THE WRECKED TAINUI

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 304, 19 September 1919, Page 7

THE WRECKED TAINUI

TO BE ABANDONED TO THE UNDERWRITERS.

I By Mwrrnph Press.Association. Christchurch, September 18. 4.11 that remains of the Tainui is a massr of twisted iron and piping and a few feet of timber at the.stern anyhow. What is left of t!he vessel lies in an almost inaccessible part oE the coastline, about nine miles from Cheviot. Even after three full tides had broken oyer the wreck there still remained yostorday smouldering embers of the fire, which had been raging so furiously. Ihe !«-■ liberating Company will probably abandon tho Tainui to the underwriters owing to the inaccessibility of the position ot tho wreck,' If it were possible to remove the refrigerating plant to a railway it is estimated that it alone would be worth' about J2OO. Only about thirty intact ca«o3 of benzine have been found up to the present. On cither side of the wreck hundreds of empty tins, blown into all shapes by the explosion, are littered on the beach, and amongst the cargo were several ploughs, but all iiope of salvaging these has been abandoned. The forward part of the Tainui from the bridgo to bow was burnt out right down to the keel; only twisted ironwork and battered tin 6 remaining 'on this portion of the vessel. The funnel has completelv broken away, and points towards the cliffs overshadowing the wreck. Tho water-tank aft and the engine-room machinery appeared to be intact, out; above whnt had been the engln:--room the ironwork was twisted and dented almost, out of recognition. Not a blade remained on the propeller, due probably to tho vessel bumping on the reufs. '.i-ho opinion has been expressed thr.t if it had been possiblo for the Tniiiui's cicw to bave'stood the heat and lemuiiied en the vessel instead of taking -to the lifeboats they would havo stood u better cl.pncc of saving their lives. One early eyewitness of tho wreck, afUr it l.ad drifted to shore, says it was not then burning aft. There is no direct evidence to show whether the explosion of the benzino cargo was the- result of a fire <-n the sliip or if a fire caused the explosion. When tho only survivor was awakened as a result of ouo implosion fire was then belching from' ouo of the lmtcli-novers., It was noticed in the. daylight,, however, that one of the victims was searched about the face and head.

ATTITUDE OF SEAMEN'S UNION. Ab the,annual meeting of the Na'.'jnal Council of the Federated Seamen's Union, now being held in Wellington, the disaster to the s.s. Tainui and her crew was considered, and mcmberii stood, and in Bilence passed the following resolution:— That the national council of tho Federated Seamen's Union, now in annual meeting, respectfully tenders the relatives and friends of the of the steamer Tainui tho sincere sympathy and condolence of the organised seamen of New Zealand in the great loss they havo sustained in the disaster, and .the council .expresses groat abhorrence in. the laxity of the proper authorities in permitting ships with benzine cargo putting'to'sea without being' properly equipped for tho carriage oi tho cargo in question. Further, the council is of opinion that seamen should refuse to' proceed to sea in any ship with a benzine cargo unless tho holds of • the ship are so constructed as to prevent benzine fumes •nenetrating to any other part of the vessel beyond tho holds. • ,