LINER SUNK OFF FAREWELL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3194, 19 September 1917, Page 5

LINER SUNK OFF FAREWELL

TERRIFIC EXPLOSION ON PORT KEMBLA VESSEL DISAPPEARS IN TWENTY MINUTES NO LIVES LOST BOMB OUTRAGE SUSPECTED By Telegraph.—Press Association. Nelson, September 18. Great excitement wiib caused' at Nelson Stbont noon to-day when it became known that tho Anchor Line steamer Hegulus, ■which left last night for Westport, had passed Farewell Spit lighthouse, returning to Nolson, with, two boats in vw aid Sixty shipwrecked persons on board; At tho lightkeeper's request tho name 'of the wrecked vessel was disregarded. Crowds assembled at the Port to witness the arrival of tho Hogiilus, shortly after Jour o'clock. Conjectures were set at Irest by the announcement that the rescued party wero the complete crew of 'the Port Keinbla, now of the Gurnard line, and late of the Commonwealth and Dominion Line. She was a vessel of 4700 tons, bound from Melbourne to London. ■It was intended to call at Wellington- for coal and land a largo Australian and overseas Inall. About 1 o'clock in the mowiing, •when twenty miles from Farewell Spit, a tremendous explosion took plaice.in the forehold, opening the starboard ado of the vessel, which rapidly began to -fill. Sho sank within twenty minutes, thero being only time to get out two boats. The explosion damaged the wireless apparatus, which was useless. The strong fumes : from the explosion caused nausea. Borne of the men indicated that the 'explosion was due to an itiFerb'al machine. Captain. Jack, the iirat officer (Mr. Fletcher),, and tb"'* third officer (&Ir. Earns) stayed by the ship, andVere in'-the water abont half an hour after tho ship Bank before being picked up by tho cruising boats. About half-past six, when Seeking a, landing pia'co on the coast, the boats were sighted ~by -the The occupants were taken -on board.

Not knowing What alight be the condi'tion of the shipwrecked patty, the"Mayor of Nelson had a committee formed and arranged for their accommodation and general needs, and on the arrival of th'e Eegulus the whole -of the ship's company were qnicMy placeSln quarters aiid their immediate wants -provided for. There was a great cheer when the 'anpouncement was made that no lives were lost. ' '

The Port Kembla had a full cargo of (foodstuffs, and carried tho Mayoress of Melbourne and Red Ctoes parcels for poldiera. The crew will leave for -Wellington by the Pateena on. 'Thursday.

A THRILLING EXPERIENCE DETAILS OF THE DISASTER (Bjf Telogranh—Special OorresD'otident.) Nelson, September 18. "I was only half awakened by the explo6ion,"'saidHr.„J. B. I'almer, Eecoud steward of the Port Kembla, wben queationed by an "Evening Mail" reporter. t'My first impression was thiit the vessel thad struck a beavy sea forward, and ;waa settling down again (when I licard the captain calling out: ''She's going! Call all hands!' I was quickly on deck, ffho night was particularly 'dark, liut the ship's lights held out to the last. The iboats were (juickly provisioned, and 'overy man in his place. The vessel was listing heavily to starboard. Tiie frkipper, tha mate, and the third mate -stopped on "board. The'second mate, vhose watch it was, had command of the boat. The list quickly increased, and before long the starboard gunwales were under water. fTlie officers who had remained on board dived from the vessel a short 'time before She sank. We bad some difficulty in ipicking them up among the wreckage. fL'he skipper was in the water for nearly ian hour before being picked up. Tt was ■'all very eudden, but the behaviour of everybody was splendid. When we signed; oit in London wo knew what might hap pen, but we take things as they come to (us. ■ , I The Surprise of His Life. One man wag actually flitting on No. 1; hatch when the bomb exploded. He was having a cup of coffee while waiting to go into the xsrow*B nest. The next thing ha knew he was in. the 6ouppers. A cnaa bf jam gave him a nasty bruise on the Jeg. '■" Another man says that tho fumes after ; !the explosion nearly did for aim. Prom i (what many of the crew state strong susjiic.ion attaches to a man who was woilj-, ang in No. 1 bold, but who did not pail with the vessel. A fireman who was on duty snid that jtlie explosion filled, tlie stokehold with tooal dust and ashes, blinding the men ' jor the time being. Coal was thrown all over the place, and for a 'vhile the stoke- i (hold was in darkness. When it cleared (the men rushed on deck. The foroe of the explosion threw the ■ (cargo out of the holds in. all directions., Bome men were thrown out of their ■bunks, and a few of them. bear bruises itliat were caused by being thrown against the side of tho 6hip. It is' marvellous ithut the injuries were so few and slight. Tho men had a great reception from tho thousands who had assembled on the [wharf, ringing cheers being given them. STATEMENTS IN PARLIAMENT THE LOST MAIL-BAGS "I regret to have to announce," said Mr. Russell, in the Houbo of Hepresen- ■ Natives last night, "that a very seriouß inarino disaster has happened close to lour 6hores. A few days ago a large Steamer of the C. and D. Line called. thS I'ort Kembla left Australia for Home laden with provisions for the Mother Country. I understand that she was loaded by free labour.. She was calling lit New Zealand .for the purpose of 'obtaining coal. Shortly before midday to'day word was roceivcd from the light!houseket>per at Capo i'arewell that the , steamer Regulus had been seen towing two Iwats holding 60 persons. These proved to be the officers and crew of the Bhip. The caueo of the disaster, I regret to eay, was an internal explosion, which tooted so speedily that thero was no time to savo anything oxcept, I am thankful to say, tho lives of all the officers and Iciew. Not even tho ship's papeiu were saved, and 485 bags of mails have gone to tho bottom of the sea. Jilr. Fletcher: She sank in 20 minutes. Mr. Bussell: Further information may be received, but this is all that is available at present. I regret to have to jnake this) announcement, but as rumours jnay get about, I think it advisable to give members e.ll the facts. The Hon. A. M. Myers also made a statement. "My friend the Minister of Marine," ho 6aid, "has said that the vessel was on her way to New Zealand to take in coal. That statement is quite correct. I would like to mention to honourable members that as Minister in Charge of Supplies, when the agent applied to me for ooa.l my answer was that it was impossible to let him have it owing to the complicated state of affairs in Australia and the scarcity of cpal hers.

I thought, Mr. Speaker, it was only but right to nitration that phase of it, which had not como under tho notice of my honourable friond the Minister of Marino. Sir Joseph Ward made a statement regarding mails on board the steamer. "Tho great bulk of tho mails," he said, "wero for Now Zealand. I have an impression, but I am not quite sure, that portion of these bags wero of English mails. Jlr. Eussoll: That is so. Sir Joseph Ward: The English mails would como via Suez. Mr. Hudson Ajiy Indian mails? Sir Joseph Ward: There would• almost certainly bo Indian mails oh board, in addition to tho others. THE VESSEL AND HER, CARGO "POET" LINE'S FOURTH WAR LOSS. Tho Port Eembla'f) mails consisted of 495 bags, of which 270 wero for New Zoaland. It is understood that tiio other 225 bags were for England, and probably contained Christmas parcels for the /tistrail an Forces. The ship carried a full cargo of frozen meat, wool, rabbits, and jam, consigned to tho Imporial Government. It is estimated that the value of tho cargo is about i! 500,00. The ship at the present high prices was worth at least ,£150,000. The Port Kcmbla wns engaged in the Australasian-Imperial frozen, meat trade, and -was <i regular caller at Wellington. She ■was last hero in July, 1917. The i'ort Kombla was a steel screw steamer of 4700 tons gross, built in 1910 by Messrs. Hawthorn, Leslie, and Co-, Tjtd., Nftw-caFtloon-Tyne, for tho Anglo-Australnsilm Steam Navigation Co., l,td., which was recently merged' with tho Cuhard Lino (Australasiau branch). There was refrigorated space for 43,485 carcasses of meat. The loss of tho Port is tli'e fourth that the company has -suffered since tSe outbreak of war. The first was the Marei-e, which was sunk by a submarine a few months after war was deolared. She. was a steel steamer of 6443 tons grofs, built in. 1902. Tho second, the Port Nicholson "(Wc Makarmi) was sunk by u. mine in. tho English Channel in Januany, J917. She wns a vessel of .11,950 tohs dead-weight, built'in 11)12. Tho third was tho Port Adelaide 'ex Indrapura), which was sunk by a. submarine off .'tho coast of Prance early in February of this year, ir'ive lias ->een tho company's. biggest loss to date. On recoiving advice of the -disaster, Mr. ,T. 8., Hooper, manager'of the Wellington branch, telegraphed to tho Anchor_ Company, the company's agents at Nelson, ar.t! instructed tlieln to render u'l. necessary assistance to tho officurs and crew, such as providing'them with new' clothes and araotntiiodation, etc. Captain J. B. Kainey, mSritto superintendent of the company, trill leavo to-day by tho Pate'ena for Nelson to maks arrangements for the future employment s the crew. As the homes of tho majority of the crew i aire in England, the company is responsible for the payment of tho passages of all members of tho crow who desire to return to England, or to secure employment if they desire to romain in New Zealand.