The Fielding Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1886. Wreck of the Taiaroa

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 131, 15 April 1886, Page 2

The Fielding Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1886. Wreck of the Taiaroa

The loss of the steamer Taiaroa, and the melancholy deaths by drowning of 34 out of 48 persons on board, has sent a thrill of horror through the colony only equaled m its intensity when a similar disaster was chronicled in the case of the Tararua. The details of the wreck and suffering of the survivors are even more terrible than in the latter case. The causes which led to the wreck appear to have been the same — ignorance on tne part of the mast» ers of the true position of their respective ships. In the case of the Taiaroa more lives would have been saved had the orew and passengers stuck to the ship until actual necessity compelled them to take to the boats. Of course it is an easy matter for us, comfortably seated on. the shore, to find fault, having but a faint idea of the surroundings of the case. "We have every confidence that — after the accident — every means was employed to save life, which humanity and good seamanship could suggest. We know now that attempting to get away in the boats was a blunder, but at the^ time doubtless it appeared the best thing to do. There can be no two opinions that the Taiaroa was too close into the coast. She had been making fine weather under the lee of the land with a strong northerly gale blowing, when this wind shifted to the southward the ship was then on a lee shore, and instead of being headed out to sea, she was steamed almost direct on to the land, or, as a survivor described it, " she was steered direct for the bridge on the Clarence river." In his evidence at the court of enquiry, Captain Thompson said " about 7 o'clock the mate came and told me that he could see land on the port bow. They were then putting the helm hard a-starboard to get the ship's head to seaward, but it was too late. She took the ground." The rest of the details are already too familiar to our readers. The position of the Taiaroa when she struck, showed that, with plenty of sea room, she would have turned a complete circle in the course she was steering. No doubt the compasses will be submitted to careful tests, and evidence taken as to when the vessel was swung to prove them. But all the evidence in the world will not disprove that nearly 50 valuable lives were risked, and 34 of them sacrificed through a remarkable error of judgement on the part of the officers in charge of the ship.