The Dominion. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1909. THE WRECK OF THE PENGUIN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 432, 15 February 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1909. THE WRECK OF THE PENGUIN.

.::' The / distressing 105.3 of /life'. associated ; with -the. wreck/of,the steamer. Penguin, 'bn -^Friday " la's't, marks the.cal amity- as;the worst'of-its 1 kind on this'part.ofthe. New Zealand ■coast.:' That, tho women' and;chil : , dispro-portion-to ..the men'adds poignancy to :th'e; widespread grief- ■.■which'.'-must /always ;bo ';Thp''-'wreck' 'of ■■.■.a-.well-equipped; steamer, trading over, a.routb.so-familiar'and'with only'a'.-few;hours'/steaming from'port to : port'is'yet- in the : tragedy; which 'will ;appeal:tp the public imagina-' tioh and deepen the /distress felt. /How; .the steamer:'c4me:to b'e-/pufc' of atscourse at: ; the' poiiit where;; iti struok a .rock; '■■: so ;xell:.;known';:to, mariners.whosei'vessels'■ply.V thr6ugh : ., Gopk; ;Strait' must.. be.; exiplairied,''■■;,if explanation be possible,-, before 'the proper tribunals ■ Whether .■ it ; was an .exceptional set of, the tido ;■ a miscalculatibnf: on ihei.partqf,! the', commander.: due to■ the thick;.weather; ;6r an;-act iol carelessness -;,ph; ; - the;' part of someone— •■ whether- even the eteamer did strike on. Tom's Rock-has yet, tobo'cleared ; up..; The ghastly -tragedy, 'almost W.,thci very doors of' the- cityy, which has carried grief into soimany .homeSi must be---fully/-inquired into, not.only as to the ; ; actual cause of the-wreck, . but: as; to ..the /after, events which resulted ..in such deplprable loss of iHfo;>v:; ;;: ? -^"'.: :; ■ KV' ; -"''-''.' ;: • ::>: a:: '- ; - : .^ ;i: : An.'aspect; of 'the .disastei^ which-/'will.' sir ike; .everyone-is: the - disproportion;'of women and children drowned compared with ; mpi '/It. must , be quite evident to all ; '.that : .this was not due in; any'way. to. any : selfish * desire on , the,- part of '. male passengers ;or. .orew i to iseize.->what would naturally be- considered ; as. ?the : best chances; ; of -~- esoape. ■ : The : / timo-honoured practice'• •;of; giving the ■. women'; and - children'first: chance with the boats was, according: to:'all accounts, observed with scrupulous care," 'and; ho fault-can : bb: found on that account. ■: It is worthy'.of note also at, this, stage that each ;bodyrer 'covered from 'the. 'eea hjad a' lifebelt; on, , 'plain; proof that ■ the- steamer;' was '.'fully: equipped-, in .-this and that thore was , a proper attention to'passengers and crew, alike. ;\Vliere there does appear , to have.been misjudgment,, however, -was in the emitter 'of manning the- boats. , '..Wα do not profess to be able to give any definiteiopinion on this point.; Perusal'of tho statements of .passengers, , however, .would: scorn to indicate that' at least'.bne of the boats was insufficiently, manned. This is.a matter of.vital importance. The 'Union. Steam; Ship., Company,'. and,; in. fact,\ wo' believe;, all'' corapariies, make special \ provision 'for manning the boats in cases of emergency.-. : Officers and' men have thoir etations—tho cwwb' forpaoh boat are allotted and their names usually

appear on printed sheets posted up on ■tlio.v'pssol At the order "man the boats," officers and men know, or should know, tho boat they arc attached to, and should bo. standing by attlipir posts awaiting further brdors. . Was this the caso on tho Ponguin on* Friday night? When was tho last boat: drill held on Wero the boats' manned with their proper equipment -of officers and crew, or is it correct, as stated by two passengors, that in 'one boat thero.was only one sailor? There appears, to have been no. .panic, and-.the vessel floated for nearly an hour after;striking. Soraol'time ago we published a news! article on tho little .attention .nowadays;' givon : by, sailors to boat.work;.'.'and ..ijtie comments . then made aroused ,'a' storm of /.protest. We think that, wore, they published >to-day,,' they would receive mow favourable consideration.: ■,'. .'■■'■ /, .■ / ■■'■;: '". "'.•/■ ; ■.-.', '' There ; . is only one ."other matter in the sad business: which'calls for,comment just now.; We have; had many callers on the subject, .and , the. observations, of our' own staff quite confirm the opinions they have expressed. We refor;t6 the conduct of the 'authorities responsible: for a'proper attention' to.the requirements of decency, and responsible also'for a proper consideration*, of the/feelings of the friends and relatives of those who lost their lives in the wreck.: It is not a.matter we willingly' .touch oh,..but. the circumstances call for.comment.•■■'. The authorities havo quito; failed to realise, tho nature of the task: which .confronted" them,., and their, arrangements in consequence were /scandalously' inadequate./ The. unfortunate police- constables; ■'sent. out; probably;;did their : best-rcertainly to- - our own- Icnowledgej, the itwo men-, first. dispatched, worked untiringly under distressing conditions—but the officials responsible for. sending out the half-dozen men to cope with .the-'.duties'.required', of/them displayed'a deplorable' lack of., judgmont. We ; do/not/proposa'to go.intq the matter •in' detail,/buW we'.should- like, to know why' :.thp . Police; Department./have. ,per-. mittedl the bodies of .the unfortunaV vicof the wreck to,lie;'cxpcsedon the beach there—most; of- them'.since"- Saturday.',. Not-'6nly : has no attempt been made- : to'convey, them: to town for.burial.or -for' 'purposes; of- identification,,,but no :preterice was made even to cover them' 1 adequately from' the'.vulgar, gaze of: the'mor-bidly-curious.:],' and..; indifferent ; "sightseer," or to protect them from' exposure to ■tho,; weather,; with attendant ( ThoVsending'.of 'the . tug ; Ter'awhiti ;. to cruise.up.and down off the coast was ah-. ;solutely; .uselessi .and- it.-should -have.been, known', that; with : tho sea. /running; it : would'be-hopeless to., think.of landing' frpm/ ; her. at 'this; late hour, ,the-policeyhave .arranged 'to' ; ;.bring' the; bodies:rdraaining.to town—some few having been/takenijaway <'. yesterday : by ;rela-: tiyes-f-and'the'delay-will aditb'thehor-,- : ror3:.:.of;';a': /disaster, /already -sufficiently.' acltte. v,The' iUnibh-V Steam: .Ship' ; Company/ does, hot' usually ;■: do' tjiings 'by , halves, %n'd:when'.ltho Police Department. •iaiiedV.tpi; rise/to the occasion,/it.:might Avell, .ih^ the .circumstances, 1 have" takqn: up,'tho; responsibility ..of ' moving 'in/ the matter. ■;.';■ This feature' of .the : situation. is ;the ; ;more.'regrettable,^as a : littlo-sympa--.thotio .'consideration';^would havo:. avoided, at; and-tho relatives of the";victims'would I have boen spafed additional anxiety; and, ; : paini- ;, '-:/ :v ;/-:- ,: /;''' : ';J-:C:.--''■■ ''i.'i^J' ■■'} '■ •■!