WERE THEY ALIVE ?

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 435, 18 February 1909, Page 6

WERE THEY ALIVE ?

. SIGNIFICANT INDICATIONS. STATEMENT BY MR. PINNOCK. ; Among those who acted with commendable promptness in ■ 'connection with tho.' consequences' of tho wreck of tho Penguin: wero Messrs; G. Piriiiock and Almond, the proprietors of thb Commercial Hotel and the Trocadoro Respectively. Both gentlemen are keen motorists, and when tho news. flashed; round .the, city,'. Mr. . I'mnqck at once sprang into, action.; Ho communicated .with tno ; Union Company, and .-was'/informed that a motorcar had already .'been sent out, but this did not extinguish the;hope that he might;be of service, so, enlisting the Sympathy, of Mr. Almond,, they, stocked the car with stimulants, blankets, aud towels, and went out through, the rain to Makara. where, through the forethought of. Mr. Nathan, pack-horses from his .-station- were in; waiting-to ;carry necessaries ;'over the mountainous track to the scorie.;of -the:' wreck. ' When ■ half way over .' tho\ hills. Mr.! Pinnock' mot a man with; a loaded, pack; horse;. coming back, : and on being questioned ho; said lie hnd;heard, thai ' the survivors had left for town via the beach, and he :was; retilrning with the goods the Union Company, had sent out. ' Mr: Pinnook persuaded him not' to return, but to go riglit on. ■,'Thoro was a boat-load of women and children missing who might yet-,,be found and who might;want' the good , things they had brought. - So . the man—a Jlakara farmer—rturned ■ about again, and made foi M'Menamen's,; over hill and dale. ."It was'a.gobd-job.we did go on,";said Mr. Pinnook, '.'for wlieniwo. arrived at-M'Meina-" men's' they, had no bread, and there, wasn't. "a bottle .Of spirits in the house, . and there was Mrs. Hannam and others , there-. who .wanted-. Btimulatiiig after .their "-terrible, experience! .' This -yas -nosfault: of Mr. M'Mena'men's, "rather the other, way, as lie had giventhe survivors'everything in the house. ; i "'. 1 !, reached tho' beach at about ll o'cloclc, at.l which* time., only, a few of the bodies 'had > been pulled up out of: .the roach - of. the ,tideby two or three.shepherds.from the station. ,As ,wo 'went : along .w:o, came:;upon others;. scattered hero and' thero;along the- beach,, arid, we'started: to pull them ..up high aiui dry; These had .not been,,touched.;by.,anyone sinco-they had been , tbrowri .up by the waves, arid I'll tell you what (said Mr; Pin-; nock,- with :deep- ; conyietion)-r-sdme: of those poor, people when they' reached" thebeach, as: sure -as I'm alive." - .;' ; Why do yo'li say . that?:; '; ' '"When. ive-'got'..there lio.ono had boon before, us, and. yet the smooth sand near the, .feet ;and,.'arms of several .-of the. bodies was disturbed,' -as,if in their ,dying. struggles;'they ,had yet..strength,'chough' to move their limbs.. In some cases,;tbo, I.noticed'.a depression at, ; tho side; of the head, as 'if they, had been'? able, to move-it about.. My belief is'tliat;sev,er'al'.of the men jeacbcd: tliq, shore, alive, per-, haps. not,; conscious ' and died. there 1 ' '..from sheer bxhaustiqn.lv-, Seeing-what, I'.'sawj nothing will convince 'me 'that I;,i(m,':nbt:, right.. Had ;it ; been possible to ';rerider : , succour -to some,of them,;lives might have' been saved.''Mr.VPinn'ock speaks strongly in respect/to the lack of- any organised: , to.,re-, cover the bodies and treat ' them with : the;,-re-,' spect due to tho dead. Ho' has grounds for complaint,.: too, : ;.when .it. is considered that between 11 ,-a.m; arid - noon his party/came upon bodies that no' one-else had seen,:nitich, less' toucliedj: except some, of 'the : -survivors, Vwho;• mayi .have 'seen; something 'of. thein' on; their way to town. , - - . :

FEELING IN PICTON.

A SAD AND DEJECTED TOWN. - / A well-kriow;n Marlborough; poacher/ sends .thb jfbllbwing- . description '..-qf /. thb feelmg on itho/Pictori side of. tho Strait when •tHe/news of' tho wreck bccame known •— v'Over:'hero, : ..on. , Friday. night, wo laiew. that the/Penguiri. liad' difflciilty before her;. . Was riot .'the.|.Sburid 'tho : i shelter/ of /many vessels that, evening,' .tolling 1 , us /of .terrible weatlier ■intho.-Strait?;: Pidton .was'.'a sad town/,qn Saturday,/and'has .been/sadder every iriomerit siiicb, for! we-;hadhopo atone .timo of better news., Wo : havo many hero; who had very ■ ri&rrow Vescapes-y-names/' riot-. ' inbntioned-. in print;. /' In 'the. houso/in which /I. aril staying,': . a mother arid. two. da,ughtefS;;arq now .board-: ing, 'who : by tlje merest' : accid6qt / didl;riot; leave, this/ slioio in tlib' Peiiguili/; '.J',./' / "The. first thing I, looked;^for/ on' Saturday morning from my window, /-whichis .only, a' chain or two from tho wharf, was the Penguin, /hoping .she; haid. not.'sailed on- Friday evening. •/ /.I had scarcely, seen ' the : vacant berth at the wharf when the house tolephorio rang,-; and; the sad .. news/, came—'Penguin : wrecked.''• I know so many .of those; drowned;, my duty l causes-mo'tb travel.botwefen Picton" and Blenheim.; Oil' Friday afternoon 'thb carriage I" was" in was full- of tliosb passengers, all bright.and happyj-. who':were-to .travel;, that night; across,,'tho; Strait. .1 see, their,;; faoes now. If tho gale lit sea was anything like, a-s strong as ono of thb, gusts; that struck the-trairij I can well understand the; helplessness of the Penguin's situation.-Some;in ; "thb : carriage; I knew intimately,, somo bv sight, anH others I".know werb'_strahgcrs : :likely to bo goinfc away. /.Noel White,- as fine /a 1 young man as ,'one' could wish to meet, chatted brightly ...with. me. all the way .along, in; /the

train,, sevoral times devoting' his attention ito ihy little boy,.whom ho played'with and left with, a morrjr 'good-bye.' By : White's side sat Master Matthews,-who owes his.life to that bravo woman Sirs. Hannairi.' , Mr. Bone, with his friends '(Mr. and Mrs. Halo, .1 think), eat opposite to mo in the train the day before. Mr. . Bono I had not seen for years, and the last thing lie did was to show mo photographs of : his'sons, .one of whom ho was anxious to meet in Wellington, becauso tho son would bo passing through to Hawera.. Coming back again to Eriday afternoon's train; nearly opposite to mo'sat Mr. Holcroft and his friend, and behind them sat Mrs. Brittain. • Mr. Shaw and Mr. Downes wore among the fortunate ones. ' It was a sad ride tho next day I sat in tho same carriage. So sad a -timo has it - been in I'ioton that I hopo I may nover bo in a port; again at the time a vessel goes to; her doom —especially in such a, brief interval. . '."Feelings l hore arc strongly in fnvour of a 'daylight departuro always to . Wellington, ' and, many think that it' could bo managed

easily enough. Speaking for myself, I shall •never leavo here at night, when there'is'bad weather in'' tlio Strait. 1 'Poor' Captain Naylorl If ever there was a captain I would trust it was he, and I would trust him-again any time." ...

A PATHETIC INCIDENT. , ' Distraught with the news that a near relative bad perished in the disaster of Friday night, a young girl hurriedly arrived alono on the platform of a country railway station with one idea—to get to. Wellington. Her sorry ..condition" was obvious to several; but it appealed more directly to a Salvation Army lass, who, in pure sympathy and goodness of heart, approached the girl, who related the 'distressing circumstances which had "occasioned her lonely journey. The"'.tender,liearted_ Salvation Army woman, touched to the jiuick, ' seeing that, the. girl was in no condition to. travel by. herself,.'decided at once' that it was a .case for action; She said tlmt'she. would'accompany her to Wellington. The girl would not pormit . this sacrifice, and persisted that she. was able, to- travel alone, so the lassiei compromised, by providing_her with the means of securing assistance in Wellington... Arrived in Wellington she went to a mend's place, and with her went to a large drapery establishment to secure a few articles of, wearing apparel, befitting her sad state,

'before undertaking (the.gainful. duty of identifying, the body of her',relative.v:While in' the. shop the -girFemployees learned' : of tho' sad circumstance's of their customer,'-.and at once, rushed 1 to. her assistance, with .a : :gener-\ otis open-handedncss which did them ,ahd their -firm of employers infinite credit. . The' sad lot of this unfortunate' -'young woman was such-that after .attending 'early, Mass; ypster-. day she.: was discovered; in a dazed condition, ■in tho streot, and when accosted by a. kindlydisposed ; gentleman' said., that slio could not find her,way. home, though it'was'but'a few; hundred yards away, 'and added , 'that, she seemed, to, have lost the . power of thoughts The gentleman took her'into' his hornet whore' she. -was . most kindly:- treated,-; .and- -laterescorted her .to Jier 'friend's house. incident is but. one. ofmany, .illustrations of tlie . h'avoe th'e tragedy of Friday night - has played'!iri, many ; ' a home, and serves to show, that there are. kindly folk at every stroet icoiner .bnly waiting a chance to extend' aid and comfort to those'sorroWTStricken; and : less fortunately situated.' -

A MISTAKEN REPORT.

was : freely (.roportcd. in .the city, early .yesterday. afternoon that . another: eleven bodies; had been-found at Tbrawhiti,-,and :an announcement was posted, up. in; a prominent place to that effect. Inquiry proved that the rumour was entirely'erroneous. . .. THE SEARCH. .: Further .attempts to locate the wreckage and missing .bodies-wore;.made by " the Union Company; yesterday,.the Terawhiti and, an oil launch ibeing sent round ,to search 1 the" coast and, outlying • rocks, ;but : ;without; success.'-. )As.

the.'.Ter'awhiti was.-returning to Wellington with a raft and two of the life-boats.in tow; one of the latter broke .away, and as :a southeasterly galo was coming ..up it was not safe' to attempt to recover .it." No more bodies were' washed up on the beach, yesterday, ibutas a south-easterly was ■ blowing when the search was abandoned it was thought that some might' come: ashore during the'night. / ■; THE FUNERALS. : A number, of victims .of the disaster ..were .interred at;private funerals yesterday. ' .About 50members of the Institnto of Marine' Engineers attended the-funoral of the late Mr. Stanley Rentoul, third engineer. Among thb of the institute present were :—Mr. James Darling (chairman of the Wellington branch), Mr. A. R. Hislop (general ■ secretary for New Zealand),' Mr. D. M'Murricli: (superintendent of engineers in Wellington,' for the' Union Company), and Mr. W. Cable, - in whose works .deceased served; his

apprenticeship. Tho Rev. J. IC. Elliott, conducted the service at the graveside.' " , The late Mrs.' Bishop and her .son . Clar-; enco were interred at Karori, the Rev. J. K. Elliott officiating. Tho Wellington employees of. Messrs. Sargood, Son, and Ewen, and a number of commercial travellers, attended the funeral of the late Mr. A. E. Bone. ; The service was conducted by the Rev. W. A. Evans. . - : A Requiem Mass for the late Mrs. Hope, forecabin stewardess, was said at St. Joseph's Church yesterday morning, and in tho afternoon deceased was buried at tile Mount Street Cemetery, Father Mahoney conducting tho service.' The Revs. J. Walker and D. H. Jenkins officiated at the funeral of. the late Mrs. Toomer and her daughter, which took place, at the Karori Cemetery. .A number of' Foresters of the Court Sir William Jer'vois attended.,; JHE BODIES MOT RECOVERED. , The following is the. list.of'those known' to he on board whose bodies 'have 'not yet', been recovered: — ' . - : . Passengers.—Mrsj] Hart,-- Master ,Greig,. Messrs. .Coumbe, Holmes, Johnson, H. J/ Underwood, lNoel White, 'C. ' Woodward, James Collins. ■ • Crew. —F. Driscoll (second ofßcer), G. ALoosemorei (third officer), C. Alexander (chief steward), T. Hayes, (boatswain), C. Westa-' cott (A.8.), Henderson (A.8.), G. Gaifra (donkeyman). J. Come (trimmer), Edwin Hall :(sncond cook), Henry MlGuire (scullion), G. Claydon (pantryman); Forth R. Cookes (stewird) RELIEF FUND. The following subscriptions to the Penguin Relief Fund have- .been received at The JoiiiNiON-office:— ■< . 1

■ : tV-V ,;Total- ' ... '„. ..: £80 4 101 > Further expressions of regret and sympathy have.'been received ■' byl the Union' Company - from Hrl. Justice'- Chapman and St.' -Ahdrewls Lodge'. .-The' lodge expresses its sorrow 1 at the: loss which tho .company: have incurred, by. the death .of . some valuable servants, arid their own loss of a number of brethren. • . Tho father of Mr. F.-. Cook, the messroom steward; • whose ; body J has . not yet been' recovered,'is: in .the employ of the,. Westport Coal Company at Dunedin. " ; ,Ai statement- has- boon made that a body 'had been' identified :as that of a man -named Bates: The Union Company have ino record of such a joining ,tho vessel, and the poljco -have advised: that_ there: was ■ no / body .which :might, have .-been identified as 'his. - v: Mfg. Hannam, . the . only woman survivor from tho wreck of 'the-'Penguin, left for Nel-' son by the 1 Pateena at. '-'midday: "yesterday.: The bodies'of her. husband and four children lVefo' taken by the, same, steamer. r ; ' : . ! One of those who lost their lives. through the wreck 1 of tho s.s. Penguin was: Marion M'Alley, the eldest daughter -, of .-the ■: late: Robert:.and Catherine M Alley, of Turakina Valley. Her body .. was identified by her brother,' Mr. William M'Alley, of Wellington South., .'lt Turakina,' where it was 1 . interred yesterday-afternoon.' , - . Forth & Cooke, oiie' of the Stewards - ,;,whose body lias not yet: beon . reepvered,] : ,.belorigs to Wangariui,' where 'his'.'parents, reside. ;. A man who knows , Leonard ; Owens, .(who was: reported to have been a' member'.of.'the crew of the Penguin at the time of tlie wreck)' called at; The Domimox Oflice last evening and stated that Owcns:left'.thp':ship a week ago, arid is belioved to:be in Duneflin.

AN APPEAL FROM PICTON,

:' Sir,—ln ! -view; of ..the wreck; of'the- Penguin and" the dreadful loss of so many precious : lives entailed/. some •of us . are 'asking the. question^. What' guarantee : have 1 we; that this appalling : disaster, may not bo repeated any dark night on;a tempestuous iea m this changeful , striit?; . \Vheri_will-cease tho practice so common here.by which a : small'ana fra-; gild 'boat','carrying many passengers,: ignores the of ;other ; snips and-'faces angry sea on a dark night with'a; south-, east wind raging, 'which,, makes tho .water off Cape Terawhiti-tho "most;danger6us with-;

out exception. in all. New Zealand ? There are many who would. iio't leave here by, the Penguin on account . of. the ; weather, : and so saved their lives. .The very next'evening it was proposed to start from this port towellington with the dread south-east wind still -blowing fiercely," but . the passengers rebelled, and the time of sailing- was changed to 3 o'clock in the morning; This, boat met another coming from Wellington in the dark of the morning, and of course this means a Sunday train iiere to carry the passengers luggage to Blenheim. When will, this hard or fast running to an ill-advised time-table come to an end? Can the Government of . this colony, that lias interfered in so many minor things not interfere hero? Surely the time has pome for demanding, in the name of our Jiiodern civilization; up-to-date boats and a.daylight'service: for this troachorous strait. If tlio I'enguin had crossed in daytime, instead of at night, she should be afloat now, stormy as the sea was, and all this loss of human life should have been avoided. Let the new wharves at

Picton bo pushed 011 with increased speed. Let; - tho; railway' connection between . Picton and- Cliristchurcli he made . at the, earliest, moment. Let, a rails-ay line be laid down' as soon as possib'.o between. Wellington and a point opposite us that will cut off Terawhiti Capo altogether. Let a : shortor and '.a'i safer, ferry, service bo established, between the North Island and, the South, and Government and Legislature will, for many.reasons, have; earned "the gratitude of the people of New Zealand and the handing down of their names to postority' as the benefactors of their race. —I am, etc., ■Y. .. JOHN DICKSON. The Manse, Picton, : 'February .15; , . / , [Portions of tliis letter have,been omitted ponding the inquiry into the caus'o of the wreck.] ; ; ■ SHIPS' BOATS. "i Sir.-r-Tdiiehing'. upon' the ' recent calamitv in the loss'of, the s.s. Penguin, you publish issue.;the following, paragraph':—: "In order to comply with the -Board- of Trade regulations, every boat; and raft carried 011 steamers must be provided with" suf- . ficientprbfision's to' last. tne 'passengers :accommouated 011; it for five or six days. •: At each annual survey' the Government inspector opens the air-tight'.tanks and' ex-amines":^-.'.biscuits, -chocolate, etc. ■ ;Tho supply; of water is. carried in oak casks, and. ■is renewed by the ship's'officers,.every, fow weeks." - ■'...." ; This reads very well, but as one who has had' practical' experience, I ..might ; suggest 1 that this regulation does not go far enough, 'and; would suggest that all boats should be regularly .put into" the water,' or else : filled for a'few hours and emptied. -I fully belieye. that,;.taking any steamer, 1 in harbour at pre'senti; you, would; not put; niore than one; boat from each into the'^water that .would not for some, considerable'time need constant bailing;. Load a boat down almost to edge;witii' human .freight and that ,boat;will be buoyant -in. a; heavy sea, but allow say six inches'orless of water to accumulate and she is'.'prao-'i 1 tic'ally water-logged; and in .'rough: 'weather; a mere death-trap. ' , . ,1 could multiply: instances 'of boats such as" alluded to, but do not wish to trespass upon ■your valuable; space.; , It will' be if. this letter ,is the', moans; of - opening; up fhe subject at tho inquiry—l am, etc., ' '• - ■ W. F. POTTS. Fobruary 17.

SHIPS' LIFEBOATS—A SUCCESTION. - Sir,—Tho recent' appalling loss of life, by wreck of ; the Penguin,, has cast a gloom on the whole, of ; the Dominion.' It naturally,' therefore,' suggests' itself: Is there, any means that,can: bo adopted which would s in such a' case .enhance 'tho'icha'nces of saving life? "■•' In' . the; last 38 yearsof my 'colonial : life; ; my experience'is, that in every case when a vessel has been wrecked;in'.'rough. weather,: the appliancs at hand,' for saving .lifej- have been; absolutely futile.-','■■■• The'' question ': naturally" asked is, why? The : laws of the country obligo shipping companies 'td .'aot^rip,;to : strin-; '.gent}regulations,', as to the. fiumber of ; boats' a shi])' should;, carry 1 per head, of - passengers.' That is rail ; very well'arid proper; but I,coii-. sidor the boats that' arc used are entirely, unfit for.the service, required, of them ;, wKich'. is to.be;seaworthy'in a heavy sea, - and : !have ai decent chance of landing on tlie cbast;througH . a heavy surf. Let me explain.' The .ordinary; so-called 'ship's:lifeboatv Csave ; ,tlie mark) :has; oars and d rudder—no steer oar./ .Now,. I ask any: sane' man .hceu'stonied to surf work, is there any chance whatever of/manoeuvring a boat'in a}surf,' ; or,;heavy! sea, witH'-a ,rud-. dorP .7.-. A'■;■' V Ask such men, as Captain "Wills,- of the s.s., Wakaiu, who work on the , coast, and , have, 'a', lifetime, experience of; surfing, j arid 'they would laugh at you. In a heavy sea dr. surf! 'the seas: come:at you from all quarters, and you, must be prepared... at -a to turn the ■ boat ;mariy . 'degrees ".to. meet; the seas or you are swamped, either by the'head or. stern, as the case may be. A rudder takes minutes ;to alter the. course of a boat, a steeroar . a second ;; which\ is the ' most effective P.; 1 .have had a quarter of a. century's experience in the us'e .of shipping-wool andi'Jeargo': on the;; coast,• .'and. I' -emphatically state that to -try ; and land. : iri : anything' but smooth, weather .in: an ordinary' ship's boat ; with 'ii rudder "would, be .suioidali Then again, take the ordinary!ship's .crew'oii 'the .coast.-of. New Zealand ji'how.manyi are there who Can : pull/ an • oar in a "heavy 'sea ?.:':I: would venture, to say, not one/in fifty;/Arid of the officers, how. many: are .there' with-. an ; .experience- of, surf/or.' rough/:'sea ; boating Put a good, 'man iri'.an ordinary NoW'Zealand.surf boat as coxsyain,. with a steer-oar and a.decent crew to. pull, ."in ' almost 'any, sea," and I defy you •to swa-mp .him..,';} My! suggestion is:' oblige! sill ships.} to' carry; . boats, . built surf-boat; fashion, with' a .'steer-oar,' a!nd see that each boat.hasa'qualified man that; can:use a', steer-: oar properly, arid; a ■ crew;; that knows how td pull an oar in a rough sea; do away, with, the .present' death-traps,and the poor, souls' on a wreck would have a chance, and a'-big one." I liavo .never, of. late;-years,- been on board/ship and looked at the so<ci>lled lifeboats without a shudder at tho thought of what .would happen if thoy ever had to be usedin;a ; heavy:.sea;';l trust'you .'will-excuse-my soliciting space, in your, valuably paper on .-this matter, but Tdo so in the cause of humanity, and with the hope'that! it: will lead to controversy by more able;pens than mino, and .everitually.be ,the .means of "improvement in ilife-savirig, whioh I have for-mariy years felt necessary.—l am,' etc., •. "'.-.!• H. D. VAVASOUR. Blenheim, February 15.

■£ s. d. Wellington'Working-Men's Club 10 10 0 L'. A. Black, Wellington v.. . -v...: 1 1 -'O. I.K 0 2 6 V.G.C .... 0 2 0 Cwo Small Boys ... 0 10 F , ... 0 2 0 ii.D.B. . ... ... ... 1 ... 0 2 0 C.A.W. . , 0 2 0' i). Sturrock.... v :'... ... ... 0 2 0 C.E. *" 0 10 0 C. Revell (collected in Petone) ; '1 0 0 ' D.S. 0 10 0 J.S. 110 R.E.H 0 2 0 infants of Clyde Quay School■ 0 12 105 i.A.N. ■ ... •... ... 0 2 6 3.G.H 0 5 0 ■'ricnd ... ... ... ... 0 1 0 t,ll. ... 0 5 0 uM. (Mnrton) ... 0 2 6 Vmelia.Nathan,- flolison Street 10 10 . 0 1 Widow's Mite (Feilding) ■/: V ...';, 1 0 .0 : E. P. ■ Park. (Motueka) ... 0 2 6 Two Little Maids , ... - ... 0 1 U 13 ' 010 0 X.E.B 0 5 ~ 0 A..H 10 0