WRECK AT THE HEADS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 108, 31 January 1921, Page 5

WRECK AT THE HEADS

OMAKA COES DOWN WITH ALL HANDS

HEAVY SEAS MAKE RESCUE WORK IMPOSSIBLE

CREW DROWN WITHIN HAIL OF LAND Pencarrow Head has been the graveyard of many a staunch ship, and yesterday morning it added another wreck to its toll, when the coastal schooner Omaka turned turtle about a mile inside the Lower Pencarrow light. Within a remarkably short space of time she was pounded to pieces on the reef, about three or four hundred yards off the mainland. None of the crew survived the wreck, and one member was drowned like a rat in a trap as he lay in his bunk in the deckhouse. A particularly sad feature of the disaster was that would-be rescuers saw the crew, man by man, perish before’ their eyes, as the terrible weather, the mountainous seas, and the howling gale bore down on the rem-

nants of the ship’s complement. DETAILS OF THE DISASTER

DISTRESSING SCENES ACCOUNTS OF EYE-WITNESSES Shortly after daybreak yesterday the auxiliary schooner Omaka, bound from Blenheim to Wellington, went down with all hands amid mountainous seas, after that has ever been experienced m Cook strait With presumably the worst of the weather astern, the Omaka was proceeding to shelter and to the bar when the tragedy occurred with drama- _, Onlv a moments tic suddennes— pencarrow previously the look-out t vea , e i lighthouse '.picked up «e littl _ all unconscious of the impenuii o ter; for everything seemed shipshape, and the schooner did not appeac to be n any trouble. Certainly, the seas wore running exceptionally high, but to the experienced eye of the keeper, the Omaka appeared to be holding her own. This was at 4.45 a.m.. nnd she was then riding the crest of a big green comber, opposite the white light between the old quarry workings and Pencarrow Head. In an instant, his horrified eyes beheld the Omaka hull upward—in the flash of an eye she had '"signs'of life were observed immediately nmid the swirl. Hour seamen were seen clinging to floating • wreckage, but they soon became separated, each clasping a spar or other piece of wreckage; but their situation was at once recognised as hopeless. Huge sens- were pounding relentlessly against the beetling cliffs, nnd white foam was swirling significantly over Barrett’s Reef, leaving the victims at the mercy of the waves and rocks. Meanwhile, the Baden .Powell, on her way in from Lyttelton, was passing by the scene of the disaster oblivious of any untoward happening near the i spray-hidden coast. WHAT THE LIQHTHOUSE-KEEPER SAW. Unable to leave his post, the light-house-keeper communicated with Wellington, and «ent his wife to the foreshore, where from the foot of the lightnouse she frantically endeavoured to at-, tract the attention of those on board the Baden Powell, with an improvised danger-signal, m the form of a, red garment. All this time the four shipwrecked men were being battered closer to the rocks: presently first one, then another, exhausted by the terrible strain, was seen to let go his hold on the flotsam, to be immediately engulfed. The third man survived his fellows only by minutes, and, seen from the shore, a breaking wave struck him <• crushing blow —nnd tiie sea had clldine.*. another victim. The last survivor—for two out of the six had gone down, presumably with the ship—resisted with grim determination and almost superhuman strength the onslaughts of the sea: but the inevitable came opposite .Gollan’s Valley, when the assistant lighthouse-keeper, who was hurrying to . Eastbourne, saw him disappear from view.

The vessel quickly broke up, after running on to a reef. A few. broadsides from the battery of breakers, and all that remained of tlio Omaka were a few bags of chaff, an odd spar or two, and disintegrated deck-fittings. A= an indication of tho rapidity with which the ill-fated schooner was smashed, it may be stated that by the time the assistant light-keener had reached Eastbourne on his mission of assistance, a board, bearing the name- Omaka, was washed up on the beach in front of him, establishing beyond doubt the identity of.-' the wreck: for, in tho early ’Tt had at first been difficult to vessel. Before this fact waY known, shipping people expressed the view that possibly tho wrecked teat was tho. auxiliary vessel Zita, which, en route to Greynwitth. had put back to Wellington through stress of weather. EFFORTS TO RESCUE. The Wairau. which had been following in tho wake of the Ogiaka, on the run from Blenheim, tied up at the Queen’s Wharf on the stroke of six. She was immediately boarded by the

harbour authorities, and her skipper. Captain Deiley, was astounded to learn of the fate of the schooner. He at once got under way anew, and put out with a coterie of longshoremen for thp vicinity of the Point Jerningham buoy. Off Cape Jerningham they spoke the BadenPowell, which had just arrived from Ly tel ton; and her master, Captain M'Phersdn, also knew nothing of the shipwreck. He immediately turned to and followed thtf Wairau. Botli vessels circled in the neighbourhood of where the survivors had been seen, hut could see no sign of life. As to the wreck, the only things visible were bags of ehaft, an odd spar, and a lifebuoy, the hull having already been dasheel to pieces. Owing to tho force of the breakers and the treacherous seas running on to the rocks, the relief vessels were unable to proceed close to the cliffs. After spending about two hours cruising in the vicinity, they returned to port, and reported failure to save any of the unfortunate crew.

The Harbour Board’s pilot boat, under Captain O’Neill, also engaged in a fruitless search for survivors; and about ten o'clock yesterday morning bags of chaff were being carried on the swift-flowing current shorewards to Petone. Late in the day some of these littered tho sands on. the suburban foreshore. The wreckage included about 150 bags ofchaff, a sternrail, several tins of benzine, lifebuoys, and numerous articles of clothing. A pillow, the slip of which, bears the name Omaka, was also found. The names of the crew of the Omaka are:—

Master: Captain A. G. Hunter Purvis, married; three children. Engineer: Jack Weeks, married; four children.

Leading Hand: Will Watson, believed to be single. Cook: Will Marlow, married; four children. Ordinary Seaman: Harold Stapleton, single. Tom (name unknown).

STORY OF THE TRIP

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM,

The ill-fated Omaka and the Wairau left Blenheim without an inkling that in Cook Strait a south-easterly gale was raging. On the Wairau . bar dead ’ calm prevailed; there was scarcely a breath of wind, and the stars shone over a tranquil sea. This ■was shortly before midnight. According to members of the Wairau’s complement, the Omaka cleared the bar about twenty minutes ahead of their own craft, which negotiated the entrance at about 11.30 p.m. Before long, the Wairau overtook the auxiliary schooner, whose sails were lapping listlessly in a gentle breeze. About ten miles out, however, the Wairau encountered the vanguard of the storm, and a quick-risen gale set in. The Omaka, at this stage, taking advantage of the changed weather conditions, overhauled the steamer with a nice turn of speed, leaving the Wairau to battle ahead with her engine power. Once fairly into Cook Strait, weather conditions became such that the Wairau, which carries booms, set sail on the atlermast in order to steady herself. From now on both vessels entered the heart of the storm, and made heavy going. On board the steamer, the experiences of the crew were unenviable. Tn the words of one of their number, an "old stager” with fifty years of New Zealand coastal waters, "We were being buffeted in the biggest sea I have ever seen in Cook Strait.” On several occasions the decks of the vessel were awash, and one particularly heavy sea, striking the li.t e vessel near the bridge, swept aft to the galley, flooding it, and driving the cook to shelter, in addition to shifting a quantity of deck cargo. All this time, nothin" further was seen of the schooner Omaka, and it was naturally concluded that, running before the wind, she had reached her destination in good time. The Wairau herself made a fairly good trip: but the conditions were sufficiently boisterous to occasion the crew great inconvenience. Entering the harbour, Nothing untoward was noticed, as it was anticipated that the Omaka was safely berthed. , , , , ~ T ~ , The Baden Powell, which loft Lyttelton at ton o’clock on Saturday morning, experienced similar conditions, ami her master and crow were totally exhausted upon arrival here, for the task of controlling the ship in the storm had been no light one. TIIE SIGNALMAN’S STORY

SUDDENNESS OF THE DISASTER. Only the latter part of the tragedy was seen by the signalman on duty at the outer station. He was on the look-out at twenty minutes to five, and his gaze was directed seaward in endeavouring to recognise a steamer approaching, which he believed was the Wairau, from Blenheim. He concentrated his gaze on this vessel for some time, until he satisfied himself that it was the Wairau. At about five o’clock his glass swept the Heads, until ’it rested on the low-level light at the foot of Pencarrow. Within short range of the light he

was startled by the spectacle of an upturned. hull. A few ' minutes later an urgent telephone call from the lighthouse apprised him of the fact that disaster had befallen the Omaka. By this time the Wairau, which he estimated was a quarter of an hour’s run behind the Omaka, had entered the Heads. Observing tho Baden-Powell in the distance, he hoisted special signals of distress, in the hope that her crew might hasten to the assistance of the stricken schooner. These, however, were unobserved. In the meantime the signalman noticed floating deck fittings adrift from the Omaka; but the heavy seas running prevented him from seeing any of the crew. On a piece of wreckage he thought he saw one man afloat, but was not sure, owing to the conditions prevailing. All this time ho observed tho Omaka drifting on her side towards tho rocks, and presently she seemed to upright herself, only to be lifted bodily on to the jagged edges of the reef. His attention was then distracted by a fire kindled on the shore, apparently by one of the lighthouse sluff, to guide any survivors’ to a safe landing. The reef on

which the schooner was fast breaking up, according to the signalman, was a little south, of the old quarries which abut on the beach. Tn ' conversation with a Dominion- reporter yesterday tho official said ho was unable to#eep the hull continuously in view; but happening to” train his glasses on to the reef at seven o’clock, ho noticed the pounding of the breakers had achieved the destruction which was inevitable. CAUGHT IN A TRAP PATE OF SCHOONER’S ENGINEER. The police were early on the scene. Ou receipt of the news of the disaster shortly after fiva o’clock, Superintendent Norwood telephoned to Day’s Bay, and arranged for the dispatch of a man by motor-cycle to Penearrow Head. In company with three constables, tho superintendent then motored to Eastbourne. When the party had proceeded' along I ho beach on foot, as far as Stingnree Bay, they met Temporary Lightkeeper Hussov and Assistant Keeper Cox. There they were given additional details of tho fatality, and the superintendent organised his men into patrols to search the beach for washed-up bodies. Hussey, who was on duty when the ship hove in sight, stated he had noticed the Omaka i was carrying very short sail. Just then he extinguished the light, it being then broad daylight, and, glancing again at the spot where he had last seen ’am schooner, to his amazement he saw it had capsized. He noticed one man scramble into the dinghy, which immediately turned turtle, and the man disappeared. Four men were seen on wreckage at comparatively short intervals from one another. Accompanied by his assistant, after notifying the authorities, the keeper descended to tho beach, ami followed the flrift of the survivors, oi whom the number at this time had been reduced Io three. Tho beach party then lit tires at intervale in order to encourage the survivors and to attract tlieil attention. They were utterly powerless te render any assistance, and the resell was that by the time Gollan’s Bay wa.‘ reached the last man had succumbed. A pitiable aspect of the tragedy wm the drowning of the engineer, Mr. Jack T. Weeks. Notified by the superintend ent. the. captain of the Duchess kept : sharp look-out on his run from Welling

ton to the bays, and off Ward' Island he sighted a deckhouse floating roof-high in tho water. Later this was washed up on the Pe.tono beach, off Cuba Street, and finally came to rest in two or three feet of water. Mr. Byrne,, of Petone, advanced to the wreckage, and on looking inside the deckhouse found the body of the unfortunate engineer, who had been caught like a rat in a trap. There were two bunks in the structure, so that apparently the engineer was drowned as he lay asleepThe lighthouse party, to their consternation, saw first the Wairau and then the Baden-Powell—shortly after the Omaka had capsized—pass within 150 yards of the wreck without stopping. Subsequently it transpired that the crew of neither vessel had noticed anything untoward.

Superintendent Norwood said last evening that in his opinion, despite the encouragement they were receiving from the shore, the crew of the schooner were unable to save themselves on account of the icy coldness of the water, as well as the buffetings of the seas. SEARCH FOR THE BODIES. All yesterday afternoon a posse of police were patrolling the foreshore of Petone and Eastbourne in the hope that some of the bodies would be .washed ashore; and early in the evening the body of a member of tho crew, which has not vet been identified was washed up near*tho mouth of the Hutt River. Hie police engaged on the search were Constables Gracey, Brown, Audi y, and Thomson, and at daylight to-daj will renew their patrol.

details of the crew. The late Captain Purvis was a wellknown figure in the coastal trade, a was a comparatively young man. His Xw and family reside at Island Bay, and on the waterfront and , 1R ?ai«r i» u»i™ E E and later he was connected with the An Xr Commnv, one of his commands beincidence he commanded the ill fate ZX’lJly £ was on her ru of thnber SrTe Government housing DeSrtmtnJ, th_at she piled rocks off Ka .P ltl r^ l t a ain Purvis and on this occasion Captrnn Inr «* . Wwlport „t I atone time had a garage in thlt’ city. On leaving the Coast he worked with Messrs, nnrl Co motor engineers, and with otuei motor firms, subsequently joining up with tho Omaka. He was ft married man his widow and four children residing in Wallace Street in this city. The father of the deceased is Mr. Robert Weeks, of Westport, a well-known figure in municipal politics. The cook, the late Mr. Will Marlow, was also a married man, with four children, his home being in Brooklyn. One of the seamen was the late Mr. Harold Stapleton. Tho deceased, who was quite a. young man, was the son of Mr. Percival Stapleton, of Messrs. Murray, Roberts and Co., in Wellington, and his home ivas in College Street. The late Mr. Wil! Watson, leading hand, v’lio is believed to have. been a single man, was a friend of the late Mr. Stapleton, and resided at the latter’s home during his stay in port.

A TRICK OF FATE. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN!

Had the event occurred a week sooner Mr. John King, -of Wellington, s the daughter of the late captain, and a son of the late engineer, would have been numbered among the victims. King, who had been a seaman on tho Omaka, took his discharge from tho vessel as recently as Thursday, and on the same day the two children previously referred, to, who bail been given the “treat” on account of the fine weather prevalent, and had travelled the round trip to Blenheim as guests of the captain, also came ashore. Tho Omaka was a well-known vessel in the New Zealand mosquito fleet. Formerly known as the May Howard, she was at one time in the Auckland-Bay of Islands trade, being then a straightout schooner, i.e., one fitted with yards, after the fashion of a brig. Subsequently she was converted into an auxiliary schooner, and equipped with a 45-horse-power oil engine, for employment on the Blenheim-Wellington service. She had the reputation of being a seaworthy boat, and a very staunch little craft. Tier registered tonnage was 64 tons. On her conversion into an. auxiliary schooner her topsails were removed, and she was left scow-rigged. The Omaka carried a cargo of peas and chaff, and is believed to have been uninsured.

AN UNCONFIRMED RUMOUR. Late last night it was rumoured that there were seven men on tho Omaka instead of six as first reported, but in the absence of any official information it was impossible to establish the authenticity of this report. Pencarrow Head and the vicinity has teen the scene of a number of wrecks. In the old days several sailing ships ended their careers on the jagged rocks which fringe the eastern shore of Port Nicholson, the most recent victim being the big cargo steamer Devon. The graves of eleven members of the crew of an old-time sailer, long since forgotten, which lie adjacent to Pencarrow Head to-day, offer mute testimony to the perils of the -deep.