A BENZINE DISASTER.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 September 1919, Page 3

A BENZINE DISASTER.

THE COOK’S STORY. 'PER PREfS ASSOCIATION. COPYRIGHT.I CHRISTCHURCH, September 16. The Tainui went ashore about four miles north of Gore Bay-. The spot is marked by clouds of black smoke. -The fire is still raging, although the ship looks a mere skeleton of iron. The only survivor, the cook, William H'. Farrand, stated the explosion oceured at 3 a.m. which blew out part of the front hatch'. Immediately afterwards an attempt was made to launch the ship’s lifeboat, but it was swamped and capsized immediately it reached the. water. All the members of the crew were thrown into-t-lie water with the exception of the cook, and were drowned. He was saved by hanging on to the lifeboat until lie was washed up on the beach, about four miles from the scene of the explosion, and he was much exhausted.

Farrand added that after the boat capsized some of the men clung to it, but then gradually dropped off. Captain Cowan was almost into the breakers before be became exhausted and let go. Three bodies are ashore north of Gore Bay, and two in Gore Bay. The bodies will have t 0 he brought over very broken country. C. Williams, one of the Tainui’s seamen, who lost, his life, was an ex-naval man, who took part in the Zeebrtigge and Ostend raids.

A fuller statement' by the survivor Farrand shows that be was awakened at 2.30. a.m. by the sound of an explosion. He got out of his bunk, and went forward to see wliat bad happened. He found all the hatches blown off, and the whole of the forward part of the vessel on fire. He awakened all hands. A lifeboat was then launched, and all the members of the crew, with t he exception of the mate, Stevens and Farrand himself, got into the boat-, there was a heavy sea and the life boat drifted away form the vessel befoie Stevens and Farrand could get into

A moment or two later, the lifeboat was swamped, and all the occupants were swept into the water. Farrand dived from the vessel, and a couple of moments later ho was followed’by Stevens. Those who had got into the lifeboat were hanging on. to the capsized 'boat. The lifeboat was turning over and over in the heavy seas and the first man to let go and dritt away was the engineer. He soon expired. A seaman Williams, struck out from

the lifeboat. Farrand and Stevens held on to. the lifeboat. Tbe others gradually disappeared. Steven® was washed off, and he also disappeared. Farrand held on with one hand, and was badly battered about the legs Eventually the boat, with Fan an ban ring on to it, drifted on to the beach. ’He was in a semi-conscious state, after having been battered about in the water for some three hours. He laid down on the beach for several hours, before lie was found by two brothers, named Winskill from Gore

Farrand said the men who were on the lifeboat hung on in the hope that they might be picked up by the Maori on her way to Lyttelton. The Tainui is lying broadsde on the beach. She was devoured all day by flames, while overhead dense smoko blackened the skv. The force of the explosion must have been terrific, tor heavy timber, and wreckage, splintered and twisted, strews the shore. Five bodies have been washed-ashore Three have been identified as Greenwood, Townsend and Fuller. There were no marks on the bodies to show that they had been injured by the explosion. Captain Cowan’s body lias not- vet been recovered.