NAPIER DISASTER

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1932, Page 6

NAPIER DISASTER

THREE BODIES FOUND

LIST OF MISSING

(P* Press -Association— Copyright.)

NAPIEiR, December 29. Up to the present 'three bodies have been recovered from the water. The first found was that of Jethro Hemy Einson Metcalfe, who was picked up by the launch Naomi., a short while after.. tile collision. .Artificial respiration, was applied and continued for -"OtpC An hour without success. "’'',kft'Hoti"li a search was continued it was not until some hours later that the body of John It, _Wilson wa« discovered, heifig picked up by the Tiyngaroa, tiffee miles away from the spot where tin?, accident occurred. A third body, J. Wood, was found shortly after ten o’clock this morning. ; THE DEAD. The dead are as follow: — Mr John H. Wilson, 124 Wughorne fit;p Port Ahuriri, aged 67 years, married, -with three grown up children.. (Sfr , Jethro Henry’ Enrson Medcalfe, aged 48 years' 66 Battery ltd., married, one child, Mr James Woods. Shakespeare ltd., married, with one daughter. THE MISSING.

[A-Those Jiil-ill missing are.as follow:—. Robert 0. Applin, Charles Street, West Shore, -aged 58 years,, married, with seven children. Mr Alex Boyd, aged 30 years, Meanee Quay, West Shore, married, with two children. Tom Kilt, 40, of Campbell St., Port Ahuriri, married, with one child. H. Johnson, 40 years, married, West Shore. E. Cocner, 32 years,. Carlyle St., Napier, married, wjtli four clii’ldrne. Hi Lowe, 35 years, Nelson Crescent, married, with four children. Mr W. Andrews, Battery ltd., 40 years, three children. THOSE WHO ESCAPED.

Those tv lie were also aboard the launch - but .who were either picked up .and managed to reach the shore safely were 'Messrs Li- Harrison (who was ordered to the Napier, hospital, suffering from shock), W. Wilinot, F. Dunn, 0. Le Geyit, It. Pratt, J. Boyd, , It. Jones,. J. Joseph, F. Oemcke, P. Jones, It. Niiruno, B. Eddy, G. S. Wilson, ft. Plunket, H. Manhing, D. McKinney, J. For lie, A. Withingtotti, P. Ni hernia -and E. Mentzer, lauuchman. A SURVIVOR’S REPORT. ■NAlTEß,..December 20. The first demand of H. L. • Harrison in the Napier .hospital to-day of' the ; “Telngilaph” was for a ‘smoke. “I’m dying for a smoke.” He said. Describing his experience, Harrison said that whilst talking to a mate al erv went up “look out.” This was

followed by a' crash and the launch overturned. “As I went down I was kicked by the. feet and struck by the hands irnd arms of some of the thirtyone men. After a.. gfeat effort to roach the surface I saw the launch fiparing bottom , up, with some men clinging to it. T grabbed a rudder 'support and hung on. Every roll of the launch submerged, the men.dinging 1 to- it. 1 was about to give up, when I a; ropo was. flung to me from the launch Kurt Bv this rope several were rescued. I was taken, ashore to the hospital. It was a nightmare.” The sea was calm with a light rain, and visibility was poor. f.- Although the sound of a clash had ifbeen heard on the land a# far away as the hospital hill, the arrival of a drench* , ed, , exhausted figure at the port police ; station, some , ten minutes after the collision,- was the first definite indication of the peril into which 31 men aboard the Doris had been thrown It. waft James Joseph West-shore, finding .himself flung, clear of th e vessels, who hit out at once for the shore, and .arriving on land,- summoned assistance fc,r- those whos- P . ltv.es were still in dap.gcr. Although, in a . state bordering on -collapse Wostshore was-able to give sufficient details regarding the location of. the .yessel and the seriousness of the position.

There wa-s an immediate rush to rescue, and within a few minutes, the quay was crowded with distracted women folk and children. ThoSp who WPre out there in th fi darkness waited %jjth fortitude for the rescue launch, io leave the steps. It wa s th e launch Naomi which wa.s hurriedly prepared, and which, within ten minutes, was Vet full 'speed for the point.|wjtpro the tragic • collision occurred. \i SJf.J

:: ;lt was indeed fortunate that the tut?, was 'fallowing close in the wgke : of tlit> Doris at the time of the accident, and on arrival at Naomi it wa s seen that the Tu Atu and Corn lie were, close together. Those in the latte,- vessel had immediately set to work to rescue the men who had been thrown into the'-.water. Eleven wero on board th-* tog ’Vaomi which senreh'Vl in th" v'fiftitv 'for some time, hot failed to find..any more survivors., Shortly afteryards tff'P left for land with tb/w" aboard. There were many tear stained fares seen as wives and children waited in vain for husband* and fother* am«"? thpse who climbed wearily to the land-

ing' place. gmyrred on by the n r ’ v iefv of +h'' ,r "o on the crowded amv. the crew of the. Nobmi anain headed over slightly railing to hetw

I Sero-ount • Claason, and Constables Sutherland and Chalmers were among those on hoard, and, after searching in. a wipe fMveep for some time, the l>ody of Medea If© was discovered a quarter (if a mile away, having drifted for that distance with the title. He . was immediately hoisted on hoard and j artificial respiration measures applied. I On returning to the quay further attempts at rosusciatioii were made by Dr. W. |>. Fitzgerald, being greatly assisted in tliits by helpers organised by Mrs Clauson and ‘Mrs Banks. Mi‘ Falvns, from the vessel Port Brisbane, and Mi- h. Hi-iwke, of the istaff of the TJnion Steamship Coy., applied thornsol ves ceaselessly in an effort to restore life to Modcalfe, but without avail. Meantime tho Naomi continued her ■search until after throe o’clock when it was abandoned until this meriting. Jt was tile Tiiiigaioa which 1 discovered tho second body, that of Mr Wilson, which bad drifted for a, distance of three miles between tin* time, of the accident and 6.3(1 o’clock this morning. Whom it was located, a continuous search was kept up from then onwards, and 'shortly after 10 o’clock, the body of Woods was located and picked up in the roadstead. The body of Mr Cooper was also- found in the roadstead shortly after midday. The position at. noon appeared, that all ten were dead.