeboat came ashore the men on the beach turned it over, and under the boat they found Mrs Hannan'and a youth named Ellis Matthews (previously referred to). Mrs Hannah, whose father is a resident of Nelson, was accompanied bv her husband and ■ four, children. All were drowned. The most pathetic incident of all was tho death of her young baby,,lvhom she stranoed ; to the lifeboat before it sheered off from th° Penguin. When Mrs Hannan was discovered under the lioiifc. and realised that she had managed to reach land, • she at once enquired for ber baby. The men on the beach know that the child was dead, and were untym" the knot which held it to the boat at the moment the mother made enquiry. 'Oh, let me untie it myself,' the poor woman said, believing itlie child was alive. 'I. know how 1. fixed it. i ,v >.' TTnfortu- . nately, however, the little one was dead. M's now lie® -in Mr John McMen , vnn v ' t i-boric at Terawhiti, in a state of collanse." THE PURSER'S NARRATIVE. Mr A. R-. Thompson, purser of the • Penguin, who has been twice wrecked in the last eighteen months, said he was in the ill-fated Kawatiri, lost- lase year on the Tasmanian coast, when six persons were drowned. Be says—' " There were 60 passengers and 40 of a crew on the Penguin 'when she left Picton on Friday evening. It seems to me that only 27 have got ashore alive, leaving 73 as the number who have gone. I' .was only partly dressed when the ship struck. Seas were washing on board forward as the Penguin began to go down by tho head, and all the passengers were sent aft. The sailors and male passengers assisted in getting out the boats. As we got these out and let the rafts adrift the ship went down. ' It's all up now, swim for it,' called the chief officer, and it was like diving into space—such a terrible drop we had. Eleven'Of us "got oil a raft, arid we had a terrible time.* Our legs were paralysed with cold, and it was blowing hard and raining. Three times the raft turned turtle, but each time we all got back again. At last we got into the breakers and jumped for it, and all got safely ashore. Three times I had undergone the sensation of drowning. The last. I saw of "the poor chief engineer was when he was untying a gangway — 'lt might come in useful for someone to cling to,' he said. Even wlien ashore the survivors had an awful time, finding it almost impossible in their exhausted state to climb the almost perpendicular cliffs. Finally the men reached Mr McMenamin's station, and were treated most hospitably." SURVIVOR'S' STORIES. Stories told by survivors indicate that one of the lifeboats was stove in immediately ■ after launching, and that the . other overturned. One of the rafts overturned three times, and another four times, but those on tliem managed to back again each time. There was no panic, and the captain s orders were promptly obeyed. All displayed heroism throughout the terrible experience. The beacli in tlic^ vicinity presents a sad appearance with the • masses of broken wreckage, and corpses coming ashore. The purser, Mr Thompson, who was among those saved, states that the ship's papers have been lost. He estimates that not more than half an hour elapsed between the time the vessel struck, and the moment she sank. ABOUT THE VICTIMS. Mrs Brittain was' tlie wife of Mr H. F. Brittain, Stock Inspector of Nelson, formerly of. Auckland. Her husband was visiting Wellington attending the veterinary classes and being somewhat unwell, Mrs Brittain was coming to "Wellington to look after him. She leaves a family. . The third engineer of the Penguin was Mir Stanley Rintoul, unmarried, a native of Nelson, where his parents reside. His age was about 25 years. He had been in various steamers of the Union Company, but only joined the Penguin six weeks ago. He formerly served as second engineer on tho Richmond. The Hannan family came, from ladmoi;. Troadec. was a Stoke Orphanage boy. on his way to a farm at Wellington. Miss Hunt's parents reside at Motueka.

The four Maguires had been inmates of St. Andrew's Orphanage and were returning to their father.

One of the most fortunate escapes from a passage on the Penguin was that of Miss Elberia O'Sullivan, the daughter of a. deceased Havelock settler. She had taken a position as teacher in the Sacred Heart College, "Wellington, and was to Ivavc commenced' her cfuties on Monday. She was to have made the trip with her mother, but their farewells at Blenheim occupied so much time that tlicy missed the only train which could connect with the Penguin, an incident which Miss O'Sullivan regarded as extremely unfortunate until the dreadful news of the wreck was telegraphed the follow ing morning. A BODY IDENTIFIED. CHRISTCHTJRCH, Feb. 14. It was ascertained that Mr and Mrs William Higgins Henry were passengers by the Penguin. Mr Henry was employed at the Economic, Wellington, and a nephew of Mrs S. A. Staples of this citv. Mrs Henry was a daughter of the Rev. James Maxwell, Presbyterian minister of this city, and had been

on a visit to Bvightwater. To-day Mrs Staples received a telegram stating that her nephew's body had been identified. Among those supposed to have been on board the Penguin was Miss Livesey, well-known in hockey circles, ancl whose parents reside in GlOndovcy Road, Fendalton. AMONG THE LOST. GREYMOUTH, Feb. 13. Great anxiety is felt for the safety of Mr Edward .Coumbs, of Greymouth, who was a passenger on the Penguin. He had attended the Foresters' Conference at Nelson and was going to Wellington for a holiday. He is a young married man, and his mother and brothers reside in this district. ONE OF THE MISSING. Kelson, Feb. 14. - It is understood■ tti'dt' Mr Keith' Cape Williamson who. resided at Carlton Mill Road yesterday telegraphed his intention of returning by the Penguin. Mr Williamson's nKliie does not appear in the list 6f passengers saved and it is assumed.; that lie is . one of tlie victims in. the disaster,. He would be travelling with. a return ticket. Mr Williamson has a brother who is- the''stationmrister at Wakefield, Nelson. Hearing of; the disaster Mr Williariison'despatched an urgent telegram to his brother but received no reply. He sent three urgent -wires and has _ yet received no answer. This evidently confirms the suggestion that Mr Williamson; lias been lost in" the wreck. He. was an exceptionally promising young man, having lately distinguished. himself at ' Col- ■ lege. He was ' educated; at Christ's College, where lie obtained an' entrance scholarship in 1898, in addition to a Board of Education junior scholarshipi He remained at Christ's Collcec , ■ for three or four years, and fheii left to take up pupil teaching. He was at the Normal School for some time," and eventually gave up the position to entirely devote himself to his studies .'it Canterbury College; Here lie .furthjldistinguished himself, and passed; his B.A. degree and the first section ol : the LL.B. He was also recent'y awarded an exhibition in mental science. lie was'about 2t years of,age. BEING ENQUIRED FOR. NELSON, Feb.'l4. The. following ' passengers from Nelson by the Penguin proceeded no' t irther than Picton: —-Mr and Mrs Ruth.erford, Mr and Mrs Cunninghame, Mr Jennings, Mr and Mrs Jacka. Several others whose names do not appear oil tho passenger list arc reported to nave been on the steamer, and'enquiries nra being made in regards to these. • •' SCENE OF THE WRECK. WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. Though in point-of distance so near Wellington, the scene of the wreck is. very inaccessible, and pressmen, pot'eu ami others who went to the spot l/nl a fearful time. 'J'lie rain' fell incessantly, and made travel over the hill .tracks almost a matter of inipossibilr:.'. The Terawhiti went round to-day, -but could no.t get in touch with the shore. NOTES BY THE WAY. WELLINGTON, Feb. 13. The postmaster at Picton advises the Postal Department as follows Captain Carey, of the s.s. Blenheim, : informs me that both the Blenheim ,md tlie Opawa were, carried many northward last night by an extraoiu'iiary current. The Blenheim was "-.u - ec I in' here. This may throw some, liirlfj on tlie wreck of - the Penguin." NELSON, Feb. 13.-. Captaiii Stewart, of the Pateena, interviewed by a " Mail " .reporter this morning, said lie left Wellington at 6 o'clock last evening for Nelson direct. The weather was..-thick, with a moderate southerly gale, and the land at times was wholly obscured. Ho did not see tho Penguin. Captain Stewart had oxpeeted a moderate ebb tide, but had not experienced it. He was not disposed to be communicative about the tides, but enough was gathered to show that the conditions ,were very unusual. Captain Vickerhian, of the Anchor Company's s.s. Kennedy, which, left Wellington at 6.30 last night, said that when off Terawhiti at 9.30 he passed a. steamer five miles off shore, which ho supposed to be the Penguin. The steamer was going slow. The weather was very thick at the time. BLENHEIM, Feb. 14. Captain the river steamer Opawa, who has: traded bet\yeen Wellington and Blenheim' Tor many, years, and knows Coqlc Straits thoroughly, says that there certainly was a ... very strong current in the' Straits on 'Saturday when lie■ crossed with the Opawa, but it was not abnormal. It was natural-to such heavy southerly weather. His own passage from Wellington to Wairan bar occupied fifteen hours, or twice the ordinary time. He is of opinion that iii such thick and stormy weather* a - passenger vessel's best plan is to'refrain-from venturing out oil the course on which -Thomas Rock is such' a great danger. A lighthouse 011 Terawhitf would be absolutely useless in such thick weather.Guns could not be heard, as the wind was blowing in .the wrong direction. DUNEDIN, Feb. 13. <*Tlie Union Company are sending the To Anau to take up the Penguin's running. She leaves Port Chalmers at daylight to-morrow. ■ Tho Shipwreck Relief Society lias instructed the Union Company's manager at Wellington to provide necessary clothing to the Penguin's survivors. THE PREMIER'S CONDOLENCES. The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) sent the following to the manager of the Union Steam Ship Co. at Wellington, upon hearing the sad news: —"Deeply regret forbear -of disaster to Penguin, and the more so oil account of the sad loss of life that lias attended it." Later the Prime Minister wired from Rptorua:— "As intimated to you by Dr Findlay, if there is anything the Government can do to help in connection with tlie sad disaster, it will-.be most readily done." Mr W. A. Kennedy stated ill his reply to Sir Joseph Ward that the Postal Department was doing all in-its power. • He expressed his thanks for the Premier's generous offer. The Prime Minister who is at Rotorua has received the following message front Sir Jas. Mills: —"Am grateful to you for expression of sympathy and' offer of assistance. . Am deeply distressed at the sad loss of life."' MESSAGE OF SYMPATHY. Sir Ji Mills .cables-to .the Preys Association from Sydney:—"Am much distressed at the. .sad- loss of life on the Penguin. I desire to convey my deepest sympathy with all these concerned in the disaster, liml especially with those who have lost relations and friends."