THE INQUEST OPENED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12748, 18 September 1919, Page 7

THE INQUEST OPENED.

SOLE SURVIVOR’S STORY. DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE. The Coroner (Mr S. E. M’Carthy) opened an inquest at Cheviot on the bodies of the victims of the Sergeant H. Scott appeared for the police, Mr G. H. Buchanan for the owners of the vessel (the New Zealand Refrigerating Company). "William H. Farrant said that he was cook on the Tainui. The steamer lett. Lyttelton at 6.30 p.m. on u/viA day Wlti !. a car S° ci : about -000 cases of benzine, loaded fora and aft with a. few agricultural implements stowed among tho benzine. The mate was on watch and a man was at the wheel. From 12 to 4 a.m. W Jownsend, fireman, was on duty. Witness was wakened about 2.30 a.m. by an explosion. He went on deck. He siw fire coming from tho forward hatch. He went aft and wakened tho unto u lhe man , remained at the wheel a3 A°, ld t ,° leavo by the capUm. then all hands went to the boat. There was a little bit of a swell on. tne captain gave orders, to stop the ezines and the captain and three otliers got into the boat, which had swamped when launched, and tried to hale it out, but the boat overturned throwing the occupants into the s<m Those on boam went down the ropes and. righted the boat. The captMn again tried to hale it out, but the boat again overturned and broke away I 1 en m cn clinging to it, the mate and witness being on board. Williams called out to follow him, and Williams, the captain and Fuller (a fireman) all left the boat and tried to swim ashore. ” ’t? 658 and the mate dived and swam to the overturned boat. On the boat, S 6 M'T eemVOO a ; i Howard and M Lean. Hie boat drifted towards the shore and the six were ail on it for about two hours, the captain and two being about fifty yards away. Ihe captain called for witness to help him, but witness replied that they were stuck themselves. He did not hear from the captain again. The engineer at this stage was getting exhausted and slipped off the boat and floated with them for some time. Jack Howard was the next to go. They then got into breaking rollers. A big tea sent MJLeqn and Townsend awash’ and they disappeared. They got into rougher water and-the boat was driven down and when it came to the surface again the mate was gone. About one hundred, yards from the shore witness abandoned the boat and swam, getting ashore exhausted. After some time ho tried to walk to the burning ship to

warm, and about 8.30 was found TO. Messrs Bryden, Twecdie and A. mlkinson, and later Messrs Eric and U. Winskill, who bad him taken to their residence. To Sergeant Scott: He heard three explosions following quickly one after the other. It would be about fifteen, minutes from the time of the explosion till the Tainui was finally abandoned. As far as he was aware none of the crew had been injured in tho explosion. Mr Buchanan; When he first saw the fire it was issuing from the fore hutch, and when they left the flames were confined to the fore part of the ship. The explosion had thrown off tho foremost hatch cover, which was the only one blown off. REPORT LIKE A CANNON. Mrs Louisa. Hughes, postmistress at fmrt,-“Ohmson, whose house is situated on the headland overlooking the coast, a good distance above the level of tho sea, said that during tho night she was awakened hy a loud report like a cannon. On going outside she saw a fire a little distance out to sea. Shortly sifter, when she looked again, the fire looked closer to the shore. In two or three different places she saw something that looked like flames shooting out of the water. She consulted others in the house, who did not think it was a matter of much importance, so she went back to bed. About 6.30 her son sent a message by a little boy for witness to ring up Cheviot that there was a slup on fire. She could not get tho postmaster at Cheviot to answer till about twenty minutes to eight. 'Witness thought tho explosion took place about three o’clock on Tkiesday morning. After the explosion she distinctly heard a sound coming from the direction of the flames. It sounded like a log horn. Henry Scott, sergeant of police at Olieviot, gave evidence that in response to a message received at 7.48 ami. on lueaday he left for Shag Hock, and on the way was joined by several rest dents. On arriving at the coast ho saw the survivor, Farrant, in company with two youths named Winskfll. Civilians had found the bodies of Williams, lownsend and Fullen, and about an hour lateh two more bodies (those of Grenwood and M’Lean) came ashore at Core Bay, about three miles south of where the body of Williams had landed near Shag Rock. The Tainui was lvitu>‘ ■on the shore near Shag Rock, and when witness saw the vessel first she was burning fiercely fore and aft, but not amidships. Four ship’s lifebuoys were found lying on the beach. Foul- of tho bodies were conveyed into Cheviot on iuesday, and the body of Williams, which came ashore at Rocky Point, was brought over by pack horse across the hills that (Wednesday) morning. All of the bodies were bruised. The three other bodies had not yet been recoverecL The inquest was adjourned to Lvttelton sine die.