THE FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT AT TIMARU.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 490, 23 December 1869, Page 2

THE FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT AT TIMARU.

(From the Titnaru Herald, Dec. The saddest aud most melancholy accident which has ever occurred at the poit of Timaru happened on Saturday afternoon last, whereby two persons were drowned under peculiarly distressing and unfortunate circumstances. On Saturday morning the steamer Maori arrived in the -roadstead from Lyttelton, but on account of a nasty easterly swell she was unable to land cargo, and waited uniil the afternoon in the hope that the sea would po down. About four o'clock, however, it was seen that the tea was still rising, and it was determined that the passengerg should be put off, and no attempt made to land cargo or ship wool, the steamer intending to proceed on to Dunedin. A surfboat was put in readiness at the Government landing shed, and the passengers em* barked. There were in the boat, at the time Bhe left the shore, the following persons, namely, Mr J. M. Balfour, Colonial Marine Engineer ; Mr A. B. Smallwood, teller of the Union Bank, Timaru ; Mr O. B. Parker, of the Waitangi ; Mr M. Joel, brewer, Duoedin; Mr Menzies, a traveller for Ross and Glendinning, of Dunedin ; H. Baker, lately of the landing service here, who was a passenger for Dunedin ; — Ferrier, a passenger from liyttelton ; and Captain Malcolm, of the Maori, besides two or three men in charge of the boat. The boat left the ways all right, bat on going through the surf a sea broke on board, wetting many of the passengers. The boat after this proceeded safely to the buoy, where she stopped and could go no further, as the line leading to the steamer had in some manner fouled. The passengers were seen from the shore riding at the buoy engaged in bailing out the water which had got into the boat through the sea breaking on board when in the eurf. It was seen by Messrs Crawford and Green, who are lessees of the landing service that the sea was rising rapidly, and as the line had fouled, a •• recall " flag was hoisted on shore, and other signals were made for the ooat to return, but no notice was taken of these signals by those in the boat. After riding at the buoy for nearly an hour, the ship's life-boat was lowered from the seaward side (or, as we should call it, the windward aide) of the vessel and proceeding to the surf-boat, transhipped all the passengers safely. This boat was manned by the second mate and four seamen, so that altogether there were thirteen souls in the boat. The boat then proceeded to the steamer, going on the starboard side. When just alongside a heavy roller upset the boat, throwing all those ob board into the sea. From the shore it could be seen that lines and buoys were immediately thrown from the steamer and caught by those struggling in the water, many of whom were immediately pulled on board. Most of the passengers at first caught hold of the boat, but all left her except Ferrier for the lines which were thrown them. Unfortunately, some of the«e lines were not bowlines, and the utmost difficulty was experienced in dragging the struggling men on board, as the ropes slipped through their hands. Ferrier remained on the keel of the boat, which soon floated away from the steamer, and was making for the shore when the Timaru lifeboat, in charge of Captain Mills, the Harbour Master, and a volunteer crew, put off to his rescue, and took him on board the Maori. From the shore the exciting scene of men struggling in the water for their lives was witnessed by scores of people, who were agitated beyond description, and the most painful anxiety was experienced to hear the sad intelligence of how many were missing, and who the missing ones were. When the lifeboat was returning to the shore she made for the new landing place, and crowds of people at once collected there to rather the first intelligence of the sad catastrophe. When it was learned that Mr Bal-

four aud Mr Smallwood had not the strength left to hold on to the ropes thrown for their rescue, and had sunk to rise no more, profound sorrow was felt for their untimely end, and quite a gloom spread over the town, for they had only a short time previously been in their society. Mr Balfour was on a kindly mission to Dunedin to attend the funeral of his friend, Mr Paterson, who was drowned in the Kakanui, and Mr Smallwood was on his way to spend Christmas in Otago with his friends there. The only luggage in the boat when she upset' was a box, and a few small articles besides the mail, all of which, with the exception of the box, were lost. The box was jammed under the stern seat of tbe boat, and was found in that position when it washed ashore some hours afterwards. About seven o'clock in the evening the Maori proceeded on to Dunedin. We are indebted for the following account •of the accident to Mr G. B. Parker, a passenger in the boat at the time : — It will no doubt be interesting to the public to hear, from one who was in the boat on Saturday, an account of what really occurred ; possibly, too, full particulars may silence the blame which we are a'l, on an occurrence of this sort, too ready to lay to the door of some person or another. In ihe first place lam sure that had it not been for untoward circumstances that the ship would have been reached in safety. lam also sure that not a soul was in the boat but what would have beea dissatisfied if the autf-boat had not been launched to convey us to the ship. With tbe exception of shipping one sea on starting, which wetted us thoroughly, all went well until we had taken up the line on which we were to haul out to the steamer. This wa9 found to be foul of either the rocks or the moorings, and our further progress was stopped. We noticed a signal there from the shore, which the boatmen said was an order to return, and which they were anxious to obey. On a suggestion of, I think, Mr Balfour, Captain Malcolm made a sign to the steamer to send a boat, and the boatmen were induced to await her arrival where we were. The ship's life-boat then came for us— a boat suitable, I should say, to live well in the then state of tbe sea with the fatal exception of her steering apparatus being a rudder instead of an oar. This was, I believe, the primary cause of the capsize. The following persons transhipped from the surf-boat into the life-boat : — Mr Balfour, Mr Smallwood, Captain Malcolm, Mr Menzies (a commercial traveller), Mr Joel (brewer of Dunedin), Mr Ferrier (librarian of the Athenaeum in Dnnedin), a sailor I believe of the name of Baker, and myself. Theße, with the second mate, who was steering tbe boat (a man, I believe, of considerable boat experience on the West Coast), and four sailors, made up our number to thirteen. As we approached the steamer Captain Malcolm told the mate to take us to the portside, and on the repetition of his order the mate replied that the rudder was hard over, and that the boat would not answer to it, and we were thus compelled to come up on the southerly Bide of the steamer — the side most exposed to the force of the sea. The bow oar was ordered in, and tbe last thing I remembered seeing was the sailor in the act of throwing the rope to secure us to the steamer. A heavy wave then caught us on its curl, and tbe boat, being partly broadside on to it, was capsized in a moment with great violence, without, however, striking the side of the steamer. We were (most of us, I believe) under the boat bottom upwards, and so it was some time before we came to the surface. We all managed to get hold of the boat and to mount astride on her keel. Had we remained there, all would probably have been saved. The ship was, however, close by, and ropes were being thrown from her to us. We accordingly Abandoned the boat, with the exception of Ferrier, who stuck to her until relieved by the Timaru life-boat. I believe tbe boat's painter, towing in the water, kept her end on to the sea. Had she been broadside on he would have been swept off. We were then twelve persons struggling for ropes thrown from the steamer's deck. I was there in the position ota looker-on, as there were not ropes for all ofus, and purely selfish reasons induced me to hold off until I could get a rope to myself. The boat's crew, partly from their professional Activity, and partly from the fact of their being unencumbered with coats, were the first on deck, and the others of us bad then a rope apiece. The position was a most fatiguing one ; the steamer was rolling heavily, and at the end of an unknotted rope one was first hauled one's whole weight out of the water (when the weight of clothes was most embarrassing) and then again entirely submerged. The number of persons on deck was not sufficient to haul us on board ; and Although they worked with the greatest I -spirit, tbe facts of tbe captain and one k officer being in the water, and the other officer being engaged in lowering a boat, deprived their labours of the concentration that . discipline would have given them. If a few bailors had been on deck, all would, no doubt, have bad bowlines thrown to them before they were too weak to make use of them. I had a bowline under my arms in a very short time, and was hauled on deck before any other passenger. I was then able to assist in saving tbe others. Our strength at theropes was not sufficient to draw up more than one at a time. - First Mr Menzies was drawn up with the life buoy (of which there were two on K board, the other floated away unused by any > one), and then Mr Joel with a rope. Captain Malcolm, who was very nearly gone, having y been struck against the blade of tbe screw, then got the buoy that had served Mr Menzies. When he was half drawn up, the buoy (cased evidently with improper material) broke, and let him into the sea again. A bowline was got over him with some difficulty and he was hauled on board, hurt, and incapable of any exertion. At this time Smallwood and Balfour were still holding on to ropes alongside. A ladder was lowered, but j with too short a rope to do more than just

reach the water. Small wood got hold of this, and put his arm through it, but he was too much exhausted to hold on until be could be assisted up. A bowline was thrown to him then, and had he had the slightest strength left he might have drawn himself up with it, and have been saved. Mr Balfour was further astern, and more out of the way of assistance than any one. A bowline was also thrown to him, and he managed to get his neck partially into it, but no more ; tiis strength failed, and he drifted away from the ship. Mr Smailwood disappeared for the last time very shortly after Mr Balfour. I ascribe their loss partly to the absence of skilled assistance, passengers and the non-sailor element of the ship's company being the only available force for the rescue, and partly to the fact of their being the only ones amongst us who had on great-coats, which terribly hampered their movements. The time of the upset is indicated by the stopping of the watches of those saved at 5.25. How long we were in the water it is hard to form an opinion, but it seemed to me about ten minutes before I vas on deck, and perhaps eight minutes more before we saw the last of our unfortunate companions. I must repeat that circumstances, not persons, in my opinion, are to blame for this tragical accident, and that great praise is due to the passengers, cabin servants, &c, who did their best to save life. If's are useless, but if the line the surf boat was on had not been foul, if the life-boat had been steered with an oar instead of a tiller, if the steamer could have been approached from the port side, if the sea bad struck a second later when our position would have been secured, if an officer and a moderate number of seamen had been available for saving life, all would have been well. I cannot conclude without expressing my admiration at the smartness with which the Timaru life-boat was handled, nor, in the name of tho se saved, thanking Captain Malcolm and all on board — passengers and cabin servants — for their kindness after the accident. One who was on board the steamer at the time of the upsetting of the boat, supplies the following particulars as witnessed from the deck : — On the accident taking place, those on board the Maori, including the chief officer, engineers, firemen, stewards, and stewardess, did all in their power to save the drowning men by heaving linea to them. By this means all were got on board except Messrs Balfour, Smallwood, and Ferrier. The last named managed to get on to the bottom of the boat, and was taken off by the Government life-boat, which put off from shore. Lines were heaved to Mr Balfour and Mr Smallwood, and were grasped by them. In Mr Balfour's case, the line, after he rose to the surface the first time, was actually thrown into his arms, but he was so exhausted that he was unable to seize it, and sank again, He then came up under the quarter, and Mr Campbell the chief engineer, hove over him a running line, which rested on his shoulders. At this time he was seen to make a faint effort to grasp the rope. His strength, however, failed him, and in this position, with the rope still resting on him, he sank for the last time. Mr Graham, the second officer, must have been insensible when he was rescued, as he has no recollection of being taken on board. Those who were saved were at once treated by those on board in a manner suitable to the occasion— all vicing in their efforts in their behalf. Mies Sullivan, the stewardess, who bad acted like a heroine throughout the trying scene, heaving ropes and helping to haul the saved on board, was particularly active in ministering to their comfort when they had been rescued from the water.