WRECK OF THE TATHRA

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1351, 31 January 1912, Page 5

WRECK OF THE TATHRA

A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE. [ FOUNDERS WITH LOSS OF TWENTY. FOUR LIVES. , ALL OVER IN HALF AN HOTO. By TeleeraDh.-SDecial CorrcspondonU Auckland, January 30. Sydney reports just to hand.. Contain I graphic descriptions of the wreck of th» steamer Talhra off the Ambryiii island, New Hebrides, on January 1, when 21 lives were lost. The survivors included, in addition to the master, Messrs. M'Guf. log (male), Lowe (second mate), Palmer (bteond engineer), Komi) (third ongiuver), and Colenmu (a passenger)!' LAi T M llm r ,md lefl 'An>teyin.Jor lipi Ljiiiy in luoahcruoon. Soon uflor FailiiW I o barometer gavo warning of appronolfug bud weather, and Iho captain decided U> mako buck. At about 2.iW a,m. the vosj* sliippi.,l a sea. over tho f tn'rboal'd q\ m . poil. No one supposed she v,- is in trouble >.t when sho d«i not right herself s(« P . •w*rp nt onro token to letch' her round ago.n and thus give her a ■β-liaul? Tβ vessel failed to answer her helm. An attempt to got her away also foiled, tmd sho won d not rise. All ham Is ,""re ? thw<v upon called on deck. The- list l>eing It turned, the boats were lowered. Iho vessel gave her-final lurch just ns the neoond boat got clear of the tide. All fit,' lf"n r ° not a^ A at this -moment. Ono of them was Mr. G. L. S. Kerr, of the firm of Messrs. Korr Broth™, who held tho steamer under charter from the llawarra and South Coast Steam Navig" on Company. Ho had jumped clear oi tho steamer, with his 1C mouths old daughter in lus arms. The natives hurned to his help, and grasped tho babv in mi endeavour to eiivo both of them. ' He never saw hip child again. ■ Mr. J. \V. Russell, chief engineer, met h» death in a most sensational ma, er ailer tho ship heeled over. Ho was Boon swimming m the vm?t. nn d Mr. VpiV sins out to him to try Wl' fcco wn^ ill, ii E, , 1i,w , 11 '?". doii ? rcat c%t to oiioli the plunk, but tho mast of, tho Jiithra was bobbing *,p and down on thn rough water, and just us ho wai ■ Jl , the »«rt washed h f nill ,f ii- 11, P ".nfortMnate engineer, t I t;,lPl ' k1 , 1 , 1 . , , ~8 him outright or sttiumng him. Whatever it dill, B«s«1 Art A"" ruV n V fl f ho ~ lntiv« "- Cl ' o Wt t.Vv .h-fii'i ,11, pa V k atonp - Ou tllis f) drifted about for over twelve hbllra. J n< native was swept o fl', and s,,nk. Mr. Ai'ir milliard to srt'im oshoio. IHo captain succeeded in getting thirtv. MX oi tlio passengers mid crew into (lie oat under his charge, bat the steam?.? went down .before (he mate's boat could ftet clear with the remainder of tho resumpts wore made at rescue, but tho big ens carried the bbnts awav. Tho Uialo'f bout reaehed tho island of Malokulf Vt ■t P.in. the mine day, nnd at 8 p.m. thfl « loio.tho.Ma Biln waj at anchor, having put in. to avoid the impending storni. thing. Most of them Were atletp in their cabins whon tho order was given % hurry oa deck. Altogether there were (0 persons on the vessel. ■ There was no other warGiint of the impending disaster than the list she made. The foundering was fearfully sudden, all being over ui from 20 minutes to half an hour. Captain Halliday, in the course of an interview, said it was pitch dark at the ! nine. 'No did our best," he went on to say, "to rid tho vessel of the great quantity of water in tho well-deck, but it was iiscte?. I then .brought her round to the wind again, and" libve her to in tho hope of squaring thines up, but the manoeuvre was fruitless. " She was then almost on her beam-ends to r/irt, and all hands had been ordered on deck. I-tried to get. her awoy before the galo again, but she would not ansver her helm, and began to go further over. The lights went out a quarter of an hour lwfore--t4ie-steMiifr--eaiil;,- and wo were left to save so many peoplo in the inky blackness. Many of the.. wont down with the ship. loft the deck. They could warceiT niove with the steamer on her bcanl-cnds, and the sea washing aboard. We saw her go before our boat got far away. She was ripht on her beam-ends when she took tlie final plunge." . ".'."' Mr. Colenian, the passenger am6np: the survivors, dived .clear of the./fsfei as she was about to go down, and managed to reach one of tho boats. .■'■•'".'.''