ERROL'S CASTAWAYS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 593, 23 August 1909, Page 7

ERROL'S CASTAWAYS.

» , AN INQUIRY. WHAT HAPPENED ON THE WRECK? THE CAPTAIN'S RING. (By Teleirapb.-l'rees AB.iur.loUnn.-CnDyrlEtil) (Rec. August 22, 5.55 p.m.) Sydney, August 21. Tho Cbneul-Gcncral for Norway lias oponed an inquiry into tho loss of tho Norwegian barque Errol, which was'wrecked on Middloton lleef on Juno 18, no succour arriving till July 12, when there wore only five survivors out of a complement of 22. No Intoxicants Used. 'Anders Johauscn—carpenter, and one of the party of four who gained the reef on a raft and returned in a laboriously-built punt, finding only John Lawrence alive on the wreck—stated that Captain Andrcasscn told him, just before tho Errol struck; that he estimated the ship's position to bo a degree south of, Middloton Reef. No observation had been obtained for two days owing to ovoroast weather. No intoxicants were used either before or after the wreck.. The captain was a good disciplinarian. Several witnesses stated that Patrick Palmer —another member of tho punt party , —had the captain's ring. Palmer, A.B.j in his evidence,' at first denied this, but af- ' terwards stated that Lawrence gave him i tho ring. It was the mate's watch at the 1 time of the disaster. What Became of the Children? ' ' John■ Laurence etated that ho found the 1 ring near the captain's body. Hβ i might have given it to Palmer. Lawronco recounted the deaths of his companions on tho wreck, on which he was i the sole survivor. . Ho stated that he put all 1 tho bodies overboard when life was extinct oxoept tho bodies, of two of tho captain's Jour children. Thoy wero "mis-sing one •morning, and witness believed tho mother must have thrown them overboard during tho night, as- tho youngest was tied to a deadeyo' (a wooden block in nautical use) with a strand of rope. He thought tho mother was crazy. ,' ; LAWRENCE'S STORY. According to the original statements of survivors, on tho fourlK day after .tho wreck [ Captain Andre&ssen and tho second mate were swept away by an under-current and drowneriV This happened in the sight of tho captain's , wife, Dina ,Andreassen. Her four children w«ro: EHso, aged 8; Elevino, aged 6; Sigurd, t aged i J and Astrid, • a baby girl, ageu 13 | months. f . •• "Hearty Little Children. , . ; j In-his statement, as reported by tho "Sydney I Horning Horald." John Lawrence said: Tho , woman and children bore up wonderfully "The Captain's wife," he said, "I could hardly say how she did stand it. , It was like as if sho didn't eeo all things that happened round abput, and all tho men dying. Tho skipper,

ho was drowned down there on the reef, right in front of her, and she could a't do anything. She just watched; she seemed to take it preltj , calm. She was a uig,'slrong woman, and sin, stood' it well enough. And tile ohildreu, thej were proper little' bricks. My word," said Lawrence, rising half up on hie elbow, "I thought I seen stime hearty children, but theso was proper little bricks. Nice little chil dren, too. Tho youngest one, that was a proper brick, that l one. She dida't complain much, just eang out a bit." Bat there sooms to have been a. fear of some' thing worse than thirst. Aβ tho days ■went, and they heard nothing from tho raft and saw no ship, the men got pretty wild. "There was talk about the children," said Lawvence. "The men said they would soon die, anyhow. One of, the ordinary 6enmon talked sio wildly dboilt tho children that I feared for them. But notlyng came 'of it. . 'I was on the move all tho time, in casj. I told Ihein nobody was going to do anything like that, only cannibals. And then when tho cluldieu died some of us threw the bodies overboard. They wanted to kill tho black cat, too. 1 kept him to tho last It might- ha\o como in li'audy right at tho last minute—a good suck of hi* blood! And theni at the end I did kill him, and I nas going to suck his blood, but somehow I felt too weak and hick. I was tbo far gone." i ' j "Perhaps She Was Mad." '• , ,

•'Tho 'four .'children's ages ran,'from one ..to, eight, and tho two 'youngest/were' the first to : die.- , Lawrence .used'.to.'make ..them' suug .at night in : a:corner' of Hlie stern; 'One. evening ho tuofced them/in' flw; blankets, /as^usual, and they seemed' enough. ;The next morning they'; were: gbno.-;:;''!'-. think," ; said* h0,.. , 'the;, missus threw them .overboard, herself. She was 'a. Wg,. strong,'woma'n.'vand could haveidone' it'easily enough;- She.Would'ha-ve.doneat to put them out of'their,jfliser-jyi'vpr': perhaps Bhe w*3niad. '.She' was-.getting'scratchy like.' And next'day, she Uvas; , dead .'..herßelf—just '.died' where she was,laying) , -asif she was; .wore out.; The ' men' , couldn't have i hurt them; , they /was! tod tar. gone..- And; .tnen the other two ohil- , droii died, aud tlieu;the ;men. -, : I; looked but, , but. saw no ships;, aiid I.'was; .pretty.': bad;, though; not would 'think, and all: dried :up ■'.:willi.:.: the .'(.thirst ■■ and; salt.' : . And thunl saiv.the puut:'coine overfrom Ithe , othot, 'wreck, .and jumped inip tho. water to ;.it.";. .