ON THE HIGH SEAS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13941, 29 June 1909, Page 5

ON THE HIGH SEAS.

FEARFUL CALAMITY,

FIVE MEN SUFFOCATED

A HEROIC FILIPINO

Press Assoeiation-By Telegraph-Copyright

.Received 11 'p.ni., June 28th. PORT DARWIN, June 28. Eastern riles contain, details of n calamity on board-the American naval collier Nausbah, jjylijch arrived. at Hong Kong on June sth from Cavite in the Phillmiiios. En route the collier met a typhoon and shipped-several huge seas, which stove in- the forward bulkhead. The water penetrated' to the paint room, where the stores got adrift. Escaping- naphtha caused foul gases to-.generate, and after the gale the chief officer (Mr. Larkin) and another officer (Mr Rapp), with some.-members of the Filipino crew, went below. to put things right, : Subsequently.. Captain Carver, missing the officers, went in search. Then a couple, of hours later the .'bosun came up covered with a sticky mixture and almost suffocated. . When the man recovered he " reported that the captain and the two officers, and several of the crew who had gone into the paint locker had been suffo-. cated. Mr Saunderson, the only officer left, headed a rescue party. He could see the bodies awash, black,from a. mixture of tar and water. When the foul gases had been somewhat, cleared by means of a wind sheet, a Filipino quartermaster (Mr De la Cruz) volunteered to go down. He was lowered, and secured one body. Although,'suffering soveraly at each attempt, .and being almost overcome. by the fumes arising from the mixture of naptha and water, Mr Do la Cruz persisted in his heroic efforts, bringing up the seven bodies one by one. Efforts .at resuscitation were tvccoß*lul' in the, cases of Captain Carver and one of the Filipinos, but Mr Larkin and Mr Rapp and three other Filipinos were dead. Captain Carver was badly injured. Mr Saunderson brought the collier to ITong Kong.