WRECK OF MANUKA.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5517, 23 December 1929, Page 2

WRECK OF MANUKA.

NEW ZEALAND’S RUGGED COAST

TWO PREVIOUS DISASTERS.

Thanks to mild weather and excellent organis ation, the passengers and crew of the wrecked Manuka succeeded in making a safe landing without the loss of a single life. Considering the roughness of the seas round New Zealand, and the rugged coasts, it is surprising that there have not been many more disasters on a large scale than there have been (says the “Dominion”). In the wreck of the Elingamite, however* everything appeared to go wrong. This vessel, of 2585 tons, was wrecked, on Sunday, November 9, 1902, on an inland of the Three Kings group while on a trip from Sydney. There was a dense fog at the time, and a nasty swell. Broken water was suddenly seen ahead, and orders to go astern were immediately sent to the engine-room. One report states that six turns of the propeller would have saved the ship, but no response came from the engine-room. Why, nobody knows to this day, for the engineer on duty was drowned. The vessel sank in 20 minutes.

Including passengers and crew, there were 195 persons on board the Elingamite/ and 45 lives were lost. Gold to the value of £17,300 formed part of the cargo, and was never recovered, so swiftly and so completely did the ship break up. The captain was subsequently fined £5O and had his license suspended. That may have been perfectly in order. What was not in order, however, was the fact that it was discovered later« on that these islands had been charted no less than three miles out of their correct position. The survey ship Pandora had herself become wrecked there and had had her instruments put out of adjustment. In spite of this unfortunate error,, the captain was never able to get another steamer. From a loss of life standpoint quite one of the worst wrecks occurred on October 29, 1894, again a Sunday, when the Wairarapa ran ashore on Great Barrier Island, near. Auckland. The captain, John Mclntosh, and 134 other persons, lost their lives. In spite of the fact that this island is comparatively close to Auckland, no news of the disaster filtered through to the mainland until November 2, although the vessel had been posted as overdue for some days. The vessel ran ashore in pitch darkness in a heavy sea. The passengers, as in the case of the Manuka, were comfortably in bed. Futile efforts were made to launch the boats, which were capsized by the seas, and those in them were drowned. Many persons rallied to the shelter of the captain’s bridge* but it was swept away by a huge wave and all those sheltering there were lost. At daybreak two of the crew swam ashore, and many were saved by means of a lifeline. These survivors, however, were in a most distressing condition. Not only were many of them in nightdresses and s canty attire, but they were forced to remain exposed for 30 hours. Eventually some Maori boats discovered them and they were rescued. The newt; shocked the whole of New Zealand, and no less than nine special edition s of one newspaper were issued in one day.