THE TARARUA DISASTER.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2241, 4 May 1881, Page 2

THE TARARUA DISASTER.

The cook states that when he was washed overboard the steamer was under water aft as far as the mainmast, her forecastle head onlyprojecting above. The women and children were huddled together right in her bows, and all were ciying. A little boy, who he took to be one of Dr. Campbell's children, was holding out his arms endeavoring to keep his little sisters from falling down to leeward, and the cook described in most fcsling latpnage the little fellow's conduct. The tears were rolling down the poor fellow's face as he related the woeful story of the scene on the deck, and he became quite interested when our reporter told him that the body of a boy had been washed ashore, and remarked, " Why, it must have been that little Campbell. He worked so liko a man to save his little brothers and sisters." As has already been stated, wave after wave swept them one by one away. The men on board, who were then up in the rigging, are said to have been perfectly silent and motionless, and never heeded the cries of the ccok for a line when he was endeavoring to rescue the Hobart Town girl, as already reported in his statement. In answer to our reporter, he said that he had been wrecked once before on the Wess Coast. He wasa good swimmer, having practised it from his infancy at Malta, his native p'.ace, and he swam from the Taraiua to .the shore, having his full clothing, coat, vest, and trousers, upon him at the time, though, as he observed, he had lost his slippers when he wa3 in the breakers on the beach. He said he would have stood bj the ship in charge of the women and children until relieved, had the sea not swept him overboard, and from the manner of the man his greatest

regret would seem to have been that he was unable to got back to hia post on board the sinking steamer. In speaking of bia future prospects, he said that he had intended to have given up the sen after that trip of the Tararua, and have gone into huaincaa in Dunedin in conjunction with the chief steward, of whom he spoke in moßt affecting terms. He also said thatitwaa, after all, a pity that Captein Garxard had not sent everybody out in the five boats which were on board, and let them keep at aea until picked up, instead of looking for a landing place. The water was pretty smooth from 5 a.m. to 8 or 9 o'clock, but then the sea began to rise. 7he captain was, he said, fully perauadod that the steamer would hang together until assistance came, and so were the paßsengrers; insomuch that when the firat boat for the shore waa launched, and the captain called out, " Who will volunteer to go in her?" only two ot the pasaengora responded. After ten o'clock in the morning, says the cook, no boat could lie alongside the steamer, nor could another steamer have come near her, the sea lad riaen bo much. The purser of the Taiaroa. Mr Bailey, had in hia possession a presentation pipe which belonged to hia old friend and Bhipmate, Mr Jones, the purser of the Tnrarna. It has washed aahore, and was picked np on thebeach by one of the survivors. Mr Bailey, noticing it in the mouth of the late passenger, by goneroualy offering to substitute it to the then owner by a new one, got possession of it. The pipe boars the presentation inscription engraved in silver upon it, and waa in a case when it washed aahore. The Collector of Customs at Dunedin has telegraphed to Captain •'. W. Clark, of the Lyttelton Harbor Board's steamer Lyttelton, to go down to attend the inquiry re the Tararua as nautical assessor. The official inquiry will be commenced in Dunedin on Thursday, before Mr Simpson, RM. A public meeting to devise meanß for the relief of the tuffererß will also be told in Dunedin on Thursday. One of the lost passengers by the Tararua, from Auckland was a gentleman named Wm. Bell, and, should the body be washed ashore, it might be recognised by the following description :—Age about twenty-seven, bnt looks older ; height, sft 7in ; dark hair, beard and moustache. The palm of his right hand is hard-skinned, owing to constant use of a walking stick ; and the right leg is somewhat shorter than the left, owing to an acoident to the knee, which was swathed with a red flannel bandage. DUNEDIN, Moy 3. The s.s. Kakanui will call at Fortroao and Waikawa on Saturday next, to bring the bodies to Dunedin. The bodies not claimed by friends will be interred at the company's expense. The wreck wi'l bo sold on Friday. Captain Garrard has a married sister in Christchnrch, a brother in Wellington, and a brother in Nelson. The following ia the latest from Otara re the wreck of the Tararua:—" Wyndham, 1 p.m.— No more bodies have been found. Three police remain at Waikawa. Gorton has been identified as a groom to Dr. CotteriU, of Invercargill. At the inqueat the verdict waa ' Found drowned.' The jury added a rider that a light should be placed on Waipapa Point, aa three vessels bavobeen wrecked there. It is not the slightest use of people coming here, aa there is no accommodation." APPEAL TO PUBLIC SYMPATHY. A pnblio meeting was held in the Durham street Wesleynn schoolroom last evening, for the ' purpose of taking steps to show some practical sympathy with the bereaved families of the late , Revs. J. B. Bichardeoa and J. Armitage. who were passengers by the ill-fated Tararua. There ' was a considerable attendance of perßons repre- J renting all denominations. Among those present ! were the Rev. J. Bullor, who occupied the chair, ! the Very Rev. the Dean of Christchnrch, the Bev. Mr Aldred, the Bev. H. C. M. Watson, ' Mr C. W. Turner, and other prominent citizens. ' The Bev. Mr Baumber acted aa aecretary. ' The proceedings were opened with prayer, ; after which l

The Chairman stated the object for which the meeting hod been convened. The Rev. Mr Banmber sold he thonght it right and advisable to correct a wrong impression conveyed by the newspaper as t 9 the circumstances of the bereaved families on whose behalf they had met together. It was stated that the widow of their lamented friend the Bev Mr Eiohardaon would be entitled to -BlOOa year oat of the chnrch fnnds, bnt this was not so, the lady wonld only receive -270, and the case of Mrs Armitago was even worse. Her late husband had not been fo long connected with the church, and his widow would only be entitled to receive JB3O per annum.

The following letter was then read from Mr George Gould: — "My dear Mr Boumber,—l am glad to learn that you are having a gon-r<.l meeting to organise some, plan for providing a f nnd to assist the widows and families of oar bereaved brethren. T regret, owing to my deafness, that I cannot _ take any active part in this matter, but I wish to tender my heartfelt uympotby with the bereaved, and to do so in a praotical way. am willing to five .8100 towards the fund. Whilst I have no onbt Christchnreh will subscribe more towards the fund than other parts of the colony, owing to its intimate relations with oar departed friends, I consider they have an equal claim on every circuit in the colony, as they were en route to the Conference on the business of the wholo Church, and not of any circuit in particular. I Buppoße no action eon be taken until the return of the ex-president from the_ Conference, but I think as scan after as possible a collection should be made in every Wesleyan Church in New Zealand. (Bigned) " Geo. Gould." The Chairman expressed the pleasure, he felt, in common no doubt with many otherp, at snch an evidence of prompt liberality; and he hoped it would induce others to follow in the tame direction according to their means. He then called upon Mr George Booth to propoae the first resolution.

Mr Booth moved an follows :—" That this meeting of representatives of the Wesleyan and Other chnrcbes in this community, desires to express its deep sympathy with the families of the late Rova. J. B. Richardson and J. Armitage, in their sad bereavement, and feels deeply the loss that has been sustained by the ohnrch and the community in general by the terrible calamity which resulted in their death." In moving this resolution Mr Booth said he felt euro it would commend itself to every one in the meeting. The community and the ohurch had sustained a heavy loss, and the sympathies of all should be enlisted on behalf of the bereaved surviving relatives of their departed friends. ' He wonld not trust himself to say more on a subject which deeply moved him, but would conclude by expressing the hope that the result of the gathering there would be sueh an expression of sympathy as would make itiiolf practically felt. The Dean of Christchnrch seconded the motion. In the presence of the great calamity which bad befallen this community, he felt very much his utter inability to say much on the subject; they had met there for a definite object, which lay plainly before them, and words were but commonplace on an occasion like the present, when all their heartß were moved by one common chord of sympathy and regret. At the same time he felt impelled to say a word or two -in advance of the movement now initiated. Differences of creed or opinion were sunk under such peculiarly distressing circumstances, and they all met there on one common platform of humanity and Christianity. The rev. gentleman made a gentle and appropriate reference to the lives of the departed ministers, and concluded by expressing a hope that the public would unite in assisting to support those who had been left to mourn their loss. The motion was unanimously adopted. The Bev. H. 0. M. Watson moved the next resolution. He remarked that when he entered the room he had no idea of m vving a resolution or of taking an active part in the meeting; he had simply come, with his friend the Bean of Christchnrch, to express the sympathy which he, in common with others, felt for the loss sustained by the families of the rev. gentlemen who had been called so suddenly away. He had been asked to propose a resolution, however, and had great pleasure in doing so, because he was to a certain extent a stranger, and it ociurred to him that the fact would in some sort make the appeal more of a general character. He, therefore, had great pleasure in moving—" That subscription lists be got up for the bereaved families of tho late Eevs. J. B. Kichardson and J. Armitago, and that a committee of collectors be appointed, to consist of Messrs Smith, Moore, Rutland, Monldey, Candy, C. B. Taylor, Jones, Spenßley, and Broughton, with power to add to their number." Mr Dawßon seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously. Mr C. B. Taylor moved—" That an Executive committee be appointed to take the entire management of the fund and to ask for the cooperation of the connection, to consist of Messrs Garrick (St. Albans), H. Martin (Leeston), G. Gould, C. W. Turner and W. Harris; Mr Gould, treasurer ; the Kev. Mr Baumber, secreMr Brown (Lyttelton) seconded the resolution, which was then put to the meeting and A resolulion was also passed that letters of sympathy be written to the son of the late Mr Connal, and the wife and daughter of the late Mr Mitchell. Mr C. W. Tnrner suggested that the subscription lists should be ot once opened in the room, and thus set a good example The Chairman said he had received a subscription of jfls from Mr Hargreaves. Mr Turner expressed the hope that special offertories in the Wesleyan Churches all over the colony might be arranged for an early date —say Sonday next. He knew that the officebearers of other churches in this city had already been considering whether something in that dixoction could not bo done.

It waa pointed out that the late Mr Armitage had left a large family entirely unprovided for. This concluded the formal business. A subscription list waH at once raiaed. and tho result is that over .£2OO has been already promised, so that the funds start with a good foundation. The meeting concluded with prayers.