GREAT TRAGEDY RECALLED.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1921, Page 1

GREAT TRAGEDY RECALLED.

Till’. BUSINESS SIDE. As the tragedy of the wreck ot t.ho Wairarapa had its sad side, and its lighter side, so also had it a business side (writes Canon Haselden in the Auckland “Herald”). 1 call it a business side, la-cause the recovery of thousands of pounds of money, atul of valuables worth more than money ,-onld buy. seems to me to lie good business, ami worth the hard work it caused, and which hard work, by the way. was never paid for, nor could he. Sergeant (iambic, and the. constables. Alaodonell stnnyci. Joins Olipliant. Railev and Maeoncliie, In-gall their work of recovering, searching and burying the bodies of the hist on the Friday when v\e airived at the scene. We searched twenty-six miles of (-oast line round tha if j rent Harrier and found bodies twentyfour miles apart. By the Wednesday I saw that we were not prepared for the work in any adequate manner. 1 therefore resolved to go to Auckland. There 1 got from the police authorities, the Union K.S Company, and some good friends, all I asked for. T told Inspector Hickson about the money, valuables, drafts, letters etc., we found on the bodies, and that to make them up into paper parcels was not proper at all, and T wanted for the police about one hundred very strong small canvas- bags made that day. so that all that was found on each body could be put into a bag with a full description of the. body, and the bag sealed up and then forwarded to the Rublie Trustee. This was done, anil proper bedding, food, clothes etc., "as also get ready. 1 also had a good talk with Dr Haines, and told him of l ho risk of blood poisoning and typhoid fever. lie gave me milch instruct: r

anil had a splendid lot of necessaries made up. which were all paid for by lie' Union Steamship Company. N morning, when I arrived at daybreak at out camp at Alaori Bay, T found the tents taken down and tlm whole camp ready to depart for Auckland. The sergeant and his men wipe so disheartened that they wen- determined to give up the work. But when they saw all tlm thing. I had get, and read ■ , hat i,..epic generally thought of their heroic work. Sergeant Cambio said, ■‘Yen have put an entirely dilicrcnl complexion on it. Canon. Me "ill stop.” The camp "as soon pitched ill Slid U g'M M 1 111 -‘ 01 X' T V'l 1 KEUMYEKING- VAI.UART.EB. We stayed for fifteen days after that, ami much relief; even joy. and great gains, was the result for hundreds of people. The thankfulness of people, II lien we "ere able to tell them that their dear dead ones had been found and buried pi e.perly. and they saw and 1,11,1 the personal belongings found on I hem "as most touching. To gel the eing, the watch, the well-known jewels that the loved ones had worn f'U wars, gave very real pleasure to husbands, wives, father*, mothers, sons anil daughters, and. in a few touching eases to lovers. 1 saw the splendid policemen turn away and look out to se.t when I told them of such things and it made them work an and bear the privation and run the risks and keep up their spirit, living , f litnidi eels ol pounds fur relatives who were not at all "ell oil ■aim also a great mailer, and 1 believe that not one sixpence went wrong. )\ e reentered ,sr> bodies, and "hat was on them. One thing that i nosed as eh thought was the clothes on the u.ounce did not seem to answer to the particulars sent to us hv friends. Then it struck me that in the awful time at mid-night, vt lieu the sp struck ill,* cliff, the pa 'Sol,pers in s one i as.es put op one allot her’s garments When told the police tvliat I bought they at once a t eed wit It me. and it helped us in manv a ililiieiilty. TWO STRAND’. OAR’ KN I NOS.

Hill smile strange tilings happened. I'er , v ; ,.,.|,ie. nimiil a year after I lie u ivi-p a in:i*i and s<m r-ain<‘ In nii». Tlicv said lln * v wanhd t n t.ikt* up l lie holly el' the w ill- and unit her. w lu> hud I>i*i■ 11 found by one nl the se: tiers and buried near the sen. I had iondueled the funeral servin' -nine days liter the body was found and Imre" 1 . I tried In lersuade the two men that il was not desirable I i d- anything inure than I’eiiee in the grave, as all had lieen duly done for the de:el. Put, after a t imr. they I "Id me that the woman had one hundred sovereigns sewed into the hand of her llannel petticoat, and they would like l" have iliein. and did .1 think they could he on her when she was Ini ril'd '• I said that if the rescue party had found the body the money would certainly have been recovered, hill. IIS a settler im ! found il. lie would prohahlv not seal'll the body. ami. therefire. the money, or part of it. would still I e on Imr body. The result was that I told them all the forms they laid to observe, and (IP severeions were reisivered. I lie remaining 111 had pone into the sea. heinp lorn oil' hy the rocks.

Another slranpe lliinp was submitted to me for an opinion hv the Public Trustee. We had found the body of a mail who had in one of his pockets a Imp cnlitiiiiiino considerably over one hundred sovereigns. This, with all the other l hili vs fim ml on him. wei'e dull nut into the s|‘eeial hap lor this ease, along with a careful description of the man. and sent to the I’uhlie Trustee, lie was a I 111 1 to pay the money to the widow when another woman mine forward am) rlnimed the hap of snvmi.j.iiis, She slated that her husband who was also drowned nW the ship was ,j male of the til's! man ; that her hu--used to set drunk when In' went on hull nl a steamer, and so he always pave his money to the first man, wlm was a sillier man. to take care of for liim. The W blow of the first man was evidently surprised that her husband should have a Imp nf sovereigns oil him. and. as she raised no objection, tile pold was handed to the widow of ihe second nitin. who was very lhanklol to o*.| it. and T am sure il was hers by ri«dd.