THE WRECKED MANAIA

Hokitika Guardian, 14 June 1926, Page 4

THE WRECKED MANAIA

GRAPHIC DETAILS. (by TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION AUCKLAND, Juno 12. Graphic details of the wreck of the Alanaia were given by passengers on the vessel who were transhipped to the Ngapulii, which arrived at Auckland late last evening. As the vessel drew along side the wharf one could see many smiling faces, a sign of evident relief after anxious experiences. They had a warm welcome from a large number of people who had gathered on the wliarf. After talking with some of the Alanaia’s passengers, one gathered that the mishap was not connected with blinding gales and panic that go hand in hand with stories written about most wrecks. Indeed, it was a very prosaic sort of wreck as one of the passengers said. The Manaia just slipped on to the reef and that was all there was to it.

“ I was asleep and was suddenly jerked by a grinding, biting sound,” said one woman passenger. This was followed by severe humping. All the passengers were startled and a mild panic ruled for a while. 1 heard women making desperate inquiries about tlieir children. The crew informed us that the ship had struck a beef and there was nothing to he alarmed about. Me all dressed hurriedly and we were supplied with life holts. ALiny put them on. AYe found out later that they were not wanted. However, the passengers all hurried on dock to see what had happened. It was misty and raining hut we could see the land quite plainly. AYe could also see the rocks on which the Alanaia was stranded, gibe aopeared to be held hard and fast, and the propellers were kept going tn keep her in position. The lifeboats wore swung on the calm side, in ease of emergency. The whole thing appeared to be worse than it really was. It was dark and all this preparation was going on.

The Alanaia stranded at about 11.3 p.m. on Thursday night. None of us got any more sleep. This was my first experience ot the kind. It was not verv terrible. The delay was the most annoying part of if.

Another passenger paid a tribute to the general conduct of the passengers as a whole. There was excitement at first, he said, hut they soon became resigned to their position. Tie also referred to the confidence inspired by the captain, officers and crew. They went about their work calmly and methodically. Fortunately no one was hurt. The vessel did not strike the reef with sufficient violence to throw passengers from their berths. The work of transferring the passengers from the Alanaia to the Ngapulii in the ATanaia’s lifeboats was also carried out without incident or mishap. Among the passengers were 24 members of the Stanley AfeKay Pantomime Company. One of them stated that the wreck was not half as good as

some of the stunts our company put across the footlights. Before the Alanaia’s passengers disembarked from the Ngapulii they gave three rousing cheers for the officers and crew of the vessel for what they had done.