British Hero of the Hammonia.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 December 1922, Page 4

British Hero of the Hammonia.

STORY OF THE WRECK. SOUTHAMPTON, Sept. 13. Fatly this morning the Union-Cas-tle liner Kinfnuns Castle arrived here with 383 survivors of the wreck or I the German steamship Hammonia, of I- the Hamburg-America Dine, winch , iin k- in the Atlantic, 80 miles from the const of Portugal last Saturday eveniim. An unemployed British exsoldier? the only Englishman on heard the Hammonia, was the hero of tho

hour, and everyone was trying to explain how. calmly smoking liifi pipe, while very often floundering waist-deep in water lie kept the way clear for the women and children to reach the boats. He is Mr William Henry .Fubb, a native of Barnsley, Yorkshire, recently living at 12, Pariich-strcet, Gravesend where his wife and children still live. He joined the Hammonia at Hamburg, on bis way to take up a post in Mexico having been unable to obtain any "oik in England for the past I*2 months. The rescued people and the passengers ■mu ornw of the Kinfnuns Castle have

christened him “Uncle Billy”, and they cannot say enough in his praise. “Uncle Billy” himself is very modest about it all. “After we left Vigo,” he said, “the weather became very bad. On Saturday morning I heard a lot of screaming and went up to find everybody being served out with lifebelts. By S-t----ii id ay evening the ship was lying on side with the starboat gunwale under water. It was an appalling sight to see tile terrified people clinging to .stanchions anil rails to prevent themselves from slipping down into the water. ‘When they began lowering the boats f shouted out, ‘Women and children first,’ and helped to push them for-

ward. Some of the men among the passengers lost their heads, but when men tried to push in front of the women and children, wo just knocked them back again, and they fell in a heap on the deck. “From what I could see the crew were not expert in boat work, and some of the boats were capsized. IA Jot of people were so distracted that, they jumped overboat. T wane after some and got them back. No one was drowned after the Kinfnuns Castle came up. Before that a number had been drowned through jumping inf,o the sea or boats capsizing. “'When T saw the iontj coining from tin- Kinfnuns Castle I*was so overjoyed that f began io Di.g “Tmperary.” It was magnificent to watch the way these boats wer Imioled. You could see that the ‘lien in them knew their work thoroughly.” The cause of the Heniinonin’s loss is a mystery. Capt. Hoofer, of Hamburg. her commander, says that be does not know why she sank. There seemed to be a rnvstei-ions leak which ; her pumps could not overcome. ! Another uncertain point is the number of lives that were lost Capt Tloe- , for s avs hat when .lie ship left Vigo j for Cuba she bad on board .103 passengers and 192 officer, and crew and that all but- about 1 I have been accounted for so far as is at present known. Capt. Day of the Kinfnuns Castle says that at 9.30 a.m. on Saturday lie received S.O.S. signals which stated that the Hammonia was sinking. “1 altered course and went to the spot.” lie said : “We found submerged boats and rafts with people clinging to them. There were also boats turned upside down cud people in the water. [ saw several bodies floating in the water.” The rescued are strong in their praises of .he kindness they received from all aboard the Kinfauns Castle. They are being accommodated at Atlantic Park, near Southampton, pending further arrangements..