WRECK OF THE PENGUIN

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13830, 16 February 1909, Page 5

WRECK OF THE PENGUIN

FATE OF THE LIFEBOATS. HOPELESS FIGHT FOR LIFE, i'er i'ress Association. WELLINGTON, Feb. 15. V It is believed from their position tliat fclic three boats were intact until they got into the. sui'f and capsized not far from the shore. This is further borne out by the appearance of the bodies. Dead bodies do not bruise, but nearly all the corpses are much injured about the head and face, and in some cases they are covered with blood, showing what a stern fight for life must have taken place in the dark hours of that \yild night among the bristling rocks that stand up like needles along the shore. Although yesterday was wild and stormy, numbers of people trudged out over the rough country, either searching for friends or tt> lend a hand. Specially mentioned among the workers are Troopers Sims ; and Gardiner, who toiled all day Saturday pulling bodies out of the surf. THE WORK OF RESCUE. TRAGIC INCIDENTS. ■ The first batch to reach the scene were. the station : hands from Mr McMenamm's. So thick was the weather that they could see no distance, and had to . keep whistling to remain in touch. They found Mir Luke clinging to a bush halfway up the cliff, and carried him down. They next came across a young man who told them.. a woman and boy were imprisoned under a; boat. 'They found it upturned in the surf, and the men are of opinion that they only arrived just in time, or Mrs Hannan and . Matthews would have been drowned. ; These men started pulling out the bodies at once, and secured thirteen, but were up to their waists in water, and could not have persevered, but that they found some bottles of brandy on the beach which kept off the , cold and cramp. One pathetic incident happened on the beach. A searcher lifted a blanket from the face of a dead woman. It was not the one lie wanted, but a man standing by exclaimed, "That's my wife." j THE BRAVE STEWARDESSES. Both stewardesses, Mrs Jacob and Mrs Hope, are spoken of in the highest terms by the survivors. Mrs Hannan says that the former looked after everyone, got blankets and wrapped them up, and was calm and collected all through. Pierre, the only fireman saved, speaks in similar -terms of Mrs Hope, who was distributing lifebelts until the last boat left. • He gives a different version from Mrs Hannan of what happened to the first boat. He ssj.ys that.there were, roughly speaking, a,bout thirty women and eight children oh the boat, which crashed into the Penguin's'side and'sank. "There was," he adds, " One lady hanging to a davit. We. threw her a lifebelt, and after aibout twenty minutes trying, pulled her, on board. That was Mrs Hannan, who then accompanied the party in the. second boat." He also says that a young married couple, Mr and Mrs Hale, were clinging to the engineroom skylight. Mrs Hale wpuld, not go in the boat, but preferred to remain with her husband. Pierre supposed that they must have gone under when the boilers burst and tore the vessel .in halves.

!■■■ BRINGING IN THE DEAD. The Terawhiti went out this morning to take the bodies off in surf boats. At 10.30 a.m. a message was received from O'terangi bay cable station stating that 44' bodies had been placed on board up tcj that time. The , bodies brought by theTerawhiti to the city have been placed'in Buckle street drill-shed. The boat is moored to the Miramar. wharf sd as to avoid a crowd collecting. The ! relatives can have the bodies if they so desire to bury in their own ■ cemetery nliots. The remaining bodies will be bijried in the public, Protestant and Rbman Catholic parts of-the cemetery according to the faith of the deceased. Each body will have a separate grave arid will be numbered, so that removal oato be effected subsequently if the reIntives wish. The funeral will start for Karori cemetery at 10 a.m. to-morrow. Business will bo suspended in tlio city in; the forenoon. An awestricken crowd of people gathered at the Garrison Hall in Buckle : street to witness the infinitely pathetic '• spectacle of loads of bodies being ; brought in rroni Miramar in vehicles. The faces of the drivers of the vehicles spoke of tlie seriousness of their mission and as the. crowd parted to allow the vehicles to pass in to the shed through the folding doors mere curiosity gave place to reverence and hats were doffed and women paled arid stood appalled. Tire police kept the door sternly and no one who was not a relative or friend of any of the dead was allowed to enter' so that those of morbid tendency and others desiririg the iriere experience of witnessing.' an unprecedented sight were debarred. Inside there were improvised .tables runriirig tlie length of each 1 side of the hall. All the corpses had been carefully sewn in blankets, sails, pieces of canvas, and other coverings that were and" so happily it was impossible to sec the poor faces that were bruised and discoloured by the terrible buffeting the victims had Undergone previous to death. Dr. Frengley ..and a staff of' helpers, attired in white overalls, were busy .spraying the corpses with a strong solution of formalin, and the fact that it was absolutely necessary to treat the occasion as one for businesslike proriiptitude arid quiet effort had a calming influence on those unhappy people who were permitted to enter in order to see if. among the .many unidentified bodies there were any of their loved ones. All the aftprnopn there were conveyances coming arid goihg through the folding doors, and each one bore ■ a burden oi heartrending interest- -sometimes an express came in with a load of coflins, then there was one containing the bodies; ot" four little children. T ie corpses were being loaded from the tables to the carts as the undertakers arrived to take charge of bodies for friends or relatives of the deceased. It:is remarkable that among many women Avho. visited the sad temporary morgue, none showed any weakness in the actual chamber, but many having once got outside utterly broke down arid sobbed convulsively. Strong men, top, were prostrated, and soine were leaning up against the icnees ill Buckle j strbet trying with indifferent esucccss to appear unconcerned. In sonic cases | both men and women were led away by friends, whose physical support was necessary. There were tense moments when some of the numerous under- | takers Undid the sewing ot a cover, m order that; ail enquirer might see the features benqath, and decide, jl ]-ossible, whether they were those ol the dead friend they sought. complaints at delay. Complaints are appearing in the press both signed arid anonymous of delay in dealing, with the bodies .washed up on the beach. - Those who werit out to look for friends contend that the corpses should, not have been; left: for two days exposed to weather and insects,

and that there was ample time to brill; them in .yesterday. The Union Com pany and the police, both of whom havi been attacked, point out that the ob vions course was to bring them bi water, seeing that the bodies were scat tered over miles of coast and the diffi culties of transport very great owing tc the rugged and mountainous country The weather, however, was too rougl ; up to last night to permit of this. A : large number, of police went out as • soon as it became definitely known thai , there was likely to be considerable lost of life. j MR SHAW'S NARRATIVE. ! HORRORS OF RAFTING. | WELLINGTON, Feb. 15. ' One of the best accounts by tilt | survivors of what happened to the boats is that given by Mr F. Shaw, manager of the Marlborough '' Her- ; aid." When the vessel struck lie rushed on deck, and heard the captain shouting an order to distribute the lifebelts and get out the boats. It was raining at the time, and a bijj southerly sea was running. It was not pitch dark, for a moon hidden behind'; thick clouds in the immediate vicinity was mistily visible. Everyone was ordered on deck. . Mr Shaw went below to get Noel White, the 16-year- , old son 'of a. Blenheim business man oi whose presence' on board lie knew. When he got on deck he saw the first boat lowered. It was filled with women and children, and there were nine men in it to do the rowing. Either the first or second officer was in charge, with instructions to keep out to sea. Splendid . order prevailed on boarcl; there was no excitement, and all did as they were bidden. Ho felt proud of his race when lie saw the manner in which everyone was behaving. The women behaved well, and the stewardess —"God rest lier soul " bore herself like a heroine, fastening on lifebelts and speaking words of .cheer to the poor women and children, so pathetically helpless in the face of calamity. Without loss of time the crew put the rest of the women and children and some men in the second lifeboat while it was on the davits, but hardly had they lowered it down a little when one of the ropes ran, lowering the boat at one end to such an angle that all were precipitated into the sea, and half of them (about 15 or 16)' were drowned 'before the onlookers' eyes. It was ail awful sight. 1 While boat-loading had been going on about eight or nine detonators had been fired, and red and blue lights were burned as signals of distress. They might as well iiave firoil fifty big guns for all the good it was, for the wind was howling so high anel the sea was clamouring so loudly that they could hardly hear each other speak, -and the guns wort Id not be heard fifty yards to windward. Mr Shaw witii _ others assisted to unlash and launch the . first raft, while others were working at the windward boats. They got , one raft afloat anel were seeing to the 'other when the vessel gave a jerk and plunged lier bow into the sea. He thought it time to jump. He saw Mr (J. Bird (traveller for T. and W. Young, of Wellington) just then, and called to him to jump, but he only shook his head. Mr Shaw liael no thought of drowning, lie puts it that "he felt his time had not come yet." He was a fairly good swimmer. When he sprang in he struck out strongly to get clear of the steamer's whirlpool. He had been swimming for some time when he caught sight of a raft and he was assisted on to it by the steward. There were twelve on it altogether, but after it was overturned one poor fellow Who could not swim failed to get back. Twice they saw the. captain on his overturned boat holding the steward who had damaged his hand. Rain was descending in sheets anel the waves were twisting the raft about as if it were a feather. They drifteel on before tile gale and were near a white boat (the first boat lowered and full of.women and children) when big waves swamped it and all on board of.it were drowned. The raft was upset also, but the eleven occupants all struggled back. They ! saw the captain once more; he was still helping the injured steward. They i could hear the howling of the winel and i roar of the surf around them. All kinds of wreckage was floating. At one time the raft got so close to the captain's boat that it was decided to try to transfer the steward to the raft, but the raft overturned at this stage again and all managed to struggle back. They were fortunate in dodging the outlying rocks as they surgeel in shore anel a big roller finally landed the raft liigli up on the beach. Behind them came the captain and the first thing he-said sadly as he joined them was "I've lost my man." He had been washed away from the captain's grasp when only fifty yards from the shore. It was 2 a.m. when they laneled on the strip of beach some sixteen feet wide? between the water and the base of a steep cliff. SISTER IN DOUBT. AUCKLAND, Feb. 15. Mrs Derliam, an Auckland resident, lias received a telegram stating that her brother, Mr James Collins, was a passenger from West-port ■ arid was on the Penguin. He intended to visit Auckland but his. name does not appear in'the lists published. FORTUNATE ESCAPES. BLENHEIM, Feb. 15. The following passengers whose names appear in the list of the missing did not- proceed to Wellington by the Penguin, but broke the journey at Picton. and came up to Blenheim: —Rev. A. B. Chapell, Miss Jennings, and Mr and Mrs Cunningliame (Tailiape). AMONG THE MISSING. WEST PORT, Feb. 15. A private wire has been received that Mr Jas. Collins, Charleston, was on board the -Penguin at the time she struck anel is among the missing. He is the only son of Mr and Mrs Collins, both of whom within- the past two years have suffered the'affliction of becoming totally blind. Deceased had three sisters. two married anel one at Auckland. OBITUARY NOTICES. CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 15. The Mayor has sent a telegram to the Premier on bell a If e>f the citizens of Cliristcliurcli, expressing heartfelt sympathy with the sufferers by the wreck of the Penguin, and with the relatives and friends of those who lost their lives. JFIe asks —Is it. rcquirou to raise funds for relief of the sufferers ? The frienels of. Mr John Seeel, tlaxdresser of Sonthbrook, received intimation by telegram that his body had been identified by a young man named G. Campbell, who knew him well. Mr Seeel, in aeldition to the flax works at Sonthbrook, i hael a mill in the Nelson district, and this lie. had been visiting, antl was returning.by the Penguin. He was a son of Mr James Seed, who established the flax and twine works at Soutbrook, -and was well known and highly: respected. His widow is a daughter of Mr Martin, of Soutlibrook, and lias seven children. Mr. Charles Bird, who was amongst those lost, was the son of the late Mr

; j Geo. Bird, for many years on the - | literary staff of "The Press." He was > educated at the " West Christchureh . school, and was for some time a T teacher at the Sydenham school. Ul- . innately lie became a commercial - traveller, and went 1 to Wellington, , where he was connected witii the businoss ot the late Mr /John MaeGinnitv, , tvine and spirit merchant. After this he joined Messrs T. arid W. Young, wine and spirit merchants, anel travelled for them on the West Coast. He was well known in" football circles, and played as a junior in the Southern Club, and later in the Merivalq Club. For his weight (9st 71b), Bird was one of the cleverest five-eighths ever seen here. In Wellington lie a.member of the Wellington Football Club, anel also played for the province in representative matches. There have been many enquiries by people who. fear that friends were on] the ill-fated steamer, "but who have found it impossible to get definite information. Mr Bernard Caliill, of Riccarton, who, it was supposed had been on board the Penguin, telegraphed to Cljristchurcli to-elay, saying .that lie had not left, and was coming overland to Christchureh, The relatives of. Mr William Brittin, of Christchureh,' a "omuierciaJ traveller- in the employ of Messrs Tyree and Co., boot manufacturers, Lichfield, street, fear'that: he was one of the jiassongers by tlie Penguin. He is supposed to have joined the vessel at Nelson without booking a berth. Enquiries were- made on Saturelay regarding his' whereabouts, but no reply was received. SAFE ON LAND. DUNEDIN, Feb. 15. Miss Livesey, irientioned, in the Christchureh wire as missing, is at Motueka. She did- not go on by the Penguin. . There is a doubt whether Come, a. trimmer, was lost. It is thought at the head office that lie was replaced by Henry Leggy. It wds also telegraphed here on Saturday that Lynn, the chief cook, was amongst those saved. HELPING THE AFFLICTED. DUNEDIN, Feb. 15. A special meeting; of , the Shipwreck Relief Society was held to-day to consider what steps should be taken to render assistance to those who suffereel as a result of the wreck of the nguin. It was decided' te> telegraph to the Mayor of Wellington asking hiir. to draw on the society it necessary i»ip to £IOO or more for .the purpose %-.t giving assistance to the suryivors.. It vas also decided to ask Messrs Kennedy -rd Me:ore (Seamen's to associate themselves with the Mayor in affording relief, ''he Mow invalids to call a imblic meeti-ig rvitli a •'isip-- c.f raising subscriptions "or the widows ?mi orphans of those lost in the A LIGHTHOUSE REQUIRED. AUSTRALIAN SYMPATHY. Press Association-By Telegraph-Copyright SYDNEY, Feb. ,15. -. The "Daily Telegraph"- declares that the Penguin would not have been lost if there hael been, a lighthouse at Cape Tcrawhiti. Aelequate lighting .on suOh a elangerous coast should be the prime consideration with the Government. The public mind is touched with sincore sorrow at the heavy loss'of life, anel with admiration at the fortitude displayed by all, especially by the two stewardesses who perished, and by the women passengers. Mr Mclntyre, the chief officer of the ship, was the son of Mr Justice Melntyre, of Hobarb, who, with his family is at present travelling in the East.